Essential Listening: This week’s best new music
Welcome back to Essential Listening, a place where we compile all the best new music of the week into the definitive tome of modern music: The Far Out Playlist.
It’s officially the end of the year, so you know what that means: a dearth of original material and a whole lot of Christmas songs. That’s reflected in our Album of the Week, which we happily gave to Sam Fender and his new live album, Live at Finsbury Park. But we’ve heard all those songs already: where’s the new stuff?
Well, people just don’t really drop new stuff around Christmas anymore. Most publications put out their “best-of” lists early in the month, and most listeners are filling out their holiday playlists. Unless you’re a major artist, dropping new music at the tail end of the year doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense.
However, that doesn’t mean that nobody does it. It just takes a brave face to stare down the black hole that is December and try to fill it with something substantial. Or a Christmas song. Holy hell, there are a lot of new Christmas songs and covers this year.
Still, there are only eight songs that can make this list. Here is all the best new music from the week, compiled into The Far Out Playlist.
Best new music, December 5th – December 11th:
Young Fathers – ‘Tell Somebody’
Young Fathers have always held a sense of drama to their work. When they first broke out on the live scene, their displays were borderline terrifying. Standing drums were assaulted, microphones were loured at with malintent, and the beats reached a fever pitch akin to a rocket launch countdown.
Now that sense of cinema on the new track ‘Tell Somebody’ sounds more like something you would have heard in the wake of Sigur Rós revolutionising the soundtrack game. Have they lost something in that mellowing, more measured approach to production? Time will tell, but for now, we get to bask in the matured sound on offer. ‘Tell Somebody’ is huge—it seems to stretch the horizons of the band beyond the basement where it was crafted, venturing into an unburdened sense of spiritualism.
Lana Del Rey – ‘Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’
Yup, there’s a new Lana Del Rey album on the horizon. Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd will come in due time, but for now, we get to dive into the LP’s title track. A moody piano-and-strings piece that’s right within Del Rey’s established wheelhouse, ‘Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd’ finds the singer back on her classic rock references, this time giving a shout-out to the Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ and Harry Nilsson’s ‘Don’t Forget Me’.
Elsewhere, there are some classic Lana Del Rey-isms that unfurl, including “Fuck me to death / Love me until I love myself”. Everything keeps coming back to that tunnel as if some kind of unknowable piece of knowledge resides just under the surface. The tunnel can probably mean anything you want it to, but if you want to visit a famous secret tunnel under an Ocean Boulevard, you should get yourself over to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, before it gets overrun by tourists.
Whitney – ‘Other People’ (Beach House cover)
Throughout this year, Spotify and Electric Lady Studios have teamed up to bring a fresh set of live EPs to the world. Live at Electric Lady has featured everyone from Father John Misty to Remi Wolf, playing some of their newest songs along with choice covers. Today, we’re getting the final EP of the year from Chicago indie duo Whitney.
Retaining the ethereal elements of the original while stacking their own soul-pop style over the top, Whitney somehow manage to walk the line between retaining their own sound and paying tribute to the unique sonics of another band on their cover of Beach House’s ‘Other People’. It makes sense: they’re both great bands, so why wouldn’t they sound great together?
Gorillaz – ‘Skinny Ape’
British animated indie rockers Gorillaz are dropping breadcrumbs that will eventually lead to their new album, Cracker Island. We’ve heard three tracks from the new LP, including the phenomenal Tame Impala team-up ‘New Gold’ and Thundercat collaboration ‘Cracker Island’, but now it’s time for a new song.
‘Skinny Ape’ is the album’s fourth official single. Part languid bedroom rock track and part electronic buzz, the track jumps into an unexpected hyperpop section about halfway through. That rapid jump in tempo gives the song a shot of adrenaline, even if comes at the expense of the song’s overall cohesiveness. If nothing else, ‘Skinny Ape’ proves that Albarn isn’t entirely reliant on collaboration and guest ringers to make solid Gorillaz material
Paramore – ‘The News’
Paramore is officially back. Everyone’s favourite pop/punk/pop-punk band have already announced their plans to drop a new album, This Is Why, in February. The title track has been out for a little while now, but if you’ve been patiently waiting for the latest track to drop, the wait is finally over.
‘The News’ has a little bit of everything: horror movie inspirations, angular guitar riffs, frenetic drums, and some catchy hooks to boot. It’s got the same springy edge as ‘This Is Why’ but with a little more darkness hanging around the edges. Lyrically, Haley Williams dispenses some good advice: turn off the news. I don’t know who’s still watching cable news (or who is still paying for cable), but there’s nothing calming or reassuring to be found in that medium right now.
Caroline Polachek – ‘Welcome to My Island’
So I don’t know what’s gotten into Caroline Polachek, but I like it. From the first audible noises on her new single ‘Welcome to My Island’, there is very little for the uninitiated to get into. Strained screams, quasi-rap verses, minimalist electronic buzz? What’s going on here?
Musical emancipation, to be a bit pretentious about it. But why not, seeing as how Polachek has now firmly established her own identity as one of music’s most forward-thinking artists. If you’re not on board, now is the time to hop on the bandwagon. ‘Welcome to My Island’ is basically a meta confirmation that you’ll enjoy your time with Polachek’s music.
The Arcs – ‘Eyez’
Can you play dad rock in an awesome way? My answer is always yes: dad rock is an awesome genre, and more people need to embrace it. Do you know who is dad rock? The Foo Fighters. Do you know who rocks? The Foo Fighters. Do you know who else is now officially dad rock (or maybe always was)? The Black Keys’ frontman Dan Auerbach. Anyone who dedicates a full album to hill country blues is officially in dad rock mode.
If you’re looking for your dad rock to have a slightly more psychedelic edge, then check out Auerbach’s side hustle, The Arcs. It’s all the fuzzy riffage of The Black Keys circa Turn Blue, which I happen to love. ‘Eyez’ is right in that wheelhouse, with a real spaced-out feeling that becomes intoxicating once you sit back at let it wash over your brain. Plus, it fulfils our now-weekly quota for Christmas-adjacent music.
SZA – ‘Ghost in the Machine’ (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)
I’m a simple man – I see a Phoebe Bridgers feature, and I’m already on board. Bridgers has been on a tear recently as a featured artist, working with everyone from Andrew Bird to Bright Eyes to Storefront Church. Add yet another featured credit to her discography because now Bridgers has teamed up with R&B goddess SZA for the song ‘Ghost in the Machine’.
I don’t have to tell you how long we’ve all been waiting for SOS. If you didn’t like Ctrl, I don’t trust you as a human being with working ears. The official consensus on SOS is still out (‘Forgiveless’ contains both a Björk sample and a posthumous Ol’ Dirty Bastard rap, which is bananas), but ‘Ghost in the Machine’ is undeniably awesome.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.