This week’s edition of What’s Going On features new music from Glass Animals, Liam Payne & Dixie D’Amelio, Iann Dior, JSA and High Grass. As always, if you dig what you’re hearing, be sure to stream and follow these artists.
Glass Animals – UK psychedelic pop band Glass Animals have unveiled the music video for their single ‘Tangerine’, one of the standout tracks from the band’s brilliant third album Dreamland that was released this past August via Polydor. On what ‘Tangerine’ is about, frontman Dave Bayley says: “The song is about seeing someone get lost in the unimportant things in the world…to the point where they lose what made them unique and incredible. We’re all born naive and curious and playful and open and vulnerable…and over time those parts of us can get stifled…sometimes too much…to the point where all that child-like joy and curiosity is gone except for a tiny little glint of it that appears all too rarely, like a ghost in the eyes.” As you can imagine, the music video can best be summed up in one word: trippy.
Listen to Glass Animals’ new single ‘Tangerine’ below.
Iann Dior – Iann Dior is blowing up. The 21-year old rapper and singer-songwriter was featured on 24kGoldn’s single ‘Mood’ which racked up 440 million streams on Spotify, 2.2 million UGC content on Tik Tok, over 93 million views on YouTube and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as well. Hot on the heels of the success of ‘Mood’, Dior has dropped ‘Holding On’, his first solo single since his I’m Gone EP from this past June. Equally as catchy as ‘Mood’, ‘Holding On’ showcases Iann Dior’s knack for crafting infectious slices of pop music that seamlessly incorporates elements of rock and hip-hop. The talented young star recently told NME that he’s looking to pick up where Juice Wrld left off and while those are big shoes to fill, one thing’s for sure, Iann Dior is going to be around for a while.
Listen to Iann Dior’s new single ‘Holding On’ below.
High Grass – Cuban alt-rock band High Grass have dropped ‘90 Miles’, their new single. The 90 miles that the song title references is the distance between Key West and Cuba, and the song gets into the strained relationship between Cuba and the United States. After the gentle opening, ’90 Miles’ hits you like a wrecking ball with urgent insistent guitars and percussion and powerful vocals from the band’s lead singer Kristina Miranda. On the importance of ‘90 Miles’, Kristina Miranda says: “We wanted to shine some light on the situation in Cuba to show the world what is happening. During these hard times, I feel the song may resonate not only with Cuban people, but with anyone who is currently far apart from their loved ones. We want them to know they are not alone.”
Listen to High Grass’ new single ‘90 Miles’ below.
JSA – South London-based indie band JSA have released ‘Orange Juice’, the latest track from their Fool’s Empire EP, out now via Undead Collective Records. You might not have heard of JSA before but they are definitely a band you’ll want to keep an eye on. JSA’s current lineup consists of David Marley (vocals), Joe Blackford (rhythm guitar/backing vocals), Alan Smith (lead guitar), Tom Carnell (bass/backing vocals) and Kevin Smith (drums). ‘Orange Juice’ is a brilliant song reminiscent of bands like Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes or The Wonder Years. Of the new track, JSA’s vocalist David Marley says: “The lyrics to this song tell a clear story. People come and go in your life that have different effects on you, and that is the message behind it.”
Listen to JSA’s new single ‘Orange Juice’ below.
Liam Payne & Dixie D’Amelio – After releasing his first Christmas single ‘All I Want (For Christmas)’ last year, Liam Payne has teamed up with TikTok megastar Dixie D’Amelio for ‘Naughty List’, his latest bit of holiday fare. While it’s easy to be cynical about a former boyband superstar hooking up with a viral TikTok star loved by members of Gen Z around the world for what should be a surefire hit, the song works. ‘Naughty List’ is a sort of modern-day spin on ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ without the controversy. In the lyrics, Liam and Dixie go back and forth telling of what happens Dixie’s driver is stuck in the snow and unable to pick her up and what happened to land them both on Santa’s Naughty List.
Listen to Liam Payne & Dixie D’Amelio’s new single ‘Naughty List’ below.
