We know you’re busy. So instead of covering everything, we’re going to publish a rundown of the best new music each month. As Drake said on his debut album – Thank [Us] Later. Or send us gifts in the post.
March 2015 has been great. Car enthusiast and serial prick Jeremy Clarkson was fired from the BBC; KFC released coffee cups that can be eaten; someone did a shit so bad they forced a British Airways flight to land; and then, of course, there’s been more exciting music events than we’re used to on this grey isle of Barlow and Bombay Bicycle Club. Below is the best music released from around the world.
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Ratking – 700 Fill
The 700 fill jacket is one of life’s essentials. It comes in a range of colours, goes with anything, and more importantly, keeps you heated while cruising around the city in Winter. The last month or so I’ve had Ratking’s record of the same name, released on BitTorrent, on repeat and it’s had a similar effect. Sure – it doesn’t prevent the wind from blasting past my trachea and on to my chest, but listening to this record makes me feel great. It’s a natural progression from So It Goes, with features coming from the likes of Remy Banks, Despot and Princess Nokia, but paints another portrait of street-level New York. As Ratking member Sporting Life said to Noisey last month, “this is the New York as soon as you walk out of your doorstep”. 700 Fill, with its seamlessly enjoyable play-through, is the best thing released this month and probably the most underrated – Ryan Bassil
Place of origin: New York, USA
Hop Along – “Waitress”
Man. Sometimes music crashes into you; pouring into the cracks you didn’t even know you had, offering up some sort of emotional glue. Hop Along’s latest track “Waitress”, is one of those songs. Frances Quinlan’s vocals tell stories. I think of a waitress smoking a cigarette in the parking lot; someone painting a picture with the quivering lip you see another human get when they’re close to streaming tears; everyone I know putting on a brave face when they feel terrible inside; the knowledge we’re all patients in the asylum of watches. I don’t think I’ve heard a voice in so long that manages to say so much – Ryan Bassil
Place of origin: Philadelphia, USA
Ish Darr – Old Soul Young Spirit
Have you guys heard Ish Darr? My flatmate’s been playing him on repeat for the last month and basically, he’s your new favourite rapper. The songs on his latest mixtape Old Soul Young Spirit hit instantly with the confidence of someone who turned down meetings with record labels. “Only You” – which samples French Kiwi Juice is my favourite and, coming up off the back of our premiere with Webster X earlier this year, it seems like Milwaukee’s rap scene is one to keep an eye on – Ryan Bassil
Place of origin: Milwaukee, USA
Bully – “I Remember”
If you name your band Bully, you’re probably either going to be a thuggish hardcore band with no sensitivity and a lot of X’s on your merch, or smartass who has flipped the concept on its head in a knowing way. In this case, it’s the latter. Based in Nashville, Bully is the brainchild of Alicia Bognanno, who uses the project to air out the most candid aspects of her life and, with “I Remember”, the most intimate aspects of a relationship. The smell of dirty sheets, what makes the other person tick, what makes them melt… Bognanno reels everything off like an emotional shopping list; revealing without the need for explanation.
“I remember throwing up in your car,” she shouts on this bittersweet post-breakup song with all the unhinged intimacy of a young Courtney Love. Essentially, what she’s doing is publicising all the shit that could possibly be considered hurtful in a way that’s like, well, it’s all out there now. Do your worst – Emma Garland
Place of origin: Nashville, USA
Tei Shi – “Go Slow”
Tei Shi makes off-kilter, kinda perfect pop music. Ideal for winding down, with subtle crescendos ensuring things never get boring and keep bubbling. “Go Slow” is her latest track, taken from her second EP – Ryan Bassil
Place of origin: New York, USA
Post Malone – “Tear$”
Post Malone is hotting up. We posted his last track in February’s round-up and he’s back again with “Tear$”, an ode to wiping the sadness away with Supreme tees and wads of cash. It’s the sound of turning up while feeling upset and downcast inside, looking for other avenues to take the pain away – Ryan Bassil
Place of origin: USA
Girlpool
It’s basically physically impossible to not like Girlpool. Harmony Tividad and Cleo Tucker are making some of the most affecting music in recent memory on the most simple terms: two teenagers with two guitars and a lot of crushing realisations about life to vent. Of course, it helps that they’re both amazingly good at writing songs and “Ideal World” is an ideal example of a track that transcends the boundaries of age and experience. Last time I saw Girlpool play in London, there were a lot of middle-aged men in the crowd and a good percentage of them shed an actual tear – Emma Garland
Place of origin: Philadelphia (via Los Angeles), USA
Triad$ – “Energy”
Like Post Malone, some of Triad$ tracks feel like the progression of sad rap, with an old cut called “Pink Sheets” sounding particularly melancholic. His latest, “Energy”, is anything but sad though. It starts off with a warning sound and moves into the sort of music that’s a prerequisite to waving your hands in obtrusive directions and oscillating on the spot – Ryan Bassil
Place of origin: Los Angeles, USA
Taragana Pyjarama – “Ariel”
The last in this month’s sad vibing series comes from the ever unpronounceable Taragana Pyjarama, with an excellent luscious production called “Ariel”. – Ryan Bassil
Place of origin: Denmark
iLoveMakonnen – No Ma’am (feat. Rome Fortune & Rich The Kid)
Makonnen got so big for “Tuesday” he told Snoop people just call him that now. The Atlanta kid’s talent deserves a wider recognition though, because the mixtape he dropped just days ago is an even more impressive portal into the weird and emojinal water world that orbits his brain. “No Ma’am” is a pick, because it’s the only rap song you’ll hear this year that essentially boils down to politeness, and the production sounds like you’re blasting trap beats on the waltzers at your dodgy local fairground. Hear the whole of his Drink More Water 5 mixtape here – Joe Zadeh
Place of origin: Atlanta, USA
You can find Noisey on Twitter: @RyanBassil @EmmaGGarland @cide_benengeli
