Six years on from Jamie T’s last new material (or four, if you count the accidental leak of his B Sides), he’s back with brand new single ‘The Old Style Raiders’. The three minute track was produced by Hugo White of indie heroes The Maccabees, and leads up to T’s fifth album, ‘The Theory of Whatever’. His long-awaited musical return was a must-add to this week’s NME Radio playlist.
The singer-songwriter will also be playing his first show in five years this week in Ladbroke Grove; and other artists featured in this week’s slate of NME Radio additions are also getting ready to hit the road. Mahalia kicks off her UK tour on May 17, while Manchester natives Porij are gearing up for a slot at this week’s The Great Escape festival in Brighton. Check out the rest of the new tracks on NME 1 and 2 below:
On the A List:
Jamie T
‘The Old Style Raiders’
Jamie T is back with indie rock anthem ‘The Old Style Raiders’. Produced by former Maccabees guitarist Hugo White, the south London singer-songwriter has explained that the new cut is about the fight to “find something that means enough to you that you love”. This single will appear on ‘The Theory of Whatever’, his first album in six years that drops in July. – Karen Gwee
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Mahalia
‘In The Club’
Singer-songwriter Mahalia’s latest offering ‘In The Club’ is a silky track with a driving bassline that’ll get you straight on the dancefloor. The follow-up to her stellar February release ‘Letters To Ur Ex’ samples 50 Cent’s classic ‘In Da Club’, and Mahalia has explained that the track is “about letting go of people who are just plain and simply bad for you”. – Sabiq Rafid
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the B List:
Porij
‘Lose Our Minds’
Wig out with Manchester four-piece Porij and their new single ‘Lose Our Minds’, which is a dancefloor heater about a toxic relationship. “Both people know it’s not a good idea but can’t seem to stay away from the other,” the band said in a statement. “This song is all about leaning into that and watching as sanity melts away.” – KG
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
IDK
‘Dog Food’ (feat. Denzel Curry)
Maryland rapper IDK is joined by Denzel Curry for powerful new track ‘Dog Food’. This team-up between the two collaborators is part of IDK’s eight-track project, ‘Simple.’, which was produced entirely by Kaytranada. – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the C List:
Holly Humberstone
‘Sleep Tight’
Slow down the BPM with rising star Holly Humberstone’s most recent release ‘Sleep Tight’. Here, she sings her profession of love for a friend, and how it might all end up in ruins: “I almost killed our friendship, and I sure hope it’s worth it / And I got all this stuff boiling up / ‘Cause I got drunk and said too much”. She co-wrote this song with The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy and indie-soul singer Rob Milton. – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
HAAi & Jon Hopkins
‘Baby, We’re Ascending’
Australia-born, London-based producer and DJ HAAi joins forces with Jon Hopkins on ‘Baby, We’re Ascending’. As Hopkins tells it, this soaring new tune emerged after “a few hilarious psychedelic adventures at my new studio, listening to stuff and being ridiculous”. It’s also the title track of HAAi’s debut album, out this month on Mute. – KG
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Tove Lo
‘No One Dies From Love’
Tove Lo’s new single ‘No One Dies From Love’ is a big, ambitious dose of sad music to dance to. Over a throbbing synth that brings to mind Robyn’s ‘Body Talk’, Tove Lo delivers a bold pop hook that will ring out over dancefloors this summer: “No one dies from love / I guess I’ll be the first”. – KG
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
POND
‘Hang a Cross on Me (feat. Cowboy John)’
This month Aussie psych rockers POND will drop a deluxe version of their latest album ‘9’, which includes new tune ‘Hang a Cross on Me’. It marks the return of guest musician Cowboy John, who appeared on POND’s 2013 album ‘Hobo Rocket’. “He meditates on love, life, the universe and everything with his signature fantastical surrealism and cosmic wonder,” said POND frontman Nick Allbrook. “He is incredibly rare and brilliant and we love him.” – KG
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music