ListenUp
Kendrick Lamar and SZA collaborate, as do BØRNS and Lana Del Rey, plus more new tunes
BØRNS feat. Lana Del Rey: God Save Our Young Blood
The fourth track to be released from BØRNS’ soon-to-be released album Blue Madonna, “God Save Our Young Blood” features Lana Del Rey on backing—or more like accent—vocals. It’s a swirling, at times dreamy, synth-pop number that’s bright from start to finish.
Francis and the Lights: Morning
At the tail end of 2017, Francis and the Lights dropped the surprise album Just for Us, and its lead track “Morning” sets off a wondrous soundscape of crooning, emotion-powered lyrics and time-defying synths. Nobody makes music quite like Francis Starlite and the whole album is a testament to this.
Kendrick Lamar + SZA: All The Stars
With SZA and Kendrick Lamar trading off verse for chorus over drums and shimmering synths on “All The Stars,” two extraordinary talents demonstrate the power of collaboration. Lamar leads the track with power. SZA steps up for the chorus and second verse. There’s a beautiful severity to the lyrics all the while. The track is set to appear on the soundtrack for Marvel’s upcoming movie, “Black Panther,” which Lamar has been tapped to produce.
Titus Andronicus: Number One (In New York)
Stretching across an ecstatic, empowered ten minutes, “Number One (In New York)” marks another ambitious turn from rock band Titus Andronicus. They’ve released the official video for this first taste of their forthcoming studio album A Productive Cough. Directed by Ray Concepcion, the video emphasizes the passion of both frontman Patrick Stickles and the track’s glorious, rising instrumentation
Dream Wife: Hey Heartbreaker
With a burst of charm and spunk, all-female English-Icelandic rock trio Dream Wife has cemented their arrival with “Hey Heartbreaker,” a new track from their debut album. It’s dance floor ready, for those longing for raucous guitar and handclap-powered pop rock. The video, by Mason London, features Dream Wife as animated robots and it’s just as exciting as the song itself.
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that rounds up the music we tweeted throughout the week, also found in Listen. Hear the year so far via Cool Hunting Spotify.
