Foals have been keeping busy since their 2019 sister albums ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost: Part One’ and ‘Part Two’ were released; and they’ve finally shared the first taste of new music in the form of the buoyant single ‘Wake Me Up’. It’s a first taste of their funky seventh album, which frontman Yannis Philippakis has told NME has a “confetti cannon, hands in the air vibe”, and was a must add to the NME Radio playlist this week!
Also new to NME Radio is Charli XCX’s ‘New Shapes’, a mega-collab with Christine And The Queens and Caroline Polachek, and Shame’s return with ‘This Side Of The Sun’.
Check out what’s new on NME 1 & 2 below.
On the A List
Foals
‘Wake Me Up’
Foals return with ‘Wake Me Up’, their first song as a three-piece (following the departure of keyboardist Edwin Congreave) and a feel-good preview of their upcoming seventh studio album. The song is the band’s attempt at an escape from the “weird fever dream” of being in lockdowns last year, said frontman Yannis Philippakis: “I think we all wished we could have woken up somewhere else at various points.” With a tinge of funk and disco synths, along with punchy guitars, ‘Wake Me Up’ is a bittersweet reflection of that dreadful, emotional period of time. – Qistina Bumidin
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
P-rallel
‘Believe’
With so much of our lives stored in the cloud, it can be heartbreaking to have your data disappear. This is something West London producer and DJ P-rallel understands acutely – ‘Believe’ was the first song he made after his hard drive broke, leading him to think he’d lost his entire EP. But he recovered quickly, tapping Fredwave for silken vocals and Jeshi for breezy rap verses. They blend seamlessly into P-rallel’s mellow production, defined by shimmering synths and propulsive, groovy basslines. ‘Believe’ goes easy on the ears and hard on the dancefloor. – QB
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
‘A Dream I Have’
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs latest tune ‘A Dream I Have’ is taken from new EP ‘The Distance’. Infusing retro funk with hypnotic synths and dynamic percussion, it’s a stunning, trance-like listening experience. – QB
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the B List
Charli XCX
‘New Shapes’ ft. Christine And The Queens & Caroline Polachek
It’s Charli, baby – and she’s joined by Christine And The Queens and Caroline Polachek. The three Cs collide on futuristic single ‘New Shapes’, taken from Charli XCX’s upcoming album ‘CRASH’. The trio deliver a mournful combination of three distinct perspectives on overcoming heartache over bubbly ’80s synths, and it’s brilliant. – QB
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Shame
‘This Side Of The Sun’
English post-punk quintet Shame’s ‘This Side Of The Sun’ is the group’s first new music since sophomore album ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ dropped earlier this year. Amid dissonant guitar riffs and rousing drums lie frontman Charlie Steen’s laments of being a people-pleaser: “I give myself away / Everyday / To everyone I meet”. To thoroughly enjoy the song, take the band’s cheeky advice: “Listen with a piña colada in your left hand”. – QB
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the C List
Kylie Minogue & Jessie Ware
‘Kiss of Life’
On ‘Kiss of Life’ Kylie Minogue is joined by Jessie Ware on this track from ‘DISCO: Guest List Edition’, a repackaging of Minogue’s 2020 album, ‘Disco’. Their phenomenal chemistry makes for a playful, euphoric groove as they whisper sweet, seductive lyrics of love and passion. – QB
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Shygirl
‘Cleo’
Shygirl returns with a new single, ‘Cleo’, her second release of 2021 following ‘BDE’, her racy collaboration with Slowthai earlier this year. The track seamlessly shifts between luxurious orchestral strings and pulsating club electronics, continuing the British artist’s track record of genre-defying, melodramatic dance music. – QB
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
CMAT
‘No More Virgos’
CMAT is done with heartbreaking September boys in her latest single ‘No More Virgos’. Taken from her upcoming debut album ‘If My Wife New I’d Be Dead’, the bouncy track combines her “love of ’80s Italo disco with [her] hatred of Virgos”. The Irish pop artist, real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, pokes fun at her romantic compulsions with her trademark wit: “My mental health is banking on my chastity / and you’re bad for me”. – QB
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Radiohead
‘Follow Me Around’
After spending almost two decades tirelessly scouring the Internet for rare clips of the near-mythic song ‘Follow Me Around’, Radiohead fans can now rest. The English rockers dropped the official version of ‘Follow Me Around’ track last week as part of their new compilation album ‘Kid A Mnesia’. The song is, of course, as brilliant as the band’s patient fans have long believed. – QB
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music