If, like many other University of Nottingham students, you are lucky enough to have a reading week this week, and you are hoping to discover some new music to fill your time, then look no further because The Mic have got you covered. From TikTok star Nessa Barrett, to the emo-inspired punk of PUP, and Hannah Diamond's hyperpop experimentations, here are the best new releases of the week.
dying on the inside - Nessa Barrett
TW: Discussion of disordered eating. If you are not giving Nessa Barrett’s music a chance because she originated on TikTok, then you are missing out. Her latest single dying on the inside has been taken from her upcoming debut album, that she initially teased would be named Death Becomes Her after the 90s film of the same name starring Meryl Streep, but she has since admitted that she has changed the title. Barrett has never shied away from talking about mental health, both on her social media platforms and within her music, and dying on the inside sees her at perhaps her most vulnerable and honest to date. The track speaks of her struggles with disordered eating, the most striking lyric being “Beauty is a knife I’ve been holding by the blade”. There is no doubt that this song will help people who are going through similar things, making them feel as if their voices are being heard and providing reassurance that someone understands their emotions. Gemma Cockrell
Black and White - Sad Night Dynamite
After putting on a storm of a show at The Bodega, Sad Night Dynamite had successfully teased new single Black and White which was released last week. Black and White maintains SND’s gritty, urban and sometimes brutal soundscape whilst incorporating electronica, RnB, hip-hop and indie. For an up and coming artist, Sad Night Dynamite’s ability to progress their music is apparent in this single, however, their ability to narrow down their message visually and sonically is impressive. They know what they want to achieve and they execute it well. Lyrically, the visuals they proffer align with their continuous image; slightly dream-like but disturbingly realistic. The chorus repeats “Came down, too high / Now I live, upstairs, in the sky / Take a trip downtown, black and white / All I see is black and white, black and white”, combining a dream state with a harsh realisation of no return. Nieve O'Donnell
Matilda - PUP
Toronto punk rock band PUP is back this week, with a new single, Matilda, an emo/punk rock blend about an old fling, building on the stylistic experimentation that the band featured on their last full-length album, Morbid Stuff. You may recognise the subject of Matilda if you’ve seen any videos of PUP playing at all - a faded Les Paul, the yellow so beaten and worn so as to appear straw-coloured, with a pronounced brown splodge above the pickups where years of strumming have stripped away the last fleck of paint. This is an emotional goodbye from the perspective of an old guitar that’s been left by its owner, tapping into the slight guilt that all of us feel when we go home for the holidays and catch a glimpse of our forgotten stuffed toys or left-behind hobbies from the corner of our eyes. Matilda’s extended metaphor hits the listener with a one-two of guilt for our forgetting, and our fears of being forgotten. The whining, electric tone of lead guitarist Steve Sladkowski takes a slight backseat here in the verses, providing a simple but cutting instrumental for the lyrics to take control of. As the instrumentals slide back in during the bridge, the lyrics turn more wistful, allowing the more sparkly, emo-inspired guitar to build, until it all slams back together for an angsty, cathartic and catchy chorus, with frontman Stefan Babcock delivering charged vocals over pounding, rhythmic instrumentation and a wailing lead. On Matilda and their other new singles, PUP continue to develop their penchant for drawing on various influences to stave off the samey trappings of pop punk and punk rock. Matilda is a story that’s definitely still in progress, and it promises great things to come for PUP’s upcoming album. Hal Hewlett
Staring at the Ceiling - Hannah Diamond
Hannah Diamond is back with her first new music since her 2019 debut album Reflections. Staring at the Ceiling follows a similar approach to this album, with PC Music production and autotuned bubblegum vocals. While this track doesn’t see Diamond treading on new territory, and doesn’t see her experimenting any further with her already experimental sound, she is still undeniably the pioneer of this genre that she has helped to establish. The main change that can be seen following this release is in her aesthetic – it appears that Diamond’s image now centres around a cutesy, pink theme, a drastic change from the dark black and purple colours that dominated her Instagram feed previously. However, even though the track is a pleasant listen, it doesn’t see her take much of a step forward. If you were a fan of Reflections then you will enjoy this track, but if you were expecting something new, different, or ground-breaking from Diamond, then you might be disappointed. Gemma Cockrell
King - Florence + The Machine
Florence + The Machine has, so far, never failed to mark continuity with fresh change. King is no doubt a pre-cursor to another album and tour cycle but like her previous work, the single contains the same musical prowess, however, begins something different - this time, a bass line which suggests Florence isn’t about to compromise. This cycle may be as ground-breaking as the High As Hope album cycle as Welch sits comfortably further into a role of inspired and well-trusted music making and poetical lyricism. The subject matter of the single is one of empowerment; the main chorus declares “I am no mother, I am no bride, I am King” whilst acknowledging that “a woman is a changeling, always shifting shape.” Reminiscent of the 2011 album Ceremonials, the lyrics hark back to Never Let Me Go as she writes in the outro that “And I was never as good as I always thought I was / But I knew how to dress it up / I was never satisfied, it never let me go / Just dragged me by my hair and back on with the show.” Almost 11 years after Ceremonials and Florence Welch is still leading with the difficult to explain, the supernatural and the struggles of her own life. She is able to create something that is unrecognisably hers, interweaving new found solace in femininity and momentary flashes of earlier work. Nieve O'Donnell
Edited by: Gemma Cockrell
Featured image courtesy of Florence + The Machine via Facebook.
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