AJ Tracey
Doing It
Eager to eschew reductive labels, west Londoner AJ Tracey used to have the words “pop star” in his Twitter bio (he’s since swapped them for “country star”). Having risen within three years from the raw potential of his early releases to transatlantic collaborations, dancehall nods and chart-focused choruses, here the 24-year-old diffuses grime through a pop prism for a track that cements his superstar-in-the-making status. Plus: bonus points for the adorable goat on the cover, which is sure to make your week.
303
Whisper
Little Mix’s new album is patchy, the Spice Girls are Tories and the likes of Four of Diamonds haven’t sustained their X Factor buzz. You would have to be pretty brave to start a girlband in this climate, but teen trio 303 (not to be confused with post-emo “rappers” 3OH!3) give it a go anyway, with this sultry, Sugababes-ish debut. Just, please, no one ask them anything about Brexit; we really can’t afford to lose another lot.
Rina Sawayama
Flicker
Rising pop singer Sawayama’s whole shtick is sounding as if she has been beamed in from the early 00s, but now she’s taken things a step further and written a whole song about a proto-Instagram photo site. Oh, wait, it’s called Flicker not Flickr, and it’s a slick, empowering bop about being yourself and shining brightly. But – hear me out – how great would a whole Rina album about outmoded tech be? Next week: Motorola RAZR.
The Streets ft Chip and Grim Sickers
Call Me in the Morning
There are some things you absolutely cannot criticise without someone telling you that, actually, you are totally wrong and they’re right, so there. Mike Skinner is one of those things, which makes total sense in the context of, you know, Original Pirate Material, but unfortunately doesn’t apply to this, which sounds less like a song and more like a man reading his shopping list back to himself while BBC 1Xtra plays in the distance.
Weezer
Zombie Bastards
You know your mate’s dad? The one who has been “joking” about tagging along to Glastonbury since the divorce? Even he would find this embarrassing. This is Weezer impersonating the Chainsmokers; Weezer thinking that “blah blah blah” counts as lyricism; Weezer being the musical embodiment of that idiot who tried to get 20 years knocked off his age so he could go on Tinder. Grim.
