Listen Up
Soulful indie, energetic electronic, spellbinding pop and more new music
Hannah Jadagu: Warning Sign
At first, “Warning Sign,” the latest single from Hannah Jadagu’s forthcoming debut album, Aperture, sounds sparse and soft, but then it transforms with surprising instrumentation. Abrupt percussion, gentle keys and spatial strings turn the indie-pop song into a textured listen. It’s yet another sublime, melodious track from the Texas-born singer, songwriter, producer and student.
Let’s Eat Grandma: From The Morning (Nick Drake Cover)
To be released 7 July, the tribute album The Endless Coloured Ways – The Songs Of Nick Drake will feature 25 cover versions of tracks by the influential, almost mythic English singer-songwriter. Among the illustrious roster, British avant-pop act Let’s Eat Grandma contributes a moving rendition of “From The Morning,” the ethereal closing track on Drake’s third and final studio album, Pink Moon. “I’ve always thought of it as the most hopeful song on Pink Moon and listening to its lyrics about nature showing us the beauty in the light and darkness and how life and death are connected helped me to find acceptance and comfort after loss,” the band’s Jenny Hollingworth shares in a statement. Let’s Eat Grandma joins Feist, Aldous Harding, Liz Phair, Philip Selway and many more on the upcoming release.
Lucinda Chua feat. Yeule: Something Other Than Years
A slow-moving ballad by London-based recording artist Lucinda Chua featuring Singaporean producer Yeule (aka Nat Ćmiel), “Something Other Than Years” is gentle yet entirely arresting. Chua tapped Yeule for the enchanting track, which appears on the upcoming album YIAN (燕) (which means swallow in Chinese and pays homage to the singer-songwriter’s Chinese heritage).
The Japanese House: Boyhood
The Japanese House (aka British singer-songwriter Amber Bain) returns with the moving single “Boyhood.” Featuring spacious, buoyant production and shimmering strings, the single captures the complexities of identity, from gender to the seemingly futile quest of being more than the sum of your circumstances. Bain shares, “When Katie and I were young and in love, we fantasized about riding off into the distance on her horse Bam Bam, away from all the problems that came from being gay and in love back then. This song talks about how sometimes, however hard you try, you can’t help but be a product of the things that happened to you or held you back earlier on in life. But also, and more importantly, it’s about hope for overcoming those things. And look at us now. Not riding away, but towards… something.”
The Chemical Brothers: No Reason
Pioneering English electronic duo The Chemical Brothers (Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons) have released their first new music in two years, and it’s just as infectious as fans might expect. “No Reason”—with its funky bass line, soaring synths, playful “Woo!” hook and acid house elements—pulsates with energy. It comes accompanied by a Smith&Lyall-directed video featuring a neon-clad marching band.
Panda Bear + Sonic Boom: In My Body
A psychedelic stream of colorful, cosmic imagery composes the music video for “In My Body,” a melodic collaboration between Animal Collective’s Panda Bear (aka Noah Lennox) and Sonic Boom (aka Pete Kember). The spellbinding pop track stems from the duo’s critically acclaimed 2022 release, Reset. Its video, created by Buddahat, channels the same uplifting spirit.
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. Hero image courtesy of Panda Bear and Sonic Boom
