As festival season nears the levels of new music pours in from all directions. We dive into the abundant pool of music and help sift through the slush of rap songs, moody R&B and buzzworthy tunes en route to the weekend. This week’s 5 for Friday is filled with all sorts of flavours that will delight any tastebud, so go ahead and pick from our sweet selection below.
Joyce Wrice – Blurred Lines
Joyce Wrice cuts through the noise in an attempt to collect her thoughts on ‘Blurred Lines,’ a pure, stripped-down R&B joint.
‘Blurred Lines’ follows a guarded singer racking her brain in search of a final answer. In hopes of achieving clarity, Wrice gently blasts wisp notes onto a sprucely decorated instrumental. She scatters her thoughts over an alloy of kick drums and strong snares which clock in at a snail’s pace. The visual pictures two lovers who are almost inseparable at one moment and in other frames divided. Between the brooding croons that waver outwardly and the pensive piano keys, ‘Blurred Lines’ is grounded in low moods and optimistic wishes.
Rema – Dumebi
Rema is a young rapper emerging from Nigeria’s rapidly booming music scene and is currently captivating ears worldwide with his sunny anthem ‘Dumebi’.
Taken from his self-titled debut project; he drops the visual to the highly-popular third track, and features direction from the talented Ademola Falomo. ‘Dumebi’ is a fun-filled vibe packed onto a honey-coated keys and Afropop elements with the occasional buouyant blaze of golden trumpets clocking into the medley. ‘Dumebi’ goes down a coming-of-age route and follows Rema and his cohort of friends basking in the joys of their youth. Caught up in a boy meets girl love story, his earnest attempts at winning the affection of a girl is crushed by his own buddy. This Benin city lover boy’s track is a hopeless attempt at love, but ‘Dumebi’ is a guaranteed banger.
Duckwrth – The Falling Man (Short)
Following the release of his project, ‘The Falling Man,’ the LA Native Duckwrth produces a short film which lifts four songs and translates them into a theatrical number.
Credit where it is due and Duckwrth rolled out a flick made up of bitesize visuals all in one cluster. ‘The Falling Man’ opens with the first act and the third track ‘King King’, a low vibration which glistens with ethereal keys and fraught beams that are foresee a tragic future. The climactic third act is a courageous tale that is scored by an orchestral sweep of stirring strings and organic keys. It all morphs into an electrifying jam breathing distorted guitar licks and head-splitting drum beats together. Duckwrth melds music and film into one visual entity and releases it into the open for your viewing pleasure. Grab some popcorn and watch the short film below.
BenjiFlow – Can’t Lose
Off the buzz of his last song, ‘Deep End’, BenjiFlow sets the flame alight with his new single ‘Can’t Lose’. A partly inviting ode and fiesta bursting with a multitude of flavours.
‘Can’t Lose’ is an on-set video shoot which reproduces new moments in a flash of the eye. Benji Flow is an artist, musician and director alongside his many clones in the shifting visual. The upbeat soundscape bubbles with warmth, departing from the solitary strums and arriving at a enclave decorated with samba style sonics. Large-scale surdo drums stand high and tall yet pump supple beats in rhythm to the chac-chac of maracas, resulting in a jingle that’ll make you get on your feet.
Young Thug – The London feat. J. Cole & Travis Scott
Right in the nick of time, Young Thug comes through with a jumpy joint that features the YSL head honcho enlist J. Cole and Travis $cott. It’s a neutral ground where distorted trap meets borderline rap in an alternate universe.
‘The London’ finds J. Cole fine-tune his traditional meaningful raps and rack a sublime verse on a trap record. T-Minus cooks up a scorcher on this outlandish beat curling with archaic flutes and ferocious hi-hats doting behind a trail of bouncy 808s. Travis $cott conjures up a signature style hook and drowns out the light beams under the breath of his vocal compressions. Just as Young Thug circulates between high pitch ad libs and zany bars on his escapades at The London.
