“Hey! Everyone at my record label, we should fucking release this song! You know what I’m saying?” Charli XCX screamed before launching into Girls Night Out as the closer of her Pop 2 show at London’s Village Underground. Someone from her record label was clearly paying attention, noticing how wild the fans went for it, because today — finally — it got released! Produced by SOPHIE in collaboration with Scandi pop production blokes Stargate, Charli’s new single would happily occupy the centre of a venn diagram made up of Aqua’s Barbie Girl and Madonna’s Holiday. No boys! No boys!
But that’s not where THE BEST NEW MUSIC PLAYLIST begins this week. Sure, we’re into fun, but there’s some serious stuff to get out of the way first. So let’s start with the very intense Warzone by Yoko Ono. Old people might remember when she released it the first time around on her 1996 album, Rising. Back then it was Yoko’s far too brief foray into the world of thrash metal, but this version is a lot more experimental. With automatic weapon fire and disturbing animal cries, it’s fucking intense, but then, so is our world rn. Warzone is the lead track from Yoko’s forthcoming album, due 19 October on her son Sean Ono Lennon’s label, Chimera Music. The record reimagines 13 songs from across her 50 year, 20 album discography.
Hamburg producer Helena Hauff dropped two tracks this week: Hyper-Intelligent Genetically Enriched Cyborg / It Was All Fields Around Here When I Was A Kid. Both very well named, we’ve stuck the latter in today’s playlist. Then there’s the exciting news that handsome music man Toro Y Moi has teamed up with Atlanta artist Rome Fortune on a brilliantly funky EP that they’ve called Toro Y Rome Vol.1. We see what they did there. Our favourite track Hoodrich Disco is guaranteed to make you move.
Um, Blood Orange released two new videos for new music yesterday. But you already know that, right? The Crack Stevens-directed Charcoal Baby and Janet Mock-starring Jewellery are beautiful, and promising first listens to Dev’s just-announced album Negro Swan, due 24 August on Domino Records. Listen to the former below. Are BROCKHAMPTON royalists or something? Has anybody asked them what’s up with title of the potentially Diana Princess of Wales death themed new single, 1997 Diana? All we know is that it rules really hard, as does the Kevin Abstract-directed video that comes with it.
Like that wasn’t enough, there’s also a sexy new track from Tinashe called Throw A Fit; the mellow af Flowers Bloom from Lerado Khalil; OMG by Icelandic rap legends Floni, Birnir and Joey Christ; the best song from the new All Saints album; I Only Speak In Friction by Cali punk band Plague Vendor (I’ll take two please!); and the fucking cool U.A.F.W.M by the even cooler Quay Dash and Sega Bodega. Ideal. There’s loads more too, from the likes of Channel Tres, Machine Woman, White Ring, Ross from Friends and Jungle. And we’ll keep on updating it for you every single Friday. You’re welcome!