WHAT TO LISTEN TO...
Jade Bird
Open Up the Heavens (Glasstone) Described by Bird as her favourite track on her upcoming album, this single was recorded in Nashville and a fair bit of that city’s musical heritage seeps in — it’s alive with rattling country-rock riffs and the quivering rasp of her voice. There’s no title or release date for the forthcoming record, but this track has us waiting impatiently.
Wolf Alice
The Last Man on Earth (Dirty Hit) Ditching the alt-rock revivalism that won them a Mercury Prize in 2017, Wolf Alice return with this twinkling piano track. Vocalist Ellie Rowsell’s gently sung vocals float above the misty instrumentals, which eventually build up into something that at one point resembles The Beatles at their most ballad-ish. The new album, Blue Weekend, arrives on June 11.
Kero Kero Bonito The Princess and the Clock
(Self-released)
Loosely aligned with the hyper-pop cohort — the likes of 100 Gecs, AG Cook and Charli XCX — London trio Kero Kero Bonito will release a new EP, Civilisation II, on April 21. This is the lead single, a hyperactive sprint of bombastic synths, offset by
Sarah Bonito’s serene vocals. Get ready for the chorus melody to stay stuck in your head all weekend.
Pino Palladino and Blake Mills
Ekuté (New Deal/Impulse!)
Welsh bass master Pino Palladino — session musician for everyone from The Who to D’Angelo — links up with American artist Blake Mills for this intriguing track; something like deconstructed Afrobeat, with disembodied limbs of trumpets, guitars, drums and electronics appearing and then disappearing. The full project, Notes with Attachments, is set for March 12.
⬤ Find the Evening Standard playlist on Spotify