Last night Grimes released her fifth studio album, Miss Anthropocene. It’s dark, foreboding, bassy and “every song is about a different way to suffer or a different way to die”. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! On one of the lead singles, “My Name Is Dark”, our pregnant beauty icon sings the lyrics: “We party when the sun goes low/ Imminent annihilation is so dope”. Perspective is key, you see. Then there’s “IDORU” — which opens the playlist this week with birdsong and medieval horns — a futuristic love song on which Grimes seems to tell the object of her affections (Elon?): “You’re so cool/ Because you don’t think you’re cool” and “If you say I do/ I’d reassemble you”. Grimes is clearly still firmly in control of her sound, her vision, and we can’t think of a better armageddon score.
Man Alive! There’s another killer album out today, by none other than King Krule. A follow up to 2017’s The OOZ, it’s a document of impending big life changes (Archy recently moved out of London and become a father) and it’s emo as fuck but very good indeed. “This one makes more sense if you listen in total,” he says. “You start quite fast-paced and aggressive, then it takes more of a back seat for the rest, and gets heart-warming towards the end. Happy endings!”
Other stand-outs this week are the Brabo remix of Rina Sawayama’s “Comme des Garcons” featuring Brazillian drag icon Pabllo Vittar (take us to the club right now) and REI AMI’s sexy “RUNAWAY”. Japanese DJ and producer Foodman has just released “Kazunoko”, the heavenly lead single from forthcoming EP Dokutsu. It comes complete with visuals by Natalia Stuyk that’ll hypnotise you and then send deranged Sims dancing gleefully in your direction. It’s wonderful. Dokutsu is due for release on 6 March via exciting new label HIGHBALL, who are intent on exporting the best forward-thinking music from Japan and delivering it direct to your ears.
On top of all that, Purity Ring are back and there’s new stuff from Bullion, Sons of Raphael, vox, Rema, Jessy Lanza, Yves Tumor, Oklou, Miink and one whole hour of awesome from Arca. We are not worthy.