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Douglas Dare – One Eye Open
I randomly discovered Douglas Dare when I went to a Madonna celebration night at the Ironworks Studios in the summer (on Madonna’s birthday too) and Douglas performed a few Madonna covers and his voice was just lush and I was like wow! I checked him out on Spotify and he’s got lots of music plus a newly released album on there called Omni and now he’s dropped a fab new single too.
Douglas said “Originally One Eye Open was written for The Birdsong Project and was an acoustic guitar-led song,” and “When I was writing my new electronic album Omni, Robert at my label said he was curious to hear OEO in a similar vein. I leaned fully into a heavy club sound and I was surprised to hear it worked in this new way. One Eye Open was so heavy that it didn’t make sense to include on the Omni album so we saved it for its own moment.”
I just love the gentle swell of background harmonies, muted synths, and atmospheric textures are carefully layered to create an ethereal, dream-like ambience and Doug’s voice is often trembling on the verge of breaking, communicates a depth of emotion that is both intimate and….unsettling (in the very best way). Thanks Madonna for introducing Douglas Dare to me.
The Chainsmokers and Kim Petras – Don’t Lie
La-la-la, la-la, this song is such an ear worm! And it’s making me miss summer already (even though Autumn is my favourite season but you knowwww).
Don’t Lie is the first single from The Chainsmokers upcoming EP. Andrew and Alex said “Internally this song marks a shift in the way we’ve been making music in the absolute best way. It lead us to rediscovering the process that started all of this back when we were making indie remixes in 2014 hoping they would get some traction on hype machine. Things feel really fucking fun right now. We are excited to share the first piece with you.”
The Weeknd – Dancing In The Flames
Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd is back with Dancing In The Flames taken from his upcoming 6th studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, the follow-up to 2022’s Dawn FM and the final part of a trilogy that began with 2020’s After Hours.
This track is a dark, hypnotic journey that blends Abel’s signature brooding R&B with moody electronic undertones complementing his silky yet tortured vocals. New favourite song from Abel unlocked!
FKA twigs – Eusexua
FKA Twigs has dropped her best song yet IMPO but when I first heard Eusexua I was like huh what does that word mean? Although the official music video kinda explains it below….
If you’re still not really sure though don’t worry!
Twigs explained it saying Eusexua is “that feeling of when you’ve been out all night and you lose 7 hours to music, and you look at your phone and you think, “Oh, my gosh, it’s 8:00 in the morning.” And last time you looked, it was 1:00. It’s because you’ve been in a state of eusexua. It’s also if you meet somebody that you really like, and you just kiss all night and you kiss for all hours. You lose time. It’s like your bodies become one and you’re just like an amoeba. And it’s like this kind of meditative, like, amazing physical experience. For me, it’s also the moment before I get a really good idea of pure clarity. Like, when everything moves out the way, everything in your mind is completely blank and your mind is elevated. That’s eusexua and that is the only place I want to be now.”
Hopefully Eusexua will be added to the dictionary! I’d love a word I invented to be added to the dictionary and like Gemma Collins famously said, “I’m a massive fan of the dictionary” too, and Eusexua.
Jeffree Star – Hi, How Are Ya?
If you didn’t know, makeup mogul (and MySpace royalty hehehe) Jeffree Star released his debut (and only) and iconic studio album Beauty Killer in 2009 before he took over the beauty world with makeup line Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
Beauty Killer features a collab with the one and only Nicki Minaj too (before she became the official Queen of Rap) and the album was produced by Lester Mendez who has production/writing credits for Shakira, Nelly Furtado, Jessica Simpson, Enrique Iglesias and more and Jeffree was even signed by Akon so he really was a big deal (still is though) but then in 2013….he quit the music industry.
Last month though, Jeffree announced plans to drop new music (and a makeup collection) 15 years later (OMG) to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Beauty Killer.
Hi, How Are Ya? is a brash, unapologetic anthem. The track is a high-energy fusion of electro-pop and industrial beats delivering a punchy, rebellious vibe that reflects Jeffree’s larger-than-life persona and I hope we don’t have to wait 15 years again for more music! Welcome back Jeffree Lynn.
Linkin Park – Heavy Is the Crown
Linkin Park returned with their first new single in seven years last month, The Emptiness Machine, and it was a commercial success across the globe, charting at number one in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Switzerland as well as the top 20 in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK. I seriously feel like I’m 13 again though, LP’s new music gives me the same energy of old LP music.
The Emptiness Machine was also the group’s first single with new frontwoman Emily Armstrong following the death of their long-time vocalist Chester Bennington in 2017. Some fans aren’t happy about Emily being in the band though.
Mike Shinoda said he’d been meeting Emily from hard rock band Dead Sara and writing music together since 2019 but the “intention wasn’t to start the band up again” and that “She’s not trying to be Chester, she’s not trying to be anybody else.”
Heavy Is the Crown serves as the main theme for Riot Games’ 2024 League of Legends World Championship and again gives pure nostalgic meteora vibes! I used to be a fan, but after hearing this masterpiece, I’m a whole air conditioner!
Tate McRae – It’s Ok I’m Ok
Multi-platinum pop girlie Tate McRae has released her new song It’s ok I’m ok featuring an irresistible chorus alongside the Britney Spears inspired official music video accompanied by a killer dance visual marking a new chapter for the star.
Tate said “I’m so beyond excited to share “It’s ok I’m ok” with the world and this new chapter of my music. This song is a byproduct of reflecting back on past relationships to now and how much I’ve grown and learned from them. It’s a playful take on knowing your worth and the all too relatable feeling of never wanting someone back.”
I reckon we’re going to have to start calling her Ate McRae because she’s constantly eating.
ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Katy Perry – 143
It really does feel like we’ve waited 84 years but it’s worth the wait. As she approached the project, Katy envisioned a bold, exuberant, celebratory dance-pop album with the symbolic 143 numerical expression of love as a through line message. The result is a sexy, fearless, return to form for the multifaceted musician.
Jam packed with the empowering, sexy and provocative pop anthems fans have come to love, 143 is an album with a lot of heart and a lot of BPM.
Ms Perry celebrated the album’s release day by playing a sold-out epic headline show for over 100,000 fans at Rock in Rio in Brazil, her first performance at the Rio de Janeiro festival since 2015 and it was like a full blown concert with slick choreography, outfit changes and fireworks (obvs).
Katy then made a spectacular return to the MTV stage for the first time since 2017. The five-time VMA winner accepted the 2024 Video Vanguard Award (finally) and performed a show-stopping, career-spanning medley of her biggest hits which included the debut television performances of two singles from 143 – I’M HIS, HE’S MINE with a surprise appearance by Doechii, and LIFETIMES.
Shortly thereafter, Katy dropped the official video for I’M HIS, HE’S MINE. Billboard said, “If you’re still wiping the steam off your screen from Katy Perry‘s NSFW debut performance of I’M HIS, HE’S MINE with Doechii during her career-spanning medley at this week’s 2024 VMAs, buckle up because the official video is just as provocative.”
Katy served so hard AGAIN last weekend during another huge performance in Australia for 100,000 AFL fans too headlining the pregame show ahead of the Brisbane Lions vs Sydney Swans. KatyCats, we’ve been fed so well this era already!
With a cumulative 115 billion streams alongside worldwide sales of over 70 million adjusted albums and 143 million tracks, Katy is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. She’s one of only five recording artists in RIAA history to gain entry to the elite 100 Million Certified Songs club.
143 is such a vibrant celebration of KP’s signature pop sound packed with anthemic choruses and playful production, the album explores themes of love, empowerment, and self-discovery showcasing her knack for crafting catchy and feel-good tracks. While it doesn’t stray too far from her previous work, the album feels polished and full of memorable hooks that keep listeners engaged. Overall, 143 is a fun, polished pop experience that KatyKats will enjoy for lifetimes! I’m still not over Chris Martin covering LIFETIMES btw.
My favourite tracks are ALL THE LOVE (manifesting this to be the next official single), NIRVANA, ARTIFICIAL, GORRRRRGEOUS, CRUSH, I’M HIS HE’S MINE, GIMME GIMME, LIFETIMES, WONDER, TRUTH and WOMAN’S WORLD.
Oh and I set up a silly petition a few years ago to get Katy’s Just Eat bop on all music streaming platforms, feel free to repost and like my tweet about it below and of course sign it too if you got a spare minute! 143 for lifetimes if you do x
🗣️KatyCats! In 2022 I launched a petition to get Katy Perry’s Just Eat bop available on all music streaming platforms, Katy might help make it happen if this petition goes viral?!🙏🏻
#143 #JustEat @katyperry @capitolmusic #KatyPerry
447 signatures so far!https://t.co/ohY5jCSRMf— Daley (POP) Melita (@DaleMelita) September 26, 2024
