It’s the season of returns. In the past two weeks we’ve had stellar new albums from both Arcade Fire and Kendrick Lamar, while Kasabian have just shared the first preview of their forthcoming record ‘The Alchemist’s Euphoria’ – their first since the departure of previous frontman, Tom Meighan.
Post Malone has also recently dropped new tune ‘Cooped Up’, the second single building up to his upcoming album; and Carly Rae Jepsen is back with the lush ‘Western Wind’. All of these welcome returns were must-adds to this week’s NME Radio playlist.
Check out the rest of the new tracks on NME 1 and 2 below:
On the A List:
Arcade Fire
‘Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)’
Taken from Arcade Fire’s new record ‘WE’, the six-minute ‘Age of Anxiety II (Rabbit Hole)’ is a slow-burning beauty that’ll linger in your head for days. – Sabiq Rafid
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Post Malone
‘Cooped Up’ feat Roddy Rich
Post Malone’s latest single ‘Cooped Up’, a team-up with Roddy Rich, is the second preview of his upcoming album, ‘Twelve Carat Toothache’. “I’ve been out of my bag for a long time, and I’m trying to hop back in there,” Post said of the track in an interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, adding: “We knew what we wanted to say, and we knew what we wanted to express, not only in a song but in that particular moment on the album.” – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the B List:
Kendrick Lamar
‘The Heart Part 5’
The brilliant, Marvin-Gaye sampling ‘The Heart Part 5’ – the first glimpse we got of Lamar’s stellar fifth record ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ before it dropped – is a triumph. Given the five-star treatment here at NME, it sees Lamar: “taking ownership of his elder role in the rap world. He sees his influence and now wants to be a voice of reason and morality, not just a coveted rap star.” – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Carly Rae Jepsen
‘Western Wind’
Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest offering, ‘Western Wind’, is a song made for basking in the warmth on sunny days. Fusing lush synths, an infectious backbeat and a slick guitar solo, it’s a total beauty. – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Willow Kayne
‘Final Notice’
Rising star Willow Kayne’s newest single ‘Final Notice’ is the singer-producer’s first release of the year. The catchy jungle track is also a homage to Kayne’s roots, with the artist calling it “a love letter to the junglist stylings of her hometown of Bristol.” – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the C List:
Sharon Van Etten
‘Mistakes’
Sharon Van Etten holds no regrets on this killer guitar-laden track from her new album ‘We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong’. “When I make a mistake / Turns out it’s great, it’s great, it’s great she asserts on the euphoric track, adding: I’m much better than that / It’s much better than that”. – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Shygirl
‘Starlight’
On new single ‘Firefly’, pop-innovator Shygirl transports us to the dance-floor. Fusing skittering beats with glitchy synths, the earworm is an exciting glimpse of the artist’s upcoming debut album ‘Nymph’, due out later this year. – KG
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Doja Cat
‘Vegas’
Taken from the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis Presley biopic, on ‘Vegas’ Doja Cat samples Big Mama Thorton’s iconic ‘Hound Dog’ (which was also famously covered by Elvis Presley himself). Reimagining the tune with plenty of flair, the powerhouse performance is an intriguing reworking of a classic. – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Kasabian
‘SCRIPTVRE’
Kasabian have returned with anthemic new single ‘SCRIPTVRE’. “It has this huge sound that came from me bouncing off Kanye and old ‘70s soul cuts from digging in crates,” Serge Pizzorno explained of the track to NME. “There’s a euphoric, beautiful arms-in-the-air moment then goes back to this ferocious, heavy beat. It’s in your face.” – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Say Sue Me
‘No Real Place’
South Korean indie quartet Say Sue Me’s single ‘No Real Place’ tells the story of a lost love, and trying to reconnect with the person they were before the relationship. They aren’t masking their true feelings here, with vocalist Sumi Choi singing: “I’m just watching the water flow to the same place / I’m just watching the tree that grows in the same place / And there’s nothing I can say, I’m just afraid / You and you have gone away / But I wanna be brave.” – SR
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music