SOMEONE is the moniker for Dutch/British composer, producer, and visual artist Tessa Rose Jackson. Through her art and music, she tells science-fiction inspired stories combined with stunning, cinematic music videos in collaboration with Hollywood’s rising star director David Spearing. Following its premiere by Cerys Matthews, BBC 6 Music, SOMEONE shares new single ‘In Your Arms’, the third to be taken from her forthcoming second album Owls. It describes love and joy in a burning world wrapped in the beguiling song writing craft of Feist and the expansive electronics of Air, whilst musically hitting an emotional, synth-fuelled high reminiscent of festival bombshells such as MGMT’s ‘Kids’ and Tame Impala’s ‘Let It Happen’. The accompanying ‘In Your Arms’ visual, created by the LA Film Award winning duo SOMEONE and David Spearing, is a bittersweet sci-fi vignette which evokes the mysticism and atmospheric pull of Chernobyl’s wasteland. It follows two young girls as they emerge from their subterranean bunkers for a day of adventure in what SOMEONE describes as “A post-apocalyptic world, where the air is toxic and terrifying six-legged creatures prowl the land.” As SOMEONE expands “What follows is a day filled with fun and play, because no matter what the world may throw at them, kids will always find a way to just simply… be kids. It’s a celebration of the power of joyfulness and love against all odds”.
Tāmaki Makaurau electro-pop whiz kids Brother Sister have reemerged with a power-packed new video for their anthem ‘Breakdown’, which first surfaced on their 2019 EP SSDD. Gleefully piling up ’80s throwback signifiers to such an extent we suspect they must have access to the very best op shops in the super city, the trio of Taz (formerly of Master Blaster and Club Stupid), Dave and Ben (both of Alex the Kid) extoll the dubious virtues of a stay-at-home life away from workaday stress in their MTV-ready synth-pop banger. Channeling Brother Sister’s love for the sound and visuals of near-forgotten Saturday morning cartoons, director / editor Dave Thomson’s (Imaginary Friends) clip for ‘Breakdown’ walks a pastel-hued line between cute, stylish and intensely over-caffeinated. [via Under The Radar]
Tove Lo is back with a vengeance. She may have made her name as an indie sleaze trailblazer, but with each taste of her forthcoming album, DIRT FEMME (October 14, Pretty Swede Records/mtheory), Tove Lo gives us something new to chew on. The visual for her last single, ‘2 Die 4,’ recalls her early party girl days through a distinct artistic lens. The video, directed by Anna-Lisa Himma, takes the best parts of Y2K to the extreme. In blue, green and pink hues, Tove Lo resurrects the Europop club scene that brought her fame in the early 2010s. ‘2 Die 4’ is all the best bits of the early 2000s club scene, and less of the mess. It is calculated chaos. The visual makes a splash with polished choreography, high-glam looks and lots and lots of wet t-shirts. Tove Lo’s entourage gets wet and wild in a giant pool a la Le Bain, leaving sequins and sweat in their wake. “We wanted to make a pop bitch Y2K experience,” Tove Lo said in a statement about the video. “With all the choreo, the outfits, the wetness. I think we more than delivered.” Tove Lo understood the assignment. Playing up the camp elements of Euro party scenes by cosplaying as a garnish in a giant martini glass, and elevating tropes of the genre by transforming strobes into moody spotlights, ‘2 Die 4’ brings Y2K to 2022. ‘2 Die 4’ doesn’t simply glamorize and replicate the past — as Y2K nostalgia often falls victim to — but creates new icons from timeless relics. Noting the sample of Hot Butter’s 1972 classic ‘Popcorn’ which became a club anthem in the early 2000s with a techno remix, Tove Lo speaks to the legacy of her newest work. “With ‘2 Die 4’ I wanted ‘instantly iconic’ energy. I’ve never sampled anything before, and this feels like the perfect first moment. Lyrically I wanted it to be that ‘pick me up when I’m feeling down’ song. At first, it’s like a warm hug, then you shake it off, let out a scream and start dancing!” This visual did leave us doing all of the above. [via Paper]
London based songwriter Molly Payton has shared new single ‘Do It All The Same’. The songwriter was raised in New Zealand, before making her way to the UK. 2022 has become something of a banner year, with Molly Payton playing a slew of high profile festivals, alongside support slots with Arlo Parks, TomOdell, Oscar Lang, and Wallice. Set to hit the road with Beabadoobee shortly, those dates are Down Under – with Molly returning to New Zealand in the process. Alongside this, she’s set to release new EP Compromise on October 28, with lead single ‘Do It All The Same’ online now. Her first new music in 12 months, ‘Do It All The Same’ is a moment of acceptance, with Molly Payton honing in on what delivers true happiness. A song about moving past difficulties in your life, writing it allowed Molly to locate some light amid the darkness. She comments… “This song came about after I’d had a particularly bad run of things. I was out of money and about to start a tour I couldn’t afford and really doubting my future. When you’re living that way it makes you really appreciate any consistency you can get your hands on, and for me that was my partner. ‘Do It All The Same’ isn’t anything profound or groundbreaking, it’s just me thanking another person for being there for me.” [via Clash]
Hamburg trio Roller Derby have shared shimmering new single ‘Only You’. The three-piece formed back in 2020, a trio of friends with hugely disparate influences. Philine Meyer (vocals, keys), Manuel Romero Soria (guitar) and Max Nielsen (bass) craft dreamily evocative pop music, melding together superb tapestries of sound with dynamic songwriting. Lyrically astute, the way Roller Derby interlock seems to suggest three voices working in tandem, informing their music with a real sense of emotional pull. Freshly signed to independent label Practise Music, Roller Derby’s new single ‘Only You’ glides back into view. A succinct alt-pop song, the somnambulist tapestries of sound come together to craft something potent and direct. Out now, it’s accompanied by a full video. Roller Derby explain: “In the video we have been trying to create an ambiguous atmosphere, where strong feelings for a person lead to something rather surreal and quirky…” [via Clash]
In 2021, Alex Lahey released a couple new songs, ‘On My Way’ and ‘Spike The Punch.’ They were her first singles since 2019 sophomore LP The Best Of Luck Club, but apparently both were interstitial tracks not attached to any larger project. ‘Congratulations,’ Lahey’s new single out today, is billed as the launch of a new chapter. It is not a MGMT or Post Malone cover, but rather an original that finds Lahey telling off an ex: “So happy for your perfect life/ There’s something in my eye/ I’m doin’ just fine without you.” Actually, according to Lahey’s statement, those lines are directed at more than one former partner: “Two of my exes got engaged within an improbably short space of time of one another. What are the odds? I couldn’t not write a song inspired by it.” In a video directed by Jon Danovic described by Lahey as “unhinged,” she makes out with herself: “It felt like the perfect time to execute a long standing concept I had of making out with myself on camera. Now both the song and the video feel like a message about choosing yourself over anyone else.” [via Stereogum]
Doechii and SZA release the much-anticipated video for ‘Persuasive.’ Directed by Sara Lacombe, the club-ready collaboration of Top Dawg Entertainment’s two female powerhouses makes the song and sultry video next-level intoxicating. The song is featured on Doechii’s acclaimed EP she / her / black bitch. The upbeat R&B anthem showcases Doechii’s impressive ability to flex her signature versatile flows into Grammy-winner SZA’s immaculate vibes. “I created ‘Persuasive’ to uplift people and bring communities together, so having SZA jump on the song was a perfect fit because I’ve always connected with others over her music,” says Doechii. “Knowing that SZA is with TDE was what originally got me most excited about being on this label, so now that we have a song together it’s a full-circle moment. She really ATE! This collaboration is everything I always imagined it to be.” [via Broadway World]
Ava Max is making a play to take over the pop stratosphere. The 28-year old star’s 2020 debut album, Heaven & Hell, is officially a platinum certified release and now her follow-up album, Diamonds & Dancefloors, is on deck. The album’s original October release date has been pushed back to next January 27, but that just gives the singer more time to work with in the lead up. Enter ‘Million Dollar Baby,’ her latest single which is out now along with an opulent video. “When I was creating this record, I was going through a really hard time in my life – heartbreak and just a lot of sadness,” Max said in a statement. “I titled it ‘Million Dollar Baby’ to remind myself of my self-worth and wrote the lyrics to show that you can overcome and achieve anything when you put your mind to it. The line ‘She broke out of her chains, turned the fire into rain’ shows the journey this song took me through – from feeling weighed down by sadness to breaking free and feeling like myself again.” [via UPROXX]
