Ain’t gonna lie, this has been one crazy-ass week and really there’s only one thing we desperately need this Friday – respite! So while everyone’s busy cancelling celebrities in their droves, raging through timelines and watching Kanye wyling out endlessly, it’s no wonder it feels like we’re all screwed anyway. So we decided to pick five that will give you the right type of distraction – funk, dance, two-step and whine for the weekend – because fuck it, why the hell not!
Janelle Monáe – Screwed feat Zoë Kravitz
“You fucked the world up now, we’ll fuck it all back down”, and that’s the way we’re starting things off! Dropping her ‘Dirty Computer’ album today, Janelle Monáe pulls out all the stops and raises the stakes with 14 songs that push every tone of musicality, wordplay and sexuality. The album has a no-holds-barred, feel-good, free-thinking approach that doesn’t make you feel like you’re heading to the sunken place. It feels so good, it feels right! So we took our pick off the album, and since we’re all ‘Screwed’ we thought this deserved to be on your radar. With its IDGAF attitude, riffs and all-round sassiness, I challenge you not to feel a buzz after getting ‘screwed’.
To top it off Janelle has also now revealed the full film for the Dirty Computer (Emotion Picture) with all its glorious visual pleasure. The 44-minute “Emotion Picture” tells the story of a young woman named Jane 57821 (portrayed by Monáe) who lives in a totalitarian near-future society where citizens are referred to as “computers.” The film explores humanity and what truly happens to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness when mind and machines merge, and when the government chooses fear over freedom.
The Internet – ‘Roll (Burbank Funk)’
Can’t blame you if you might have missed a few gems in the social media mire over the past few days, so we’re making sure you know that The Internet are back and cannot be ignored. Dropping their first new song since their 2015 album ‘Ego Death’, the band make their return after a stream of solo releases last year from band members Syd, Matt Martians, and Steve Lacy.
‘Roll (Burbank Funk)’, is an all funk and flares type of affair, with Syd and Steve Lacy together on vocals, as the band prove that the groove really is in their heart. Spot the cameo’s in the video through a haze of psychedelia which include Tyler, the Creator, Mac DeMarco, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington and more. The Internet will be heading over to these shores just in time for the summer festival season soon, if you got your tickets catch em at Parklife in Manchester, and Lovebox in London.
Team Salut – Buss It Up ft Big Tobz & Deefundo
Team Salut keep giving it to them, with sounds that have the world on constant dance-mode, whether they’re making your body go ‘Vroom’, or infectiously have you singing “Jo-jo-joanna”, the guys beats are behind the biggest tracks in the scene right now – and thankfully they don’t make everything in the UK sound the same!
Proving their versatility yet again, Team Salut return with their first new single of the year ‘Buss It Up’ and they’re leaving you with no other option but to drop down, whine down, bruck it down, buss it up, and just get down. Featuring Big Tobz, featured in our latest ‘Next up’ feature story, and a one-to-watch in Deefundo, I dare you not to feel like you just wanna see the sun come back out and get this blaring at the bbq.
Ella Mai – Boo’d Up
It’s a rarity to see a song take the route of a slow-burner, and thankfully for Ella Mai that’s the path that has finally started to get her much deserved attention. The DJ Mustard protege released her 3rd EP ‘Ready’ last year and true to it’s title track, it finally feels like the world is ready for Ella Mai. Steadily climbing up the US charts, ‘Boo’d Up’ has been doing the numbers reaching almost 50 million plays in the US alone.
In a case of finding a diamond in the dust, and shining brighter by the day, Ella Mai glows in this light-hearted 90’s feel-good type of love song. Featuring cameo’s from Khalid, Kamaiyah and Alissa Ashley, ‘Boo’d Up’ is straight-up date night material, with some bumper cars and mini golf to boot. Want something for the weekend with your boo – than you know what to do!
Kelsey Lu – Shades Of Blue
Now I know we’re in this ‘fuck-it’ type of mood today, and ‘Shades of Blue’ is no different in a way. Other than the fact that we’re just obsessing over the stunning 9-minute visual, the Vincent Haycock-directed video for ‘Shades of Blue’ gives us that real sense of escapism. If you’re sick of the sludge of mediocrity, and disappointed in the simplistic ways nuanced emotions are expressed, than reach for Kelsey Lu.
Climbing out from the darker side of depression, it’s true you don’t have to counter love with hate, but you can decide to overcome a troubling love and just accept the blues without living in a state of denial. After watching ‘Shades Of Blue’, you’ll be tempted to free yourself from those demons and just bathe in your naked truth.
