Fresh Music Friday

It's crazy to think that we're still in the first month of 2019. The sheer volume of music that has been released over the past couple of weeks makes me feel practically giddy anticipating the level of music that we have in store for the next year. Today has been the first Friday of the year where the new releases have been particularly overwhelming, and I know that there are a few more of those to come. Here are just a few of my favourites.

After her EP last year, anaïs' vocals and vibes stuck firmly in my mind as one to watch in the months to come. I wasn't actually expecting a full length body of work from her so soon but I'm definitely not complaining. Her lead single "woman" cements her place as both an artist and vocalist. The simplicity of the instrumental leaves room to see the most brilliant sides of her creative presence.

Ariana has had the most incredible career leap over the past year. So much so that her latest album, Sweetener, made its way firmly into my Top 10 albums of the year list, something I never would have anticipated at the beginning of 2018. And so now entering the new year with a new Ariana Pop banger seems only fitting.     

Blockhead's reputation precedes him. A recommendation from a friend of mine describes him as a Hip Hop beatsmith from NYC, akin to early Bonobo and Amon Tobin. Today's release Free Sweatpants, is a smooth 54 minutes of effective features and mind bending soundscapes. I will most definitely be looking into some of his older works.

I cannot tell you the ways in which I have waited for this body of work to be made available to me. As soon as the clock struck midnight I was rushing to my Spotify just to look at it. James Blake is able to touch my core every time he releases something new. Every album without fail. And I empirically know that Assume Form will be no different.

I'll never forget the first time I discovered Jay Prince. I was bopping away at Knxwledge's DJ set at XOYO when "Father, Father" came on. Of course I couldn't Shazam it but the beat knocked so hard that I had to just write down any lyrics I could grasp from it to find it later. Thank goodness I did, since then it's been nothing but smooth bangers from his corner.

Kallitechnis on the other hand was a Shazam discovery, at a restaurant somewhere in the middle of summer last year. Since then, she's been a trusty go-to for light hearted, breezy soundtracks for walking along the happy medium. This latest EP CHROMATIC doesn't particularly push any boundaries but it's definitely pleasing to the ears.

Another album that I am over the moon about. Each of the singles that Little Simz has released in the lead up to this album has been different from the last. At the same time as being unique from one another, they're also different to everything that Simz has released since, whilst also being a necessary injection into the current Rap mainstream. I predict big things.

It's been months since I've really heard a peep from Toro y Moi's corner but I had been anticipating something great. His amazing blend of R&B and Electronic music makes his voice pop in a way that I wouldn't expect it to in any other genre. Outer Peace, like many albums, has some shining moments and some forgettable pieces but all-in-all, it's great to have Toro back.

Since their 2011 album Vice Verses I can't say that I've been all too impressed with any of the other albums that Switchfoot have offered us. After that the passion just seemed to dip for me. However, after listening to the singles in the lead up to NATIVE TONGUE it seems that there may have been a small shift in their sound, giving the songs the bite that they'd been missing.