If Florence + The Machine's 'Mermaids' reflects the voice of experience, Hemlocke Springs' 'enknee1' is very much the voice of innocence. Like 'Mermaids', it's a song that it's possible to take multiple feelings and meanings away from, and both are songs that get better with each listen.
The going... going... GONE! EP is my record of the year and 'enknee1' really is the sweet, dreamy heart of that EP. It's the combination of ease, charm and heartfelt emotion that makes it such a beautiful song.
As I wrote in October when I was reviewing the EP, it would be easy to write the song off as a slice of charming childlike whimsy, but the initially disarming chorus increasingly drives the song, giving it a power beyond its initial beginnings. There's a real sense of the narrater feeling bewildered with the world, of not having got it figured out yet, and of wanting to look back to how she felt as a child. "Is there anyone? Anyone out there to love me? Anyone out there to care for?" she asks plaintively so that in the end it becomes a kind of hymn to the lonely, an anthem for the lost.
'Mermaids' was originally intended to be finished and recorded as part of the sessions for 2022's Dance Fever album. When Florence Welch broke her foot (again...) during the first of two London O2 Arena gigs back in November 2022, she was forced to postpone the rest of the UK tour until February, during which time she managed to not only finish and record 'Mermaids' with Glass Animals' Dave Bayley, but also perform 'My Love' on Strictly Come Dancing in December, albeit sitting down and wearing a floor length dress to presumably hide her poor foot.
From such serendipity are legends made. When 'Mermaids' was released in early 2023 it was teasingly trailed via a series of Instagram videos, including one of Welch striding about a churchyard, singing "England is only ever grey or green, the girls glitter, striding glorious and coatless in the rain" and another featuring her in the bath with a mermaid tail and fangs, singing angelically "I thought that I was hungry for love. Maybe I was just hungry for blood."
The song, when it arrived, felt like a five minute synth opera made up of distinct acts and moods, taking us from Welch's eerily high opening vocals to her reminiscences of her teenage and twenties drinking days in London (she has said that lockdown was a particularly difficult time to stay sober) to feral mermaids "Climbing the slats of Brighton pier" and turning English maidens into bloodthirsty hedonistic sirens. It ends with carnage on the dance floor. It was at once typically Florence + The Machine, but also strangely outside of anything Welch and the band have ever done before. It's a song that needs revisiting and, even then, we'll probably never entirely figure it out. Which is probably as it should be.
Grace Savage's 'Lively Eyes' came about as a result of a request via Savage's Patreon account. It's a song that tells a true story of first love, lifelong friendship and loss, as explained in this review from Joyzine back in May. It's an incredibly touching and poignant slice of electro pop minimalism, with a soaring chorus that is very affecting. As a song it is timeless and should endure.
The debut single from 2023's finest up and coming band, The Last Dinner Party, is a deliciously hedonistic slice of nihilistic baroque glam and classical tinged pop. There really is nothing like this band and even the title of their incoming debut album (Prelude To Ecstasy, which will be released in February) signals a certain amount of grandiosity that they have no doubt earned. All power to them.
Written and recorded as part of the soundtrack to the Netflix spy thriller Heart of Stone, 'Quiet' sees Erez enter soundtrack territory, an area that her particular style of edgy electro pop doesn't seem an obvious fit for. The result is as unexpected as it is atmospheric: Think Wild West cowboy swagger meets James Bond atmospherics meets Erez's unique brand of assertive electro. It's as catchy as it is dramatic, as unyielding as it is atmospheric, as much of a headrush as it is a slice of glorious pop.
The first release for London based, British born Turkish artist Gazel since 2019's audacious (and criminally under reviewed) debut album Gazel's Book Of Souls, 'Unknowable' marks a tentative return for an artist who should have been capitalising on the artistry of her debut as 2020 began but who was, instead, stuck at home like the rest of us.
Gazel Algan played all the instruments, did all the vocals, designed the artwork and produced 'Unknowable' and the result is a worthy successor to Book Of Souls. It is brooding and magnificent, atmospheric and all encompassing, epic and majestic. It is to be hoped that there will be more releases soon.
It was Ashley Stein who introduced me to the work of Megan Black. Black, along with Niamh Sunshine, was scheduled to perform at Edinburgh's Women In Music: It's Brutal Out Here event back in April, and Ashley spoke of her when I interviewed her and fellow organiser Gillian Morrison. "She's kind of what I imagine Janis Joplin would have been like to talk to, as a person?" she said, adding that Black was "an incredible artist."
I checked out Megan Black after I'd spoken to Ashley and Gillian, and found that Ashley had not in any way been exaggerating: Black is, indeed, up there with Joplin.
Initially a stand alone single released in November 2022, 'Just For Fun' was re-released in September as part of the flawless Full Circle (Part 1) EP. It sits well alongside the other tracks on the EP, particularly assertive attention grabbing opening track 'MOTHER. SISTER. LOVER' and the magnificently titled 'Fuck You (You Stole My Youth)'. 'Just For Fun' starts as it means to go on with an impressive opening vocal and insistent guitars. It packs a lot of sound and fury, not to mention impressive vocal and guitar work, into just under three minutes and at the end you'll want to play it again. And again. And again.
With their third album, Winner, Overcoats have strayed into what feels like Americana territory, there being a definite country twang to much of the album. 'Never Let You Go', with its crisp pop harmonies feels like an outlier, having more in common with 2020's The Fight than the loose chord sequences of Winner. It's a particularly irresistible ear worm, accompanied by a charming video, that revisits a number of Overcoats themes, including exasperating partners. Hanna and JJ are in fine voice and the songs recurring chorus ensures that it will be circling your head for weeks afterwards,
A tour de force from Skating Polly's sixth album, Chaos County Line, 'Send A Priest' is a fast and furious thrashy slice of self loathing and rage with darkness in its heart. As ugly pop goes, this is perhaps as ugly as it gets, with Kelli Mayo snarling and growling over the frenetic guitar work about 'motherfuckers' and wanting to be the brick that goes through someones window screen. It's as absorbing as it is compelling.
I really can't improve on the original post I did on this song back in June, so I am shamelessly re-posting it...
Heartworms Jojo Orme comes across very much as a young woman who doesn't take any shit. Witness the icy stare in the video to 'Retributions Of An Awful Life', the standout track on her debut EP A Comforting Notion. She also survived a Production and Performance course at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, without being crushed by the naked hostility of her fellow students and has lived on her own since she was 16. When asked to describe her sound in an interview for Fred Perry she opted for "Gothic military fairy?" which feels like as good a summary as any.
'Retributions Of An Awful Life' combines these icy elements with crunchy goth infused industrial sounds, scratchy, choppy guitars and a terrible sense of foreboding. She's signed to Speedy Wunderground, has been playlisted on 6Music, and the future looks bright for such a dark artist. The album, whenever it happens, will be very keenly anticipated.
A calling card following a lengthy absence from music, 'More Than A Feeling' was the first single to be released from Samantha Urbani's debut solo album, Showing Up, an often arch, highly atmospheric album that draws on early 80s electro pop.
Of the singles to be released, 'More Than A Feeling', which tells of the moment when our heroine realises the on/off again relationship she's in really isn't going to work, and that an ending is now needed, is perhaps the most subtle. It floats in on a late night summer breeze, soaring on synth pop and catharsis, with great hooks, elegant vocals and bags of style and confidence and effortlessly works its way into your heart. Evocative of summer nights and bad decisions, its charm cannot be denied.
It takes a particular kind of artist to release, as the opening salvo to their new album, a track that is over 7 minutes long. And yet such is the faith in Lana Del Rey, and the level of respect she has gradually built up since 2010, that she gets away with it.
'A&W' is at once understated, meandering, ugly, and beautiful. It's a complex piece that really rewards repeated listens, much as its parent album Did You Know There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd? also does. Del Rey is capable of obscure moments of beauty, gorgeously atmospheric anthems, and state of the nation addresses, and in 'A&W' it feels like she's trying to do all three at once. Somehow it works.
The always reliably eccentric Sparks have triumphed once again with the release of this frenetic slice of deadpan electro strangeness. The video also features Cate Blanchett performing what could loosely be regarded as interpretive dance, adding another layer of surreal charm to what is already a perfectly organised package. A delight.
The original version of 'I Told You That I Was Afraid' appeared on 2022's Expert in a dying field album, and this acoustic version of the song makes an appearance on the newly released deluxe edition of that album.
The acoustic version is even more disarmingly honest than the original, with vocalist Elizabeth Stokes confessing to being afraid of all sorts of things, including going to bed and not waking up the following morning. It's the soundtrack to all the things that keep you up at night worrying, but it's delivered in such a charming way that it never feels depressing, just endearingly self depreciating and incredibly honest.
This ice cool slice of moody electro pop evokes early Air at their elegant and minimalist best. 'Juliene' is Daya's first entirely independent release. From her 2015 debut 'Hide Away' onwards, she appears to have very much been on the pop treadmill, with a run of hits, high profile support slots, award nominations and appearances at high profile events. Since about 2019 she has been less on the treadmill than off it and if 'Juliene' is the result then that can only be a good thing.
Marina Sena's charming Brazilian pop ear worm made for perfect summer listening this year. The release of 'Tudo...' marked her signing to Sony Brazil, and this years album release, Vicio Inerente, does appear to have been the first time that her music has been marketed for an international audience. The press release for her London show back in May summed up her sound by saying that she flirts with "Samba, funk, carioca, trap, reggae and axé" while also remarking on her "commanding stage presence" and music that "oozes freedom and moves boldly in new directions." Fans of Kali Uchis and Rosalia may well be impressed.
Note: This video contains a warning of flashing images from the start. If you are unable to watch it, an audio only video is also available.
Manchester's Mandy, Indiana released their debut album i've seen a way earlier this year, and a decidedly eccentric listen it was too.
It would be fair to say that single 'Pinking Shears', while not being massively representative of its parent album, also doesn't really sound like anything else either. You can hear echoes of post punk and 80s Factory records releases in there but, really, the best way to sum it up is to imagine a French Rip, Rig and Panic making a pilgrimage to Manchester and gorging themselves on early Factory releases.
Utterly bonkers, strangely hypnotic, and weirdly memorable.
It's a brave band that calls their debut single 'Norwegian Wood' but, if you've heard Picture Parlour or seen them live, you'll understand immediately that this is a band that is not lacking in swagger, and which oozes confidence. Which might seem odd given that 'Norwegian Wood', on a lyrical level at least, seems to be all about being plagued by doubt.
Singer Katherine Parlour's commanding and powerful vocals sit well alongside the big guitar sound and solid backbeat, and it's easy to see why 'Norwegian Wood' has proved to be such a powerful calling card for the band. They toured sold out venues with The Last Dinner Party back in October and it felt very much like a tour of equals: Both are bands quickly on the rise after all.
We will be hearing more from them, of that there is no doubt.
London's premier 'middle aged' girl band have excelled themselves this year. Their most recent release - the ode to self love that is 'Do It Myself' - appropriated the Go-Go's 'We Got The Beat' and also included an elegant salute to the Divinyls classic 'I Touch Myself', but it was 'HRT' that did it for me this year.
It comes across like a lighter Poison Girls (think 'Real Woman' rather than 'Abort The System'), with the same kind of clever wordplay and sense of humour set to a rollicking tune. And it's probably done more for positive discussion of the menopause than a million so called 'menopause influencers' could ever achieve.
Jorja Smith's 'Little Things' was a particularly stylish summer bop this year. It had everything from atmosphere, hedonism, carnival and hints of jazz tinged sophistication and it really reflects the extent to which Smith is not your average diva. Her music is built to last.
Part epic, part psychodrama, part vampire gothic horror... The only word that can be found to sum up Olivia Rodrigo's first single of 2023 would be... Immense.
Ostensibly a stream of conscious rant about a toxic relationship, the song mines the imagery of the vampire novel, meaning we have the joy of Rodrigo rhyming 'Blood sucker' with 'Fame fucker' plus enough musical high drama to conjure up memories of Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell.
It's possibly one of the weirdest number one singles there's been this year, and is definitely one of those songs where you feel like you need to sit down for a bit afterwards and just, calm, down.
An understated slice of slinky EDM from one third of the XX, Romy's initial release from her debut solo album Mid Air is a love letter to the gay clubs she grew up in. You could imagine it playing on innumerable turntables in innumerable clubs over the summer, creating perfect moments all over the place.
The mood is initially pensive and stripped back, intimate and almost whispered. But it's one of those songs that builds as it goes along, increasing the intensity and sense of euphoria as it goes along. It's a song that will endure, and only improve with age.
This years Eurovision Song Contest was always going to be an interesting and unusual one, what with it being held in Liverpool instead of Ukraine. I confess that I haven't always engaged with the event in recent years as the nakedly political voting often got on my nerves, but I felt that this was a special event and as such found myself tuning in to Radio 2 while simultaneously following events on Twitter. A way of experiencing that I can recommend, despite Twitter now being in its Elon era.
Anyway, I also listened with Spotify open and was quickly adding songs that I liked on the night to listen back to later.
Streaming and the internet have had a massive impact on how it's possible to experience Eurovision, with the instant access to the various country's entries meaning that artists can now reach new audiences faster and more immediately than ever before.
It's a weird thing when you listen to Eurovision songs out of context. The best ones will still sound as great as they did on the night, even when removed from all the staged splendour, euphoria and glitter, and some songs that haven't done well at competition level have then gone on to be big chart hits after (this happened last year with Rose Linn's track 'SNAP', which came in the bottom five at the competition but was a massive hit afterwards thanks to TikTok).
In the case of Monika Linkyte's entry for Lithuania, 'Stay', it did do pretty well on the night, placing 11th, but it was clear, after a certain point, that it was never going to beat either the crowd favourite Finland (with the unforgettable 'Cha Cha Cha') or the eventual winner, Swedish superstar Loreen with 'Tattoo'. Both songs went on to hang around the UK Top 10 for (in the case of 'Cha Cha Cha') a few weeks afterwards or (in the case of 'Tattoo') months and months and months afterwards. 'Stay', meanwhile, charted at number 48 for one week after the contest, before disappearing from the Top 100 as quickly as it had arrived.
It's the kind of song that grows on you perhaps more slowly than, say, my favourite on the night - the bouncy pop of Blanka's 'Solo' for Poland. While Eurovision viewers and listeners are notoriously allergic to ballads, 'Stay' manages to straddle the gap between atmospheric ballad and surging anthem, without falling the wrong side of it. It may well endure beyond this year, but we'll have to see.
