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New Music Monday Issue #8

Who knew the Rugby World Cup was still going, let alone that it could get worse?

Madness.

Fear not, here are four gloriously non oval-shaped pop songs for you to get to grips with – you can even pass them forwards if you wish.

Blueyes – Skin

‘Skin’ is the debut track from Blueyes, an artist who’s already drawing attention from a number of music blogs.

While featuring ambient noises, the track is wonderfully captivating. The predominately hushed voice of Bronagh Monahan melodically rolls over a tempo so low it draws you in. Further depth in the form of whispers and breaths are interwoven into the vocal mix whilst all being complimented by more subtle Banks-esc electronics.

The overall effect is just a little ooph.

Iyes – Gone

Iyes have continued their return to music with the handily titled Part Two EP – following on from their previous Part One EP.

As a quite minimal electronic group with a ‘guy and girl’ singing pivot, it’s easy to make comparisons between Iyes and The XX. Where the two differ however, particularly on this track, is the willingness from Iyes to go a bit more pop.

On ‘Gone’, Iyes quickly turn a sombre opening section into three minutes of jingly-jangly, steel drum filled, sun laden madness – much more fun.

Chairlift – Ch-Ching

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWSFlqBOgl8 align:center]

Zane Lowe’s ‘World Record’ for this week, and now also Kettle’s New Music Monday track #3, comes from another returning duo.

Chairlift released their last album, the shiny-pop ‘Something’, four years ago and have since been working on various projects including one with Beyonce (ooh!).

‘Ch-Ching’ is a much more of a hip-hop styled track than their previous efforts. Filled with brass and syncopation, the track echoes the swagger of New York, where the bands have recently spent time, with almost a little hint of the aforementioned Queen Bee – something that’s always welcome.

Son Lux – Redone (Feat. Olga Bell)

‘Redone’ is a reworking of ‘Undone’, a track taken from Son Lux’s latest album, Bones.

Whilst the original track itself is a frantic, intense affair, the remake takes it all a step further. The drums are amped up to industrial levels, Olga Bell’s voice is treated with a kind of ominous reverb, and synths loudly pierce any remaining space that’s left in the mix.

It’s honestly a little scary.

What do you think of our picks this week? Let us know in the comments below!