THE PLAYLIST
Civilize’s Band/ The Stray (Lao Khaen) Civilize’s Band, otherwise known as Bangkok Wakeup from season 4 of Thailand’s Got Talent, are the latest to join the ranks of up-and-coming artists like Rasmee, The Rube and JindaJohn who blend traditional Thai music with Western influences. Their debut single, The Stray (Lao Khaen), is an upbeat number built on rapid-fire ranad playing, buoyant funk bassline and roaring rammana drums. The traditional singing style brilliantly complements the rhythm section, while a Calypso rhythmic pattern adds a surprise vibrant, tropical vibe. This might just be one of the most exhilarating pieces we’ve heard in recent memory. British Sea Power/ Bad Bohemian Brighton’s indie-rock ensemble British Sea Power are gearing up for the release of their crowdfunded sixth studio LP, Let the Dancers Inherit the Party, with new single Bad Bohemian. Arriving after 2015’s Sea of Brass, the song is a wistful mid-tempo jam that brings to mind Bruce Springsteen and Foo Fighters. Set to drop later this March, the album is described by guitarist Martin Noble as being “made to a background of politicians perfecting the art of unabashed lying, of social-media echo chambers, of clickbait and electronic Tonka Toys to keep us entertained and befuddled”.
Harlea/ You Don’t Get It
North London newcomer Harlea has made quite an impression on us with her self-released debut, Miss Me. Here she’s treating us to its equally brilliant followup, You Don’t Get It. Kicking off with bluesy electric guitar growls, the song celebrates the female power with biting lyrics (“You don’t get it, that’s why you won’t get it … This ain’t about you baby/It’s not about what you want”). Equipped with a punk attitude and raw vocal edge, the 22-year-old musician would definitely make Courtney Love and Shirley Manson proud.
Dirty Projectors/ Little Bubble
Little Bubble marks the second new song from Dirty Projectors after excellent Keep Your Name. Still wallowing in a postbreak-up haze, vocalist Dave Longstreth begins “Morning/About the break of day/ Here we lay, arm in arm/And cradled by the dawn.” The song then unfurls to a languorous R&B melody, strings, brass and a few isolated piano keys. “We had our own little bubble for a while,” he muses as the sound of little bubbles bursting swell in the background, reinforcing the metaphor. Ed Sheeran/ Castle on the Hill
English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran returns this year with Castle on the Hill,
a stadium-ready guitar number that pays homage to his countryside hometown in Framlingham, Suffolk. Lifted from his third studio output ÷ (Divide), the track finds Sheeran reminiscing about the good ol’ days of growing up (“When I was six years old, I broke my leg/I was running from my brother and his friends.” He then gets heavily nostalgic during the stomping chorus, singing about “driving at 90 down those country lanes, singing to Tiny Dancer” and how he can’t wait to go home.