This month Fickle Friends unveiled Season 2 of their Weird Years EP’s, which spawned this month’s lyrical caption, ‘The funny thing is I’m not dreaming’, taken from the track Cosmic Coming Of Age, featured in this month’s playlist. A boppy and radio-friendly indie track, the group always manage to use their songs to comment on society in a rather matter-of-fact way. In a world which is slowly but surely getting back to normal, Fickle Friends have been hitting the nail on the head in their recent releases: these truly are unprecedented times, it feels almost dream-like, and it’s almost certainly…. weird.
Scroll down for the rest of my top tracks of May, and don’t forget to follow and listen to all the playlists on Spotify!
James Droll ft. GAYLE – Oscar Nominated
This month I stumbled across American musician James Droll for the first time, on his collaboration with exciting up-and-coming artist GAYLE, entitled Oscar Nominated. The song feels regretful, and somewhat pessimistic, but also very real and honest in its depiction of the ‘new world order where the sun don’t shine’ – after all, we can’t deny we’re living in an ‘internet educated’ world. Albeit bleak, the two voices blend nicely together and feel like a good fit for this kind of song – an intelligent commentary from some promising talent.
CHVRCHES – He Said She Said
Teenage Steve was a huge fan of Scottish indie group CHVRCHES back in the day, and I was so psyched to finally get new music from them at the end of last month. He Said She Said is the first track from their upcoming fourth LP and I am thrilled to say it didn’t disappoint. An angsty, anthemic song highlighting sexism and the endless societal expectations of women, the repeated refrain of ‘I feel like I’m losing my mind’ speaks volumes of lead singer Lauren Mayberry. While delivering a message, the composition and vibe also stays well on-brand for CHVRCHES and ticks all the boxes in terms of building anticipation for that album. I know I, for one, can’t wait!
The Hunna – Sycamore Tree
Similarly, I remember nineteen-year-old Steve whacking the air guitar out to tracks such as She’s Casual and Flickin’ Your Hair by English indie rock band The Hunna. One track I only recently discovered, however, is Sycamore Tree, taken from their 2016 album 100. As much as these guys can produce a heavy rock song, they also do ballads incredibly well. A prime example is this song, a track simply about being in love. While the drums and guitars are still present, and it still builds to a great musical crescendo, the real standout on Sycamore Tree is frontman Ryan Potter’s vocals, sounding truly impressive and emotive here. This song takes you on a journey that builds from start to finish - one of my faves this month!
Glades – Tension
Former ‘Track of the Week’ group Glades (see Instagram for full post) released their second studio album Planetarium at the end of April. After spending the month listening to the album in full several times, the track I’ve chosen to highlight this month is Tension, a song all about enjoying the friction in the relationship, as that’s what can make it stronger/more interesting. Matched with the unique sound of lead vocalist Karina Savage and the electropop elements threaded throughout the album, Glades manage to create a solid LP with plenty of catchy pop tunes.
The Vaccines – Headphones Baby
The appropriately COVID-esque named Vaccines made their valiant return to the music scene this month with the extremely catchy Headphones Baby. Again, this one feels like an anthem, a real feel-good piece of indie rock all about feeling alive and connection. It’s the lead track from their upcoming fifth studio album, a record which is allegedly going to be ‘heavier’ and ‘poppier’. Actual names and dates have yet to be announced, but if Headphones Baby is anything to go by, it’s going to be a big one.
*Special Mention – London Grammar*
Lots of my top bands and artists released new music this month, but I had to round of this article with the always stellar London Grammar, who dropped their third studio album Californian Soil in April. The record went straight to the top spot in the UK, becoming their second consecutive album to do so, as well as hitting No.1 in Switzerland and Australia. I debated back and forth which track would feature in May’s playlist, as there were so many strong choices, but in the end I went with Missing, track three on the record. Ultimately, it’s quintessential London Grammar, and that’s all I need!
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