ListenUp
Samatha Urbani, Nine Inch Nails, and more in this week’s music
Samantha Urbani: Hints And Implications
From her highly anticipated debut solo EP Policies Of Power, Samantha Urbani’s ’80s-inspired jam “Hints And Implications” is utterly addictive. With plenty of retro touches (including power riffs and that drum machine), it’s a punchy track that manages to steer clear of sounding like a throwback. Along with her breathy vocals, Urbani has crafted a piece of power-pop that is wildly catchy—and includes one glorious key change.
Nine Inch Nails: This Isn’t The Place
Hot off a riveting “Twin Peaks” cameo performance, Nine Inch Nails released a second track, “This Isn’t The Place,” from new EP Add Violence. As the song’s atmosphere thickens on piano progressions, an emotional climax (one of many) arises almost mid-track, with the introduction of lead singer Trent Reznor’s vocals. As dark and challenging as it can be at times, the song leaves no one behind—rather, inviting the listener on a depressive but beautiful journey.
Melina Mae: Time Off Work
Before heading out on her tour, Jay Som (aka Melina Duterte) released a bunch of “impulsive songs” under the moniker Melina Mae, one being “Time Off Work.” The hazy, psychedelic tune is perfectly frowzy—aptly matching the song’s title. The lyrics are kept to a minimum, but illustrate a mood wholly; “Baby’s got a job / She don’t want it anymore.”
ListenUp is a Cool Hunting series published every Sunday that rounds up the music we tweeted throughout the week, also found in Listen.
COOL HUNTING always gets permission to use the images we publish; however, as an independent publication, we cannot afford to continue fighting unfair claims of copyright infringement, so the images have been removed from this post.
