In this week’s instalment of What’s Going On, I’ve got 5 songs that I’ve been loving this week, from a pop remix of epic proportions to an emotional synth-pop single that is sure to tug on your heartstrings. Some of these artists are household names while others might not have been on your radar before but each of these songs is worth giving a listen.
Future Islands – Synth-pop band Future Islands have announced their new album As Long As You Are will be released on October 9 via 4AD. As Long As You Are is the follow-up to their 2017 album The Far Field. ‘Thrill’ comes after ‘For Sure’, the single they released in July. The one-take music video for ‘Thrill’ was shot during quarantine and solely features lead singer Samuel T. Herring delivering a powerful performance of the song straight to the camera. An emotional track about being overtaken by rising sadness, it’s in stark contrast to its upbeat predecessor ‘For Sure’. In a message posted on social media, the band shared: “‘Thrill’ is a song about battling addiction in Greenville, North Carolina, where Future Islands began. It’s about the isolation and fear we feel in our homes — in our society. It’s about sadness rising, and spilling over, our anger —spilling over, like the great Tar River.”
Listen to ‘Thrill’ from Future Islands upcoming album As Long As You Are.
Dyamond Doll – It’s safe to say Miami native Dyamond Doll was born to do this. Dyamond has been working on her craft since she was 14, writing, rapping & singing. The 27-year-old rapper went viral this past March with her song ‘Dwade’, an obvious tribute to NBA star Dwyane Wade, racking up over 1 million video views on YouTube. Cocky, confident & self-assured on the track, Dyamond is letting everyone know that she’s the next one up. The song even got the attention of Dwyane Wade himself, which resulted in the Miami Heat legend giving the song his stamp of approval. Keep an eye out for Dyamond Doll’s first EP Dyamond In The Rough via Dark Boys Records, including features with Tory Lanez, DaniLeigh & Jackboy.
Listen to ‘Dwade’ ft. Trina from Dyamond Doll’s EP Dyamond In The Rough.
Dua Lipa – It’s a pop emergency! British pop star Dua Lipa has released the remix to her song ‘Levitating’, featuring hip hop legend Missy Elliott & the creator of the pop star blueprint Madonna. The remix was produced by The Blessed Madonna, who was named DJ of the year by Mixmag in 2016. A proper remix, The Blessed Madonna gave ‘Levitating’ a totally new beat and a sped-up vibe that would be perfect for the club. Missy Elliott came through with a really fun verse that added to the dancefloor vibe and fans online have praised Madonna’s vocals on the remix, proclaiming them to sound similar to her vocal delivery on her Music album from 2000. Having grown up admiring Madonna & Missy Elliott, it was a major full-circle moment for Dua to have them both feature on this new remix. In speaking to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Dua proclaimed: “her career trajectory as well has been something so inspirational and the momentum that she’s kept and the way that she’s grown with her music.” There are more remixes on the way as Dua Lipa will be releasing her remix album Club Future Nostalgia on August 21 via Warner, featuring remixes of the songs from her Future Nostalgia album.
Listen to ‘Levitating’ (feat. Madonna & Missy Elliott) [The Blessed Madonna Remix] from Dua Lipa’s upcoming remix album Club Future Nostalgia.
Le Flex – According to Le Flex, he got into music with the goal of “attracting as many groupies as possible.” The London artist’s sound consists of 80s & retro-inspired synth-pop, nu-disco and soft house. Le Flex’s new EP Songs I Wish I’d Written: Vol 3 is out now. Admiring singers like Peter Cetera, George Michael and Richard Marx, you can hear their influence in Le Flex’s music. With the goal of making “sublime synth-pop to make you dance and ballads to tempt your inner lover”, Le Flex has been gaining a cult following with nearly 80,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Le Flex’s cover of El Debarge’s 1986 R&B hit ‘Someone’ from his new covers EP Songs I Wish I’d Written: Vol 3 is a great introduction to his sound.
Listen to ‘Someone’ from Le Flex’s new EP Songs I Wish I’d Written: Vol 3.
The Darcys – Toronto duo The Darcys have just dropped their new single ‘Look Me in the Eyes’ and a trippy accompanying music video directed by Emma Higgins. The Darcys have nailed the art of reinvention. Formerly an art-rock quartet, Wes Marskell and Jason Couse are not afraid to experiment with different sounds & imagery for each of their releases and the resulting music always feels authentic. Their new single ‘Look Me in the Eyes’ is a relentless jam with a big pop chorus, definitely a surefire earworm. The Darcys tweeted back in July that their new record is done and if ‘Look Me in the Eyes’ is anything to go by, their highly anticipated forthcoming album is going to be well worth the wait.
Listen to The Darcys’ new single ‘Look Me in the Eyes’.
