TRACK OF THE WEEK
Bad Sounds
Are You High?
Calling your band Bad Sounds doesn’t sound like a particularly great idea; sort of like opening a restaurant called Gross Food or a clothes shop called Dress Like an Arsehole. Name aside, brothers Ewan and Callum Merrett have managed a zippy, indie-pop banger with a gently psychedelic side; think Rat Boy covering Tame Impala. A new video also sees them having fun with balloons and confetti, a nice contrast with the lyrics which are about a horrific case of resting bitch face.
Lil Uzi Vert feat Nicki Minaj
The Way Life Goes (Remix)
Re-gifting season is almost upon us, and Lil Uzi Vert is getting ahead of the game by re-releasing a single from October with a new verse from Nicki Minaj. Luckily, she only adds to its brilliance with some super-smart wordplay (“You gotta pay me flat bread/ Yeah the pita way”). Someone get this woman some hummus!
Mr Hudson feat Vic Mensa
Coldplay
Buddy Holly by Weezer. Maroon 5’s Moves Like Jagger. Even – gulp – Black Beatles by Rae Sremmurd. These are all examples of how to make a song with another artist’s name in the title that doesn’t sound like an insult to said act. Unlike those examples, Coldplay is two parts Vic Mensa moaning about how Yellow and Fix You make him think of his ex to one part Mr Hudson declaring that he’s never liked them anyway. Just in case anyone’s missed the point, it also contains the words “I hate Coldplay”. Chris Martin’s lawyers have been informed.
The Wombats
Turn
Ten years on from their debut album, the Wombats are still ridiculously popular, selling out major venues and supporting the likes of the Pixies. Turn fails to shed any light on this continued appeal, with its uber-bland melodies, nonsense lyrics about watering potted plants and running with wolf packs, and a very “dad who’s just discovered Hotline Bling” Drake ref.
Honey Hahs
Forever
With an average age of 11, family band Honey Hahs are a bit of an easy target for detractors (“They’re too young! They’re too precocious! Don’t they have homework to do?”) Thankfully, Forever is a very sweet, folky pop song with a deeper message. Yes, there’s a line about quinoa, but within the context (an existential meditation on how we might fare if the world were to end tomorrow) one last Ocado delivery seems permissible.
