New Music Weekend 14/5/21

After such a huge batch of new songs last week, we are back again with more new music this weekend and Olivia Rodrigo has delivered yet again while Katy Perry has joined Team Pokemon for her new track. As always, we have tracks from Homegrown heroes and some of the biggest International acts and we’re so excited to share our favourites with you. And, just in case any one is concerned by the two songs of the same title, fear not! We’re totally (well, mostly) emotionally stable over here; it’s just a happy coincidence, we promise. Our posts over the next short while may slow down but have no fear we will always be ready to share our favourite new music with you all

If you prefer to jump straight to the playlist, click here!

ALISHA – FBOY

First up on our list is one of our Homegrown Heroes! AILSHA is a singer-songwriter, musician and producer from county Wicklow. She made Hot Press lists of “Most Promising Acts” and “Hot For 2021” which put her on our radar at the end of 2020. AILSHA’s music is influenced by her love of fairytale and video game music. Both influences can be heard in ‘Fboy’ bringing a refreshing and fun aspect to the song. ‘Fboy’ is AILSHA’s second ever release and is, by far, my favourite of the two songs of similar names on our list this week. AILSHA is truly an act to keep your eyes and ears out for as we continue through 2021!

Diplo – One By One (Sofia Kourtesis Remix) (feat. Elderbrook & Andhim)

The team up between Diplo, Elderbrook and Andhim delivers a mellow but uplifting track that never grows stale. It’s almost hypnotic how the synths and beats of the track change and develop. Diplo has proven that the experimental styles released by his own label, Higher Ground, really are stand out offerings and shows Diplo’s own varying style when it comes to creating music. The vocals are crisp and warm with beachy summer vibes all over this track.  

Dixie – F***BOY

Continuing with the theme of fuckboys, next up we have Dixie’s ‘F***BOY’. Dixie is a social media influencer and singer from America. ‘F***BOY’ is her first single of 2021 after dropping numerous singles last year after her debut into the music world. This song is the anthem for those of us who have that one person you know you need to drop from your life romantically but, you kept going back to for more.

Elton John & Years and Years – It’s A Sin

Unleashing the dance classic ‘It’s A Sin’ on a new generation at the BRITS involved a team effort from the piano man himself, Elton John, and Years and Years and the single was released in support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Starting slow and melodic with Years and Years’ soft vocals, the song seems somber at first before the chorus and Elton’s vocals are introduced showing this song to be a floor filling dance anthem. This track is much like the original in that it will have you dancing in no time flat during the chorus and was, in fact, produced by the original artist, Pet Shop Boys.  

Jane Willow – Dancing In The Dark

The next song on our list is Jane Willow’s cover of ‘Dancing In The Dark’ by Bruce Springsteen. Jane Willow is a Dutch turned Irish folk singer who started a Friday Song Lockdown series last year. ‘Dancing In The Dark’ was the second song she performed and with this release almost a year later it feels like things have come full circle. Jane has put her own spin on a true classic and it was one of our favourite songs she covered in the past year. Jane is currently working on her debut album and we look forward to hearing new material from her once it drops.

Katy Perry – Electric

Katy Perry has joined Team Pikachu for her latest single ‘Electric’ which was released as part of Pokemon’s 25^th Anniversary celebrations. Honestly, this track reminds me of ‘Roar’; it has that same catchiness to it and I can see it being a radio must have as well. The song itself is about resilience and perseverance and mirrors the key themes of the Pokemon franchise perfectly. The feel good track is second song to appear from the compilation album ‘Pokemon 25: The Album’ and so far the Pokemon Company has done a fantastic job celebrating their 25th birthday.

Little Mix – Confetti (Billen Ted Remix) (Feat. Saweetie)

I said it last week and I’ll say it again Little Mix never fail to deliver a dance floor bop and Billen Ted have decided to add a little more oomph to the track by increasing it’s tempo just enough that it’ll be played an awful lot more in nightclubs when they reopen. This track is what girl power sounds like and, with the new more up tempo rhythm, it will easily becomes every girl’s hype song for a night out.

Nicki Minaj – Beam Me Up Scotty

Nicki Minaj has re-entered the chat after time away from music with a re-release of her 2009 mixtape ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’ adding three new tracks, including ‘Fractions’ and ‘Seeing Green’, to the mixtape and, considering she claimed to be suffering from writers block, ‘Fractions’ has plenty of words in it and no chorus. At nearly 80 minutes run time, the Barbz can enjoy ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’ in all it’s glory on streaming services with new features from Drake and Lil Wayne and a remix of ‘Crocodile Teeth’ with Skillibeng.

Olivia Rodrigo – Good 4 U

I know what our regular readers are thinking: “another Olivia Rodrigo song?” Yes, yes, dear readers, because she is on a roll! ‘Good 4 U’ is another absolute bop from the eighteen years old American singer-songwriter and actress. I’d like to put forward a controversial statement: ‘Good 4 U’ is by far Olivia’s best single to date. She dived head first into a genre that she hasn’t touched before in her previous releases and makes you dance around the room singing along at the top of your lungs. Move over slow and melancholy tunes; we are hoping for more songs like this on the album! Also take a moment to watch the music video, it is rather fun.

Ruth Gillies – Wake Me Up Slowly

Our Instagram find of the week is Ruth Gillies. Ruth is a twenty-four year old pop singer-songwriter from Scotland. ‘Wake Me Up Slowly’ is Ruth’s debut single even though she has been writing songs since she was eleven. ‘Wake Me Up Slowly’ tells the story of ‘the dream-like state’ at the beginning of a new romance, you are transported to this dream state from the very opening of the song. A solid and unique vocal and production performance that all blends together effortlessly for this fun debut! We look forward to hearing what comes next from Ruth.

Sam Fischer – Simple

Sam is an Australian pop rock musician and singer-songwriter. He started his music career by releasing music independently in 2017 before he was signed to RCA Records in 2019. If you are not familiar with Sam’s work make sure you listen to his back catalog but the song that put him in the spotlight recently for many new listeners was his first single of 2021 ‘What Other People Say’ with Demi Lovato. Sam’s newest release ‘Simple’ dropped last week and it is by far my favourite song of his.

Tones and I – Won’t Sleep

Tones and I have dropped their first new single of the year and, with lots of echo-y vocal effects, it a little bit spooky; much like the artwork that goes with said new single. With an opening that sounds like a haunted music box and a heavy emphasis on bass and percussion, ‘Won’t Sleep’ will give you chills and is immediately getting added to every Halloween playlist we have. The track is likely taken from Tones and I’s upcoming debut album and proves that songs like ‘Dance Monkey’ and ‘Never Seen the Rain’ are not merely flashes in the pan.