Feeling very strongly about the tunes I’ve picked out this week! I’ve dabbled across several genres this week, really digging for some sonic surprises. Enjoy!
Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on the cmd+f Twitter at @cmdf_me with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too.
As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.
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“Not Enough” - Lido feat. THEY. | Hold onto your ass: “Not Enough” is gonna be the best song you’ve heard all year so far. Not to set the bar so high, but you’ve got to trust me on this. Frankly, I’m shocked Lido had it in him to crack out this tight, funky new jack swing beat. Oh, and he got THEY. singing on the track giving me whiplash: I thought I was listening to some Bell Biv DeVoe bootleg deep cut. Bet you can’t listen to this without the urge to get up and cabbage patch your way through the rest of the day. Listen here
“Aura” - Bicep | This one is very special this week, y’all. To start, Bicep are legends in the dance music community. The Belfast duo started up their website Feel My Bicep where they’d dust off and upload long lost dance tracks. I’m talking serious ass Italo Disco deep cuts, Detroit techno mastery, beats spanning from the birth of Chicago house. Eventually they formed the DJ duo now known as Bicep where they put together these sick ass mixes AND produce their own tunes. After years of dropping one of singles and EPs, yesterday they announced they’ll be dropping their debut self-titled album (congrats!) in September. Needless to say, I’m really stoked. Listen to their spanking new cut “Aura” for a taste of new Bicep. Listen here
“Fizzy” - Rosa Nutty | Kicking it down a few notches with Irish singer songwriter Rosa Nutty and her tender ode to being depressed in Dublin. Well, the themes can apply in any city, but I’ve been to Dublin and it can get a bit bleak. Everyone knows everyone; how do you even try to get out of your block and people out of your business? “Pick yourself off the floor, you don’t hurt,” she assures over a melancholic, echoing loop of her vocals. A high key #mood “Fizzy” is. Listen here
“Because” - Smerz | MOCA recently announced a summer music series and I noticed Smerz was on the bill under Zola Jesus. Plucking “Because” back on here, as the tune fucking bangs. Phil Taggart rinsed this one pretty hard last year every chance he could. The constant, choppy hi-hat looming under wonky, wet synths are lush, I just wanna bite into this song. Reminds me of a bit of Sally Shapiro meets FKA Twigs meets Little Dragon. Listen here
“Humongous” - Declan McKenna | You remember the first time you heard Arctic Monkeys? I got gooseflesh up my arms and on the back of my neck within the first seconds of “I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor” while sitting on the couch listening to satellite radio on a Saturday afternoon back in high school. It’s moments like that you know an artist has something really special going on, and that’s how I feel about each song Declan McKenna has dropped. If you followed my song recs in the pre-cmd+f days, you may recall Chris giving a shout out to young Declan. For those who’re new here and haven’t heard a single note of a Declan McKenna song, you’re in for a real treat. Hailed as THE new face of indie pop in the UK, and only having turned 18 last December, “Humongous” is a HUGE track. He really has no business making tunes this incredible so early in his career. Watch the video here. Listen here
BONUS
Yes, Lorde! Melodrama has arrived. Listen here
If you’re in the mood for sexy, churning guitars, new Royal Blood album is waiting for you to give it a spin. Listen here
King of getting outside and turning off your phone and soaking up the sun: George Ezra is back with an ode to tuning everything out, and I can say it’s made this week much brighter Listen here
New The Killers is pretty incredible, isn’t it? Brandon Flowers is morphing into David Byrne and I am HFT. Listen here
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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal June 2017 playlist. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.
A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.
See you next week!