Fridays are our favourite day of the week and there’s no doubt that it’s yours, too. Before you can slip off your work shoes and kick off your weekend, you’re going to need a soundtrack to score it. We return to our usual programming by bringing you 5 of the latest new bits to indulge in by diving deep into the internet to give you that feeling where you’ve found that special song or artist that you wished you had discovered sooner.
Gbnga – Civilian
Gbnga treats us to a mellow concoction tingling with euphoric chords and slick raps on ‘Civilian’. His library boats a list of easy joints such as the decorated ‘Cherry B’ and the futuristic sonics of ‘No Time’. Today, he follows through with his latest song ‘Civilian’.
North London film director and artist makes music you can post up to with your clique. So it’s no surprise that he labels his releases as “songs for friends” as noted up on his Soundcloud. ‘Civilian’ parts drizzly hi hats into a coil of dreamy chords and Gbnga frees up a clear and catchy hook full of egocentric lines. Gbnga’s so far from average and you can expect the DJ to wheel up his swanky verses, which flick between TV references and vivid dreams. Catch Gbnga and some of his gang in the self-directed visual, below.
WSTRN – Medusa feat. Unknown T
WSTRN’s Haile and Louis Rei grab East London drill rapper Unknown T for their latest unveiling ‘Medusa’. The West London set have built up a reputation for cultivating summertime bangers and we reckon this will be nothing short of one.
On ‘Medusa’ the trio place the UK’s trademark afroswing on full blast with each artist contributing verses bursting with a divergent swing of rap and teetering towards tropical melodies. Haile pitches dancehall stylistics and reaches the peak with his high-flown croons that contrast against the black-and-white pictures. Unknown T showcase his versatility and switches his flow up to punchy cajón thuds lurking behind ambient chords. Summertime is (basically) here and WSTRN are ready to kick it off.
Benny Mails – ‘These Days’ feat. Kaisen
South-London rapper Benny Malis unlocks his chest of sonics and unravels his first drop of the year with ‘These Days’ and recruits Kaisen on his contemplative stroll.
Benny Mallis makes mood music with ‘These Days’ and places the everyday post-hustle downer that comes with living in the city. The void is filled with a gloomy tune treading lightly over a light drum thuds that spark the production like matchstick kissing the end of a cigarette. “These days I don’t have hope, these days don’t know no peace,” Malis glumly confesses in the onset, only to be tormented by unclear chatter hanging to his words. Produced by Earbuds, Benny Malis and Kaisen trade words in search of a resolution over whirring tones and boom bap drum beats.
Flying Lotus – More feat. Anderson .Paak
Flying Lotus returns back takes a trip up into space and crash lands in a weird planetary space on ‘More’, which features the ever so slick Anderson .Paak as co-pilot.
You undoubtedly know what you’re signing yourself up for when you see a Flying Lotus tagline. Imagine what it would sound like with an Anderson .Paak verse on that same joint, absolutely crazy, right? On ‘More’ Flying Lotus lumps shimmering vocal layers on this outer space venture, linking syncopated bass riffs that intertwine with the balmy croons of Anderson .Paak. The visual are symbolic and capture the essence of the sonic under the direction of the widely celebrated auteur Shinichirō Watanabe.
JonnoAQ – Realer Than It Pays (RTIP)
JonnoAQ brings it back with a new single and visual for ‘Realer Than It Pays’. It’s a classy rap take that finds him sprinkling biographical rhymes and no-nonsense lines.
Hearing Jonno rap on ‘Realer Than It Pays’ feels like listening to a consuming story over the embers of a campfire at night. It opens with a lengthy orchestral display which is splashed with sneers that spittle right just as the beat falls flat. It pumps back up like Clark Kent strolling out of a phone booth, Jonno rides the drum-assisted ensemble with hedonistic jives. He waxes off a catchy flow on the second verse and touches on high moments and run-ins with the law.
