RIP Liam Payne.
Nao – Wildflowers
Critically acclaimed artist Nao is back with her captivating new single Wildflowers which was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Wildflowers is a radiant and heartfelt exploration of love, growth, and vulnerability and offers the first glimpse into her eagerly anticipated fourth studio album Jupiter which is set to be released next year!
When asked about her latest single, Nao explained:“A Wildflower symbolizes falling in love—it’s wild, carefree, and you want it to last forever. But life and time have other plans. Wildflowers invites listeners to explore the highs and lows of love while embracing vulnerability.”
Collaborating with celebrated producers Coffee and Detonate, Wildflowers emerged effortlessly from a deep conversation about love, the passage of time, and coming of age in your 30’s. Its bold, carefree energy is wrapped into a breezy, soulful anthem, a crucial piece of Jupiter’s sonic puzzle. The track was created during a memorable and emotional period for Nao, as she was heavily pregnant at the time. Her forthcoming album Jupiter will explore themes of growth, abundance, and profound self-discovery, weaving together a tapestry of introspection and expansive creativity.
The visual and creative world surrounding Jupiter has been shot by frequent collaborator Lillie Eiger (Arlo Parks, Florence Welch etc), with creative direction from SpaceBroth. Get ready for a fresh wave of innovation and artistry as she continues to redefine the boundaries of music.
Nemo – Eurostar
The first non-binary winner of Eurovision and reigning champion Nemo has dropped their first “post-victory” single, Eurostar and it’s simply a bop. The official music video comes with several Eurovision 2024 participant cameo’s too including Luna (from Poland), Windows95Man (from Finland), Silvester Belt (from Lithuania), Bambie Thug (from Ireland) and Jerry Heil (from Ukraine). I loved them all in Eurovision btw especially Windows95Man and Silver Belt!
Eurostar is described as a reflection on “party love and the unique joy of living life in the moment, without compromise“, Nemo’s single has the champion singing about a trip to London and their desire for dancing, partying, “like no one before”.
“Eurostar feels like a little love letter to London. I moved to London five weeks ago, and I’ve found myself exploring different parts of the city—its history, culture, and amazing music,” said Nemo.
“I took the Eurostar from Paris to London back in June, and I suddenly felt inspired by how close these two places are, both of which mean a lot to me. I found a lot of inspiration in taking the train, realising it’s a great metaphor for arriving in London, in a way, but also for the speed of life lately. The Eurostar is incredibly fast at times, and my life has felt similarly nonstop and fast-paced. I think you can hear that energy reflected in the song as well.”.
Stevie Nicks – The Lighthouse
The legendary Stevie Nicks has returned to music yay and using her platform to inspire real change. The Lighthouse is basically about reinvigorating the fight for reproductive healthcare in the USA. Go Stevie!
Stevie said that she “wrote this song a few months after Roe v. Wade was overturned” in June 2022. “It seemed like overnight, people were saying, ‘What can we, as a collective force, do about this…,’” and “For me, it was to write a song.”
“I have often said to myself, ‘This may be the most important thing I ever do,’” and “To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters ~ and the men that love them. This is an anthem.” It really is an anthem, a vital anthem for our times.
BANKS – I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend (feat. Doechii)
BANKS is one of my ultimate faves so I’m so glad she’s back! Doechii is becoming one of my new faves too so both of them together is just *chef’s kiss*.
BANKS said “This song was born from a story I told in the studio. A partners ex-girlfriend sent an ‘I miss u’ text with a very suggestive photo of herself attached while I was with him. She knew we were together and had been for a while. We were all cracking up at the absurdity and what started off as us messing around, turned into the anthem of I Hate Your Ex-Girlfriend,”.
Lady Gaga – Disease
Mother Monster has officially began her LG7 era with new dark pop just in time for spooky season too. Disease is a reminder of why Lady Gaga is one of the most exciting and influential pop stars of her generation and follows on from Harlequin, a companion album to her new film Joker: Folie à Deux which I still need to see (despite the poo reviews).
Disease evokes the raw energy of The Fame Monster and Born This Way and came out just in time for Halloween (Gaga know’s what she’s doing) and is written and produced by the singer alongside Andrew Watt and Cirkut, with Gaga’s fiancé Michael Polansky also listed as a co-writer.
Gaga posted about Disease on her socials saying “I think a lot about the relationship I have with my own inner demons. It’s never been easy for me to face how I get seduced by chaos and turmoil. It makes me feel claustrophobic. Disease is about facing that fear, facing myself and my inner darkness, and realizing that sometimes I can’t win or escape the parts of myself that scare me. That I can try and run from them but they are still part of me and I can run and run but eventually I’ll meet that part of myself again, even if only for a moment.” and “Dancing, morphing, running, purging. Again and again, back with myself. This integration is ultimately beautiful to me because it’s mine and I’ve learned to handle it. I am the conductor of my own symphony. I am every actor in the plays that are my art and my life. No matter how scary the question, the answers are inside of me. Essential, inextricable parts of what makes me me. I save myself by keeping going. I am the whole me, I am strong, and I am up for the challenge. Happy Halloween.”
Scarlet Pleasure – Discoteca
I’ve recently returned from a city break in Copenhagen with my bestie, and I kept hearing Danish trio Scarlet Pleasure everywhere. I think I first heard them in an Espresso House and had to ask Google who was playing and now I’m obsessed with Danish pop music. Scarlet Pleasure were formed in 2013 and are made up of childhood friends, Alexander Malone (on bass), Emil Goll (on vocals and guitar), and Joachim Dencker on drums. The trio share a passion for old school soul and American RnB, and blend it with a delicious modern pop sound.
Discoteca is a summery bop tbh but it’ll be great to blast if you’re going away for some winter sun!
Isabel LaRosa – Pretty Boy
Alt-pop sensation Isabel LaRosa is back with Pretty Boy which is an introduction to her next chapter of new music coming soon and features Isabel’s signature dark-pop ethereality as she expresses a blend of admiration and….infatuation.
Before its release, the track already had over 24K creates, with 1.2K average creations daily on TikTok-omg. Isabel LaRosa is one to watch!
Swedish House Mafia & Alicia Keys – Finally
I know I’m late to the party (always am) but Finally came out in Septemberrrrr (finally after teasing the track for nearly two years) and I’m obsessed. Swedish House Mafia and Alicia Keys joined forces and Alicia’s powerful vocals complement the music perfectly, adding a layer of emotion and depth to the song.
The collab marks the first time the two acts have come together on record and it’s actually a rework of Kings Of Tomorrow‘s 2000 house classic of the same name. It’s such a banger though, perfect for the gym or pre drinkles.
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Confidence Man – 3AM (LA LA LA)
This is album three, Confidence Man 3.0, locked and loaded, and they’re building a rave new world, where the outfits are daringly small, the hairstyles outrageously large, and it’s always, always night.
“It’s a fucked up sort of world,” says Sugar Bones of the new Confidence Man universe they’ve created. But most importantly: “It’s 3am, it’s never not 3am, and we party all the time.”
Since they high-kicked into view with their 2018 breakthrough album, Confidence Man have won hearts and lost minds around the world with their arch pop-dance confections and cute choreo – but, like, in a hot way, a really hot way. On 3AM (LA LA LA), Janet Planet, her floppy-haired foil Sugar Bones and instrumentalists Clarence McGuffie and Reggie Goodchild are delving deeper into UK rave sounds of the 90’s and 2000’s, from trippy acid techno and trance to breakbeat and big beat. It’s darker, sexier and more surreal.
Following the huge acclaim of their last album, 2022’s TILT, Confidence Man’s next club-focused chapter began with the release of 2023’s On & On (Again), co-produced with Daniel Avery. They’ve since released underground hits with DJ Seinfeld (Now U Do) and DJ Boring (Forever 2 (Crush Mix), as well as a remix album (Confidence Man Club Classics Vol 1.). At first, the band “wanted to dehumanise pop music and make it over the top and ridiculous again,” says Planet. But now they’re bringing those pop sensibilities to classic UK rave. “We wanted to revisit those sounds and then add pop hooks and vocals to them,” she continues. “I feel like that hasn’t really been done before, besides The Prodigy.”
3AM (LA LA LA) references what you might call the flow state Confidence Man found when writing and recording the album at Pony Studios in east London, with sessions that would go on all night. Vocals were improvised in the moment, and often captured in the first take. “We pretty much wrote every single song when we were wrecked,” says Planet. “We’d get blasted and stay up till 9am coming up with music, but we noticed that 3am was the hottest time for when we were on it and the best ideas were coming out.”
Keen detectives may also notice the album’s reference to the song 3am Eternal by their heroes, the British acid house group The KLF (the very same KLF who once pulled off one of the most talked-about stunts in UK music history: burning a million quid). That admiration works both ways: The KLF’s elusive Jimmy Cauty has become a Confidence Man fan and has worked on a remix of the album’s closing title track. “I don’t think he’d been to a gig in 25 years and he came to see us at the Roundhouse in London,” says Planet. “He’s been mentoring us a bit ever since.”
While Confidence Man aren’t planning to set fire to any hard-earned cash anytime soon, their new album is definitely full of unexpected twists. A seamless, high-energy mix, 3AM (LA LA LA) blends together an even more varied grab-bag of genres from the 90s and 2000s, masterminded by producer Goodchild. It makes sense that Confidence Man drew on the likes of Groove Armada, Prodigy, Leftfield and Underworld, says Bones, because “all those classic UK rave acts have always been popular in Australia. Prodigy were my fave band growing up when I was in my early teens.” And yet their take on it all is, in typical Confidence Man style, filtered through their own warped lens. “We didn’t know any of the rules,” says Bones. “These sounds make their way into your scene but then everyone repurposes them because no one understands the context,” continues Planet. “No one had ever been to a warehouse rave where we’re from.”
Confidence Man are naughtier, ravier, and ready for lift-off. Standby…
