This month I visited Paris for Valentine’s Day (a cliché and a half, I know) which was a
magical, albeit cold, weekend. Dua Lipa also teased us with another track from her
upcoming album Future Nostalgia, which
inspired this week’s lyrical caption, ‘Lights out, and follow the noise.’ Physical has grown on me more and more over the month, and ends February being one of my favourite Dua Lipa songs to date. Perfect for a full body workout, a sweaty nightclub, or even just a general rock-out in your bedroom, Dua is truly making her fans pant in anticipation for her second LP, scheduled for release at the end of March.
But what else has tickled my fancy this Feb? Keep scrolling to find out!
Fickle Friends – Pretty Great
As someone who has been a fan of Brighton band Fickle Friends since their Velvet EP in 2015, I was hugely excited to hear some of their new material. Their first single of this year stays true to the infectious indie-pop sound they cemented in their first LP You Are Someone Else, and makes me wonder if we could be expecting a second album coming soon. It’s perhaps the obvious gag to make, but Pretty Great is exactly that. A song effectively about a one-night stand, but told in Fickle Friends’ unique way, with their stand-out musical style, makes this one a favourite of Feb. (photo Daniel Alexander Harris)
Jocelyn Alice – Still Wondering (Tep No Remix)
This next track is another of my favourites from 2020 so far, and it comes from Canadian singer-songwriter Jocelyn Alice. While this was released back in 2018, it’s never too late to discover new music, and Still Wondering is one I’m thrilled to have finally found. Alice’s resounding vocals in the chorus talk about the difficulties of letting go of a relationship, and if you truly ever can. Remixed here by Tep No, this is one I’ve had on repeat all month, and leaves me excited to delve more into Jocelyn Alice’s back catalogue in the foreseeable future.
Hazel English – Off My Mind
Up next is Australian-American musician Hazel English, who I have also been following since she came onto the scene in 2016. Her first full-length studio album Wake UP! is coming very soon, and Off My Mind is the second teaser we’re getting of that. This track is quintessential Hazel English, dreamy ethereal pop all brought together by English’s haunting vocals. Watch out for her album scheduled for release in April.
Lilla Vargen – Cold
I was lucky enough to watch Lilla Vargen support Dermot Kennedy in London at the end of last year. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about her before the show, but found myself transfixed by her sound and stage presence from beginning to end. Often leaving the tracks stripped back and allowing her beautiful, poignant voice to shine through, Vargen sings about real issues in a stunningly expressive way. A true new favourite for me, and Cold is just the beginning of what’s to come for this Northern Irish queen. (photo By Pip)
X Ambassadors – Everything Sounds Like A Love Song
Off the back of their second studio album ORION last year, American trio X Ambassadors return with the powerful Everything Sounds Like A Love Song. This comes from an upcoming EP of rejected songs from the aforementioned album, that they’ve chosen to release as a separate entity, dropping next month. Inspired by greats such as Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, this song is about being reminded of someone at every turn, and lead vocalist Sam Harris displays some impressive vocals here: raw, formidable, but still wrapped in that rocky X Ambassadors sound.
*Special Mention – Demi Lovato*
After last month’s iconic Grammy Awards, I thought I’d share one of my favourite live performances from the event, coming from queen Demi Lovato. After her near-fatal overdose in 2018, she made her spectacular return at last month’s awards, with a song she recorded just days before her relapse, Anyone. The song is exceptionally powerful and vulnerable in equal measure, a raw and stripped back cry for help with huge belting notes that Demi always executes flawlessly. Check out the song on Spotify now, and watch the live performance too if you fancy a cry.
If you're liking what you're hearing, click the link at the top of the article to listen to the full playlist on Spotify, and give me a follow!
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