'I'm not dancing, I'm fighting/ I'm not shining, I'm burning," Tirzah Mastin sings over the sparse rigidity of four-to-the-floor beats on the title track off her 2013's debut I'm Not Dancing EP. This was her way of rebelling against the EDM trends in pop music -- an admirably bold statement coming from someone who was just starting out. Hailing from Essex, Mastin operates mononymously as Tirzah. Under that moniker she explores her penchant for all things leftfield, fusing post-grime and futuristic R&B with experimental pop -- all courtesy of her school pal producer Mica Levi.
Tirzah's unbothered attitude extends over to 2014's No Romance EP where it culminates in her deadpan dismissal of love on the title track ("No romance… No heartbreak/ No rejection/ No harsh words/ No lies/ No cheating/ No coldness/ No let-downs/ No bust ups"). But despite all that angsty build-up, she seems to have mellowed out considerably on her latest offering, Devotion, her first full-length that is four years in the making.
Here, the usual chaotic quirks make way for the more soulful approach to the production, which makes sense considering the fact that she no longer shuns romance. Tracks like Fine Again and Do You Know play with a negative space in such a fascinating way -- think a hybrid between James Blake FKA twigs. Even the more traditional R&B ballads like Gladly, Affection, Go Now and Say When effortlessly glide with a cool, minimalist edge, oozing the sort of soulful intimacy you would get from British R&B crooner Jessie Ware.
Fans of her previous EPs who are craving the good old lo-fi vibes will appreciate the DIY feel of Holding On and Basic Need. The former sounds like it was made straight out of her bedroom while the latter starts off as an 80s synth-pop ballad before morphing into something far more private -- it is as if we were listening in on someone making a confession. In essence, Devotion could be considered Tirzah's most polished work to date. Yet in that polishedness, there are glimpses of grit and grime that make her sound unpredictable and distinctly her.
Listen to this: Fine Again, Basic Need, Do You Know, Gladly
The Playlist
Cat Power (Feat. Lana Del Rey) / Woman
This week's must-hear collaboration is courtesy of singer-songwriters Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) and Lana Del Rey. The pair link up on Woman, the second single set to appear on the former's forthcoming 10th studio album, Wanderer. Stylistically, the mid-tempo track sits comfortably in Marshall's wheelhouse with gentle piano keys underscoring guitar staccato and strings. "If you know people who know me/ You might want them to speak," she begins as Del Rey follows close behind as a backup vocalist. "I'm a woman of my word, now haven't you heard/ My word's the only thing I've ever needed?" the pair further assert in the chorus before insouciantly repeating the song's title until it takes on a numbing, new nuance. As it progresses, Marshall seems to allude to the Harvey Weinsteins among us while flipping the narrative, turning oppression into, well, power: "Your money's like a weapon, a tool to get me… A cage is like a weapon, a tool for me… Well, my cage is a weapon, it's perfect for me/ It's the one suit they seem to not see."
Janet (Feat. Daddy Yankee) / Made For Now
Never mind the fact that Daddy Yankee will forever be associated with the wretched earworm that is Luis Fonsi's Despacito, because, let's admit it, the guy's unstoppable. And to add to his ongoing global domination, he's bringing a major Latin pop/reggaeton flavour to Janet's latest offering Made For Now, her first new music since 2015's Unbreakable. "If you're living for the moment/ Don't stop, and celebrate the feeling," she croons over jaunty beats, revisiting the age-old wisdom of carpe diem. "Go up, if you're living for the moment/ Don't stop, 'cause there ain't no ceilings." As for Daddy Yankee, he's also living his best life, rapping in Spanish about how he's a volcano and Janet's lava.
Boyd Kosiyabong (Feat. Pongsit Kampee, Room 39) / Tam Wannee Tam Wai Wai
Boyd Kosiyabong reconnects with past collaborators Pongsit Kampee and pop trio Room 39 on his latest single, Tam Wannee Tam Wai Wai (Do It Today, Do It Right Away). Released as part of the beloved singer-songwriter's ongoing compilation series Songs From Different Scenes, the track is a melodic, life-affirming pop jam dedicated to pursuing one's dreams. It could easily pass off as a Room 39 cut even with folk singer Pongsit in the fold. But then again, Pongsit has collaborated with pretty much anyone in the business so that's not really saying much. What it does say, however, is to take a chance and that we should perhaps cook ourselves some Wai Wai instant noodles? OMG, subliminal message!
Calvin Harris (Feat. Sam Smith, Jessie Reyez) / Promises
EDM hitmaker Calvin Harris churns out yet another banger in the form of Promises, a collaboration with vocalists Sam Smith and Jessie Reyez following this year's Nuh Ready Nuh Ready and Dua Lipa-featured One Kiss. The song, set to low-slung basslines and house piano chords, has Smith locked down on vocal duties while Reyez trailing behind as a sort of an afterthought. "I make no promises, I can't do golden rings/ But I'll give you everything (tonight)," Smith serenades his love interest. "Magic is in the air, there ain't no science here/ So come get your everything (tonight)." One for the dancefloor romance, this one.
Disclosure / Love Can Be So Hard
If Harris' Promises is aimed at the spontaneity of love/a one-night stand, Disclosure's new single Love Can Be So Hard is the antithesis of that whole vibe. As the title suggests, love isn't as effortless as most summer dance anthems make it out to be, it "can be so hard/ It's gonna be so helpless", according to the succinct, brutally honest lyrics. Sampling Princess' Say I'm Your No.1, the song marks the UK duo's yet another musical shift from futuristic garage to retro 80s disco -- the transition previously hinted by Gwen McCrae-assisted Funky Sensation.
