Summer is now well and truly over, but what better way to escape the inevitable onset of Autumn than to discover four new pop songs that may or may not be described as ‘sunny’ sounding? New Music Monday is here for this exact purpose.
Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – Sunday Candy
This track is just lovely.
The Social Experiment are a group of musicians that include Chance The Rapper, Peter Cottontale, and Nate Fox. Together with their frontman Nico Segal (Donnie Trumpet) they make gloriously sunny, reverb-soaked pop tracks that take influence from hip-hop, jazz, and dance music.
This one in particular is an adorable little number that has even had Anna Kendrick from Pitch Perfect singing along to it.
Justin Bieber – What Do You Mean?
Nope. Not kidding. I am actually recommending a Justin Bieber track this week.
Now before you laugh and call me a sell out, I should mention that Annie Mac has also been showing this track some love on Radio 1 this week – and she knows what she’s talking about.
Using a syncopated clock-tick as a starting point, the Canadian boy wonder (cringe) has managed to introduce the sort of subtlety that his garish earlier work has been crying out for. The vocal track is understated, allowing a summery synth melody to come to the fore while Justin rambles on about some kind of conversational confusion.
‘What do you mean/When you nod your head yes but you wanna say no’.
In fact, had this track arrived a few weeks earlier (and with some good weather) it could have easily been a summer anthem.
Still not good enough to justify 67 million twitter followers, mind.
SNØSKRED – Puzzle
A little bit more of a wintery tune from a band who’s name translates as ‘avalanche’ – conveniently.
Channelling a kind of minimalistic yet spacious garage-rock vibe – a little bit like the band Yuck – the Norwegian four-piece SNØSKRED have used this song as an attempt at ‘connecting with the past and future of bands with guitars in them’ as the band put it themselves.
Actually, another quote from the band sums up the track perfectly;
‘Puzzle is a simple song living in a complex world.’
My thoughts exactly.
Girlpool – Pretty
Introspective punk duo Girlpool are a band with a difference – they don’t have a drummer.
Hailing from LA but now based in Philadelphia, Cleo Tucker & Harmony Tividad use their stripped back instrumentation to more clearly articulate the uncertain, anxious feelings involved with growing up.
The result is a harmonious victory for simple music, complete with background white noise for atmospheric effect.
Haunting, raw, and maybe even a tiny bit pretty.
What do you think of our choices this week? Let us know in the comments below!
