Roundup, July #1
Welcome to July, where everyone is staking a claim in the sweeps for Song Of The Summer. We roundup our favourite of the week. Listen below.
Follow our Roundup Selections playlist on Spotify to stay updated on what we have on repeat.
Tiësto, Charli XCX – Hot In It
When she’s not busy crashing the system of the pop machine, Charli XCX continues to steal other people’s thunder by being a formidable guest artist, most recently for super DJs in particular. There was David Guetta and Afrojack’s Dirty Sexy Money, last year’s Out Out by Joel Corry and Jax Jones, and now this banger with Tiësto. Honestly, Hot In It is not very groundbreaking. It’s scuzzy tech-house with some killer pop hooks. But it’s a lot of fun. “Shake my ass no stopping it, I look hot in it” XCX coos over a simmering house beat as a humid salsa energy coursing through.
Rina Sawayama – Catch Me In The Air
The second single from Rina Sawayama’s upcoming album Hold The Girl is a song that literally soars. True to Sawayama, there’s a distinct throwback feel to the song, with it recalling the guitar driven radio pop of the late 90’s and 2000’s that might have soundtracked an Amanda Bynes movie. As always, her lyrics and hooks are razor sharp and manage to somehow balance pop and politics without sacrificing either. Sawayama sings to her mother, inviting her to rejoice in Sawayama’s success because it is also her own. It tackles the complexity of multigenerational trauma as experienced by immigrants, all while standing as one of the most uplifting and sweet entries to Sawayama’s catalogue.
Alice Longyu Gao, Oli Skyes – Believe The Hype
Alice Longyu Gao is one of hyperpop’s more elusive figures, despite arguably being there from the start before the word ‘hyperpop’ even entered the lexicon. Perhaps that’s why her recent singles have mostly been hype tracks to serve as reminders of her place in recent pop innovation. Her latest, Believe The Hype, is the most aggressive of these yet. Together with Oli Skyes, Gao presents a trap-hyperpop hybrid that changes course into jugular cutting screamo. It’s about as in your face as it can get, and after this you’ll definitely be believing the hype, be it out of fear or genuine intrigue.
Bicep – Meli (II)
Meli (II) has actually been around for a while. Bicep have been weaving the track into their live sets during shows in support of their album Isles, including their recent triumph at Glastonbury. While its original Isles avatar takes the form of a beatless chorus of arpeggios, this updated version of the composition throws in a rave-ready four on the floor that feels programmed for the festival stage.
Nicky Romero, NIIKO X SWAE – Easy
Dutch superstar DJ Nicky Romero joins forces with Los Angeles future bass duo NIIKO X SWAE on a slice of optimistic, sugary dance pop that just screams ‘SUMMER!’ A bubbly, effervescent house adjacent pop track, Easy is so full of giddy optimism that it’s impossible not to smile at its happy-go-lucky refrain and sunny keys. Expect to hear this one on loop in the coming months.
