New Music Friday: KAYTRANADA, Miles Kane and R.A.P Ferreira

Another installment of NMF, where we explain why you should listen to five of our favourite tracks from the past week or so. Let us know your thoughts!

New Music Friday: KAYTRANADA, Miles Kane and R.A.P Ferreira

KAYTRANADA - $payforHaiti (feat. Mach-Hommy)

Haitian dance music producer KAYTRANADA has recently released his most recent EP, titled ‘Intimidated’. The EP contains three tracks, each with a featured artist, including Thundercat and H.E.R. However, a standout track on the project is undoubtedly ‘$payforHaiti’, featuring rising Haitian rapper Mach-Hommy. The song is as warm and smooth as you would expect from the producer, who is now renowned for his signature laid-back and soulful sonic creations that sprinkle in just the right amount of pop palatability. Mach-Hommy’s feature on the song is insightful and pure, and also seamlessly switches between English and Creole languages. The track is an obvious homage to the birthplace of both artists, and is understandably a song that brings with it a noticeably cultural element that demonstrates KAYTRANADA’s authenticity and his dedication to his home.

Miles Kane - Don’t Let it Get You Down

Miles Kane has channeled more of his now signature 1970’s infused pop-rock for his newest release, ‘Don't Let It Get You Down’. The track will be featured on his newest record, ‘Change The Show’,  which is his first new body of work since 2018’s ‘Coup de Grace’. The new song is a soulful romp that is thoroughly engaging throughout, due to its ever-changing structure, constantly evolving instrumentation, and expert performances. Often, Kane will break away from his band into a noisy solo, or a trumpet might pop up out of nowhere, but nothing feels out of place. ‘Don’t Let It Get You Down’ seems larger than life, and is bolstered by some pristine production with an upbeat feel and positive message. Kane manages to sound effortlessly fun, when in actuality, the track has been meticulously crafted and composed, with layers of classically retro-inspired instrumentation strewn between more modern and crisp pop production.

Beach House - Once Twice Melody

‘Once Twice Melody’ is a new song released by lo-fi giant Beach House, and although it doesn’t recreate the wheel when it comes to the band’s sound, is still as enjoyable as their past work and garners their recognised dreamlike, spacey style. The song is the lead single of their most recent project of the same name, which is their first new project  since 2018’s ‘7’. No band seems to capture the ambiguity of sound through music quite like Beach House; their glistening, minimalist and thin sound is as simplistic as it is comforting, and Victoria Lagrande’s consistent falsetto is as soothing as ever. Where the band have shined for the past 17 years is their adoption of lo-fi soundscapes, which could be likened to that of great film scores of the past, helping their tracks tell compelling stories. ‘Once Twice Melody’ sees the duo very much executing exactly what you would expect of them in their famously abstract and introspective fashion, and why would you want anything else?

R.A.P. Ferreira - East Nashville

R.A.P. Ferreira, otherwise known as Scallops Hotel of Ruby Yacht fame has released a solo album this week titled ‘The Light-Emitting Diamond Cutter Scriptures’, the first single from said album was released this past week, named ‘East Nashville’. The song is by no means a straightforward listen, Ferreira is known for his abstract and unconventional delivery and complex lyricism, bordering on straight spoken word poetry. The artist is less musical and more literal, weaving together consistent and uniquely quotable phrasing over a laid-back, jazzy instrumental. Ferreira sounds so chilled out it could be criminal, his lazy delivery lends an interesting flavour to his poetry, and allows each syllable to be digested, no matter how abstract. To understand the exact intentions behind the rapper’s mind-bending lyrics is a challenge, but the vaguity and seemingly nonsensical phrasing is always interconnected and relevant, and allows for his individual personality to shine through — it is an utterly intriguing train of thought to hear from.

Bloc Party - Traps

Bloc Party are veterans of the UK’s indie rock scene, but haven’t seemed to have reached the same kind of form that their explosive album ‘Silent Alarm’ displayed way back in 2005. Their newest record, ‘Alpha Games’ has been announced this week, and alongside it comes their first new single since 2016, titled ‘Traps’. The track is much heavier than expected, but not in a metallic sense, more in its post-punk like noisiness. Notable influences on this more raw and aggressive sound undoubtedly come from this album’s producers, Nick Launay and Adam Greenspan, who have worked with artists such as Nick Cave and IDLES in the past. Bloc Party are attempting to rekindle the magic of their earlier work on this record, and ‘Traps’ definitely bring more of an edge. Instrumentally, the track is abrasive and the staccato guitar riffing is immediate and blistering alongside pummeling drumwork, and the band’s choruses seem as catchy as ever, but lyrically, the song leaves a little to be desired, hopefully the group’s next singles will scratch that itch further.

All tracks featured in this article can be found on our Spotify Playlist.

Header Image Credit: "KAYTRANADA" by Pemberton Music Festival is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Author

Ash Edmonds

Ash Edmonds Kickstart

A graduate of Music Journalism from BIMM Brighton – where he now lives – Ash has been writing about everything creative for the past few years. An avid audiophile, he spends a lot of his time searching streaming platforms, record stores and live shows trying to find his next musical obsession.

Recent posts by this author

View more posts by Ash Edmonds

0 Comments

Post A Comment

You must be signed in to post a comment. Click here to sign in now

You might also like

Phil Rick Returns With Latest Single "We Paid"

Phil Rick Returns With Latest Single "We Paid"

by Dan Butler

Read now