Listen Up
Neo-soul, blues, hip-hop, pop and more in this week’s bops
King Princess: Pussy is God
With equal parts sweetness and swagger, King Princess (aka Mikaela Straus) has crafted an incredibly satisfying and infectious bop with “Pussy is God.” The singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer’s new track is glittery and polished, with plenty of synths and boom-bap percussion, but shies away from becoming overly saccharine or twee. It’s a delightfully catchy, perky pop song celebrating queer love.
Earl Sweatshirt: Nowehere2go
After plenty of teasing and a three-year hiatus, Earl Sweatshirt (aka Thebe Kgositsile) has released “Nowhere2go”—a noisy, experimental track produced by Adé Hakim Sayyad. Kgositsile’s growth as an artist is evident in the ways that he finds his place on the track—fittingly, he raps about finding friendship and relief, and coming out on the other side of dark times.
Jacob Banks: Slow Up
Nigerian-born, England-based Jacob Banks‘ “Slow Up” is a brooding, emotional tune from his debut album Village—out now on Interscope Records. The accompanying music video depicts children playing with their parents, scenes of them aging, and sometimes appearing in danger. “Don’t you grow up on me / slow up on me,” Banks sings, over the minimal but powerful soundscape. Banks is currently on a European tour and will perform throughout North America early next year.
Andrew Bird: Bloodless
Andrew Bird’s first new original single in over a year, “Bloodless” debuts after the violinist/singer (and renowned whistler) wowed guests of the Walt Disney Concert Hall with his LA Philharmonic collaborative performance. The new track holds no lyrical punches as it addresses our current political climate. Matthew Daniel Siskin (aka Gambles) delivers a black and white documentation woven with collage for the official music video, cut perfectly to match the song’s peaks and valleys.
Panda Bear: Dolphin
In typical Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) style, his new song “Dolphin” is delightfully oddball. Complete with droplet sounds, the gentle psych-pop tune is led by acoustic guitars and Lennox’s delicate vocals. Without any real hook, the track will appear on the upcoming album Buoys, which Lennox co-produced and co-mixed with Rusty Santos.
Listen Up is published every Sunday and rounds up the new music we found throughout the week. Hear the year so far on our Spotify channel.
