So Kim K had a baby…
More importantly though, we’ve found you four more pop songs to brighten your week!
Aren’t we just lovely.
The Half Earth – Pieces Of Us
We like The Half Earth at Kettle.
After featuring ‘Glass’ in our very first New Music Monday piece, we’ve been shouting as loud as we can about the potential housed within this artist, and with every track the Sheffield-based musician has put out since then, he’s shown our claims to be valid.
‘Pieces Of Us’ is taken from his second EP, Confidence Is Bliss. As the title might suggest, the EP marks a more sophisticated, confident sound than his debut, Light Breaks In. Where previous tracks embodied just a lonely sounding guitar and the occasional electric pitter-patter, ‘Pieces Of Us’ in particular has a full compliment of musical elements to it. The guitar is still prominent, but with it comes a pounding drumbeat, subtle piano, as well as the obligatory electronic click-clack, giving the track an added depth of musicality to it.
This positive endorsement hasn’t even touched on The Half Earth’s USP – his haunting vocals – which just further illustrates the boy’s rampant progress which you should continue to look out for.
Kate Tempest – Europe Is Lost
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOXXdYtZSbQ align:center]Pop music always gets viewed as a little intellectually dim.
It isn’t helped when Demi Lovato goes top 10 with a song that’s main idea is you not telling your mother she’s cool for the summer (apparently that’s an innuendo, who knew?) There are, however, some gems within the world of contemporary music that make the whole endeavour look a lot more interesting.
Kate Tempest is one of those gems. Her last album in particular, Everybody Down, was an attempt at social commentary via a complex mix of interconnected storytelling, character development, and electronic beats – about as close to a novel as you’ll get from a pop record.
Her first piece of new music since that record is titled ‘Europe Is Lost’. Just like on Everybody Down, Kate poetically gives her take on the lonely nature of capitalist society with such eloquence that you feel a little bit smarter just for listening.
Urbandawn – Cloudless (Feat. Elsa Esmeralda & London Elektricity)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x01cHA-mxz8 align:center]Urbandawn is a relatively new addition to the Hospital Records roster of artists, hailing all the way from São Paulo, Brazil.
This track, taken from an EP of the same name, is one of his more laidback offerings. Whilst his music is never usually that intense anyway, regularly choosing softer piano tones and more spacious soundscapes, ‘Cloudless’ in particular features a beat that definitely rolls rather than bites – providing an ideal base for the smooth vocals of Elsa Esmeralda.
London Elektricity and Elsa Esmeralda already have a history of producing heart-warming drum and bass tracks, having combined for the majority of London Elektricity’s most acclaimed singles, this track is another example of how lovely drum and bass can be.
Protomartyr – Dope Cloud
As if to make this week’s New Music Monday even more eclectic than it already is, here’s a post-punk band from Detroit.
Post-punk is a genre we haven’t heard much of in the UK since Franz Ferdinand made their watered-down impression of the sound, which is a shame considering it’s something that was shaped on these shores by Joy Division and the like.
Protomartyr are a refreshing throwback – full of angst and fittingly gritty for a band from Detroit.
What do you think of our picks this week? Let us know in the comments below!
