Live Review: #TrustedForTaste Best Songs of The Week — April 16th

16 April 2021 | 11:29 am | Emma Jones

Ten new tunes for your week, the best of the best to drop in the last seven days! From Ninajirachi & Kota Banks, FOURA, LAUREL and more!

Each week, we receive countless submissions of exciting new music, so we’ll be taking you through a weekly wrap up of all our favourite new tunes every Friday called #TrustedForTaste. Follow our Spotify playlist to never miss our updates!

Ninajirachi & Kota Banks - Kissing u

The most exciting force in Australian pop right now, NLV Records' Ninajirachi and Kota Banks have given us soooo much in the last twelve months. Two separate EPs, a joint collaborative release, exceptional video clips and now today, a deluxe release of that EP with even more innovative pop goodness. 'Kissing u' is one of the thrilling new tracks, and shows another new side to the collaborative relationship these two have fortified — it's light and sweet, so much fun and immediately feel-good. They're about to go on tour to celebrate the release of True North and 'Kissing u' is sure to be a highlight in a set absolutely full of them. We <3 u Nina and Kota!!

Plug into the latest music with our FREE weekly newsletter

FOURA - On Tonight (Ft. Big Skeez)

The second release this week on NLV RecordsFOURA and Big Skeez team up for 'On Tonight'. We've already been acquainted with both artists and we've loved what we've heard so far, so to see them on a track together and on this label as well is truly A Moment. FOURA's garage-influenced, atmospheric and woozy production is the perfect foundation for Big Skeez' wavy vocals and raps to shine on, and with expert sound design at the forefront, the track heads in unpredictable directions to keep you totally hooked throughout. It's a total winner, more please!

Wave Racer - Left Behind

Electronic pioneering producer Wave Racer hardly needs an introduction in these parts. But, if you're expecting another slice of unbridled, effervescent hyperpop, you're in the wrong place. His new single, 'Left Behind', marks a significant sonic departure from the sounds he first found a home in and we are totally here for it. It's still pop, but not like we've come to expect. Instead, Wave Racer's real vocals are centre stage, delivering raw and vulnerable lyrics over spacious production to let the triumphant, almost-defiant message of refusing to be kept down after a break up really shine through. In his own words, Wave Racer said, “I was forced into a major identity transformation very rapidly and the song describes that experience and the unhealthy coping mechanisms associated with it. I wanted the lyrics to be as honest and self-aware as possible, and sonically I think I managed to capture the sense of feverish anxiety and uncertainty that many of us probably feel during transformative times. Exploring new sounds and textures felt like the best way to complement the discovery of a new sense of self.” A powerful message, a big switch up and a hook you'll be singing in no time? Thank you very much, Wave Racer!

A.GIRL - Luv Drunk

Rising star A.GIRL returns with a wavy, late-night RnB and hip hop fusion in 'Luv Drunk'. Written for her 17-year-old self as a retrospective look at an all-consuming relationship which ended, the now-21-year-old sounds powerful, in charge and in control. Her passionate, stunning singing mixes with her bold rapped verses, and her effortless switch up between both modes over the bassy production sounds so, SO good. A.GIRL is an artist who continues to push her craft and her artistry with each release, so it's no surprise she continues her hot streak again with this release.

LO'99 and Tough Love - Woo Dat

LO'99 and Tough Love have teamed up for a total dancefloor heater in 'Woo Dat'. The Australian producer teamed up with the London producer duo for this cross-continental collaboration, and together they've brought out the very best in each other, fusing their respective styles to get straight down to business. While we might be heading into colder months Down Under, things are just starting to heat up in the northern hemisphere, so 'Woo Dat' is sure to get a rinsing as dancefloors continue to open up. Described by Tough Love as "a straight up, no messing about, raving monster," they certainly don't mince words, and why would they? It's a banger, plain and simple.

Dugong Jr - Ceramic (Ft. IJALE)

Following on from the release of his 2020 EP, Pleasure Principle, Dugong Jr is back for more this week with the release of 'Ceramic'. Tapping rising hip hop force IJALE, together the pair make magic on the richly textured and atmospheric track. Dugong JR said of the track, "Thematically ‘Ceramic’ for me is about this idea of presenting a confident and unfazed public facade, but deep down feeling quite fragile and vulnerable. Kind of living on a knifes edge because you yearn for that sense of identity that a meaning relationship could bring, but are also afraid of what you might lose trying to get there." Warped vocals mix with IJALE's conscious and melodic bars, while Dugong Jr delivers stellar off-kilter house production and adds in his signature groove-driven flair. While this is the first time these two have worked together, we're hoping there's more where this came from!

KUČKA - Eternity

Just two weeks out from the long awaited release of her debut album, Wrestling, KUČKA gifts us one more single to make sure we are well and truly on the edge of our seats waiting for it to drop. Titled 'Eternity', it's the sixth single from the record and once again showcases KUČKA's expert fusion of deeply personal stories and vulnerability with a universal approach to allow her listeners to find their own space in her world, and with hypnotic, trudging production, it's a song which stays with you long after it has finished. Showcasing just how evolved and developed her production and songwriting prowess has developed, 'Eternity' is one of KUČKA's finest releases to date. Also, the accompanying video makes for her directorial debut and is a must-watch!

LAUREL - You're The One

After the marked departure from her signature sound in her 2020 EP, Petrol BloomLAUREL returns in 2021 and pushes even further down this newfound path of synth-pop in her new single. Titled 'You're The One', it sits somewhere between HAIMSky Ferreira and Stevie Nicks, and is full of big hooks, booming bass, crisp percussion and gorgeously swelling synths to make for an instant rush. Speaking of the song, LAUREL said 'You're The One' "evokes a teenage honesty that no matter our age will always be within us, ready to erupt in a moment of lust." We are totally hooked, and have everything crossed there's plenty more where this came from!

Skeleten - Walking On Your Name (Logic1000 Remix)

Sydney/Eora's Skeleten released a double whammy this week in the form of two special remixes of his single 'Walking On Your Name'. Recruiting Logic1000 and Rings Around Saturn for the honours, the two producers breathed new life and completely made the song their own, and we have had both on full rotation since they dropped. Global rising star Logic1000's work is particularly brilliant, and follows on in the same vein as her other exceptional remixes for the likes of Caribou and Christine and The Queens in which she injects her own flavour and flair into the mix, honing in on an insatiable groove for a chilled out but intoxicating dancefloor thumper.

A. G. Cook - Oh Yeah (Caroline Polachek Remix)

In 2019, A. G. Cook remixed Caroline Polachek's perfect pop song, 'So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings', turning it into an exhilarating slice of hyperpop. Fast forward over a year and Polachek has now returned the favour. Taking over 'Oh Yeah', the opening track from A. G.'s 2020 album ApplePolachek offers up her own vocal inflections for the rework and makes the song totally her own. Maintaining the original vocals from A. G.Caroline adds in grit and grunge while filling out the space with thick, atmospheric production. It's still emotional and full of that yearning in the original, but it's a peculiar and interesting switch up we have fallen heads over heels for.

Words by EMMA JONES

SEE ALSO