Australia’s best band Cub Sport released their fourth album today. Sitting at 13-tracks long, LIKE NIRVANA is a beautiful and deeply honest trip through the mind of singer-songwriter-producer Tim Nelson. Navigating topics like gender, personal discovery and ultimately evolution, the record sees the quartet grow into themselves as they lean into an experimental new sonic realm with glimmers of Blood Orange and Blonde. This week’s playlist opens with “Break Me Down” a 7-minute track featuring Mallrat that Tim describes as something of a “personal breakthrough”. Listen to LIKE NIRVANA and you might just have one of your own.
Also worth checking out this week is Taylor Swift’s surprise album folklore — cottagecore devouts rejoice! — and the beautiful harmony-laden collaboration with Justin Vernon that is exile. The 16-tracker, it transpires, was mostly produced by Aaron Dessner of The National and it shows. With little more than a casual heads up that “Tonight at midnight I’ll be releasing my entire brand new album of songs I’ve poured all of my whims, dreams, fears, and musings into,” who needs a long teased-out album rollout? Not Tay-Tay. Certainly not us.
Other exciting new releases this week include “Big Wheel” by young LA artist Samia, “Gucci” by dream duo Bree Runway and Malibu Mitch, Kamaal Williams with “Mr Wu”, Bladee’s “Don’t Worry” featuring artwork by Claire Barrow, and Headie One’s frankly quite surreal Drake collab “Only You Freestyle”. Oh and Kylie Minogue’s back at it. Fun!