New Music Mondays | 10.30.17

Halloween-Eve Jamz. #NMM

‘So Cool’ – Dounia

“I’ve been waiting for Dounia to drop an official release for so dang long, and it has finally paid off. The model-turned-singer’s baddie status is higher than ever with her album Intro To. All of the new material features sleek production that doesn’t do anything particularly new or interesting, but succeeds in highlighting the singer’s voice and pointed lyricism over everything else – she’s the next thicc Halsey from Queens. Choosing a track to highlight was a struggle but the premise of ‘So Cool’ – a down chick, who is repressing an absurd amount of her entirely valid emotions for a man – feels a little too real for anyone who has to ‘fight all of my instincts for you.'” – Kara Kokinos

‘Passion’ – AWOLNATION

“AWOLNATION is back after two years since their last LP, Run, with the first single off their upcoming album. ‘Passion’ takes a step toward pop and away from the band’s harder rock style of the past. If you listen to ‘Passion’ and think it sounds like hard rock, then you probably haven’t heard AWOLNATION’s debut album Megalithic Symphony. Frontman Aaron Bruno has been teetering the line of pop and rock since his mega break through hit, ‘Sail’ in 2011. He describes the upcoming, unnamed album as a blend of pop and rock and that holds very true in ‘Passion.’ It’s pop during the verse and true rock in the chorus, with Bruno’s signature voice that is half screaming, half singing. The song takes the ear shattering guitar from ‘Burn it Down’ and the up-tempo, exuberance of ‘Not Your Fault.’ It feels fun and appropriately passionate, but Bruno doesn’t take any truly exciting steps forward. Although ‘Passion’ isn’t a dud by any means, it still doesn’t come close to touching their debut LP. As the first single off an album that Bruno describes to Billboard as superior to anything he’s come close to creating before, I sure hope there is something better than this.” – Emma Turney

‘Surrender’ – WALK THE MOON

“Walk the Moon released a third single from their upcoming album What if Nothing titled ‘Surrender.’ The band slows it down, embracing the feelings and vulnerability following a break-up. On Thursday night, Walk the Moon teased fans with an Instagram Live rendition of the song, Stripped to just vocals and piano in a candle lit room. This song is a beautiful ballad with a Walk the Moon twist in regards to instrumentation. The song includes lyrics ‘20,000 leagues beneath the ocean’ which can be inferred as an extended metaphor connecting this song to ‘Aquaman’ from their previous album Talking is Hard. ‘Surrender’ is a perfect complement to the upbeat nature of ‘One Foot’ and the bitter post-breakup feelings presented during ‘Headphones.'” – Marisa Kenny

‘Little Dark Age’ – MGMT

“Just in time for Halloween, MGMT have released their first new song since 2013. ‘Little Dark Age’ features beautifully eerie synths, a simple beat, and the signature MGMT vocals. It’s dark and brooding in every way that MGMT’s glamorous psychedelia can be, and the lyrics are surprisingly creepy and catchy. I haven’t been very impressed with anything MGMT have released since their breakthrough Oracular Spectacular, but that changes with ‘Little Dark Age.’ It’s not a huge departure from the band’s past sound, but the song has such personality that was just lacking in MGMT’s newer music. ‘Little Dark Age’ sounds like the soundtrack to spending a dark and stormy night in a haunted house, which I believe is what MGMT were going for, and they could not have done a better job.” – Grant Foskett

‘Lately I’ – Yellow Days

“In unceremonious fashion Friday, Haslemere-based Yellow Days came forward with his highly anticipated (and rather stunning) debut album, Is Everything Ok In Your World? George van den Broek – body and soul behind the genre-bending outfit – has released a bevy of singles before the LP’s drop, but one song in particular stuck out during the first of my many listening sessions. In rare form, ‘Lately I’ sees van den Broek in collaboration with Irish experimental rapper Rejjie Snow. While the two share many of the same soundscapes and love of warm, dense textures, the amalgamated efforts of these two artists proves groovy and infectious. ‘Lately I’ is scattered with expertly placed tempo and beat switches, synthesizing a wonderful sense of dynamic contrast. What works with Yellow Days is the faint psychedelic aura of his brooding funk, and this track is no exception in its disorienting nature. Rejjie Snow’s bouncy and guttural delivery only enhances the ethereal instrumentals, where a hazy breakdown features a synth vaguely reminiscent of the most pleasing fog horn. ‘Lately I’ is Yellow Days at his most atmospheric and daring, keeping everyone on their heals in tow.” – Andrew Goldberg