Roundup, April #2
From Bengali infused piano house to the melodrama of Italo disco heartbreak, we roundup our favourite releases of the week. Listen to our selections below.
Follow our Roundup Selections playlist on Spotify to stay updated on what we have on repeat.
100 Gecs – Doritos & Fritos
The second single from current hyperpop leaders 100 Gecs off their highly anticipated sophomore album may not be what you expect. A pop-punk track set against a kicking drum beat and garage rock bass licks, the track is a departure from their usual electronic chaos. Irreverent, absurd, and impish as ever, Doritos & Fritos hints toward the most striking evolution of their sound yet.
Elder Island – Purely Educational (Elkka Remix)
Rising melodic house queen Elkka takes on remix duty for Elder Island. For her take on Purely Educational, Elkka turns the synthpop track into a tech house stunner, opening with sparkling and effervescent stabs and a buoyant back beat. Elkka grows the track carefully, with wonderstruck arpeggios and choral loops before bringing in Katy Sargent’s vocal’s and the original’s drum stems.
Desire – Telling Me Lies
Italo disco and synthwave band Desire’s new single is one of their most dramatic tracks to date. Against a swing/house beat, Megan Louise’s louche vocals slide across Johnny Jewel’s synth disco opera, full of 80’s drum fills and electric soaked longing.
Arca – Cayó
To celebrate the completion of her KICK cycle, Arca’s new release co-produced by Tim Hecker takes the form of a jagged, haunting dirge that “explores non-binary modes of relating of that which is ‘other.” Cayó is a deep cut from the archives that sees Arca revisit some of her earlier work, in particular the ballads on her 2017 self-titled debut in the vein of Reverie. Her haunting, operatic vocals sound even more potent all these years later, recalling the time Arca first found her voice during the time where it’s currently at its loudest.
Surya Sen – Buccho Ni Ba Bhai
North London’s Surya Sen is an emerging talent worth keeping an eye one. His dexterous style spans across genres like UK grime and bass, to motifs and styles his Bengalese roots. On his latest single Buccho Ni Ba Bhai, Rana Ali raps in Bengali to a bouncing piano house background, spiced with touches of tabla infused hip-hop and garage. A mixed masala of culture and sound, Buccho Ni Ba Bhai is an excitingly fresh offering that breaks barriers as much as it does boundaries.
