New Music Weekend 21/5/21

It’s the beginning of another week so, you know what that means, our New Music Picks are here! Last week saw some releases we have been waiting weeks upon weeks for on the edge of our seat (looking at you Alexander Ludwig and Bella Porch). As always we have some big names, a number of homegrown heroes and a few surprise artists that might just raise an eyebrow but; all songs are worth sitting down and listening to them all from start to finish!  

If you’d like to head straight to the playlist click here!

Alexander Ludwig – Alexander Ludwig (EP)

First up, we have Alexander Ludwig, a singer-songwriter and actor. Many people will recognize Alexander from his career in acting but he started releasing music last year with his debut single ‘Let Me Be Your Whiskey. ‘ With his debut EP which is self titled, Alexander Ludwig firmly cemented him as a force to watch out for in the country music genre! The EP is made up of five songs and we are happy to report they were all good and that Niamh didn’t skip any of them! The song chosen above is her favourite but only by a small margin. It is a refreshing, easy listening EP that will resonate with many country music listeners regardless if you are an avid listener or if you dip in and out of the genre. With the success of this fantastic EP, we look forward to seeing what Alexander does next! 

Anne-Marie & Niall Horan – Our Song

The collaboration we didn’t know we needed until Anne-Marie and Niall started hinting at it! ‘Our Song’ is a perfect blend of both Niall’s and Anne-Marie’s distinct sounds, resulting in an universally amazing break up ballad! When they first told us the name of the song, I really wasn’t expecting what ended up being the final product so I was pleasantly blown away by ‘Our Song’. We all know I adore storytelling within songs and ‘Our Song’ gives us both sides of the one story that links two people. It is beautifully written and sung. ‘Our Song’ reminds us that it’s alright to smile and think back fondly on memories from a relationship that has now come to an end.  

Bella Porch – Build a B*tch

Owner of the most liked TikTok on the platform, Bella Poarch has dropped her single ‘Build a B*tch’ and it shows that Poarch can move her fanbase to other platforms as the music video garnered 10 million views in 24 hours. The song itself talks about accepting yourself and not allowing someone else to change you. Seeing as this is all pretty new to Poarch, the song has a hugely high production quality and will without a doubt appear on radios and, naturally, on TikTok because it is so catchy. It has a childlike quality while still being sassy and proud and, personally, I love it

BTS – Butter

BTS are back with a slick new song that is, well, “smooth like butter” and another radio friendly, summery track for the band to add to their growing collection. BTS can’t seem to do anything wrong regardless of the genre or language that they choose and ‘Butter’ is dance pop perfection. The group have described their new track as their summer anthem and they’re not wrong plus the track breaking their own record for most YouTube views in 24 hours. BTS are going global in a huge way and their second English track has all the style, charm and charisma of Dynamite. 

Dadi Freyr – Welcome (EP)

Next up is an act that we adore the Eurovision for bringing into our lives in 2020! Dadi is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. He and his band also represented Iceland in this year’s Eurovision. ‘Welcome’ is his newest EP release! It features fan favorites ‘Thinking About Things’ and ’10 Years’. Dadi’s sound is funky, fun and you can’t help but dance along with his songs. A solid EP from him, his band and his team. If you excuse us we’ll be practicing our dance moves to ’10 Years’ until we get shown a different dance challenge by Dadi! 

Galantis, David Guetta & Little Mix – Heartbreak Anthem 

Originally supposed to include former bandmate, Jesy Nelson, Little Mix’s new single with Galantis and David Guetta has been in the works for over a year and it has been worth the wait. Heartbreak Anthem starts slow and sweet over strings and piano as the ladies of Little Mix show how and why relationships breakdown while Galantis and David Guetta up the tempo in the chorus to make the song sound like more of a celebration instead of the usually sassy break up songs of girl groups in the past. 

Josh Gray – Too Comfortable

Next up is another homegrown hero, Josh Gray. Josh is a sing-song writer from Wicklow and he is finally back with his first release of 2021, ‘Too Comfortable’. Since we are coming to the end of May it might be too early for some people to mention the following but, we are going for it: ‘Too Comfortable’ is the first song on our Summer Playlist! From the opening lyrics and beats; we are loving dancing around to this one! Another stellar release from Josh Gray which centers around the message of: being comfortable with just being you with no regrets! 

Lil Nas X – SUN GOES DOWN

When you have to follow on from the worldwide hit MONTERO, you have a big mountain to climb. Oddly enough, Lil Nas X’s latest song reminds me of those songs that you hear at the end of stereotypical coming of age movies and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. A very mellow track about his struggles with suicidal thoughts, being true to himself and how things worked out for him eventually. It’s a very honest track and something that many people might need to hear.

Maneskin – ZITTI E BUONI

Now this track may not be a brand new song but if you’re European it will find its way onto your radio at some point soon. This is the deserving winner of the Eurovision Song Contest this year coming from Italian group Maneskin. Full of electric guitars and pop punk grunge, Maneskin stormed to a win with the public vote and it’s understandable why. The song is probably one of the better, more memorable songs to win the Eurovision in the past few years

Marshmello & Jonas Brothers – Leave Before You Love Me

The Jo Bros and Marshmello have teamed up to create an amazing pop-rock heartbreak song with an eighties flavour but the track also showcases the fantastic harmonies that the Jonas Brothers are so very good at. The track has a very Bee Gees quality to it and, honestly, I like that. It’s just mellow enough for those long summer road trips with the windows down.

Michael Moloney – All That I Do

Another homegrown hero that rose to fame thanks to The Late Late Toy Show. The entire nation fell in love with Michael Moloney as he held his own as Demort Kennedy joined him on stage to sing ‘Giants’. Michael’s single ‘All That I Do’ came out on Friday and coincided with the performance on The Late Late Show. The song itself is a strong showcase of mature lyrics paired with Michael’s distinctive and strong vocals. Truly an artist we are looking forward to seeing and finding out what he brings out next but, for now, we are enjoying ‘All That I Do’. 

Olivia Rodrigo – Sour (Album)

The most anticipated album of 2021 by millions of fans around the globe was ‘Sour’ by Olivia Rodrigo. If you are not familiar with Olivia, she is a singer-songwriter and actress from America. Not going to lie, I will put my hand over my heart and say I built up this album so much in my head. I was waiting to be 100% blown away by Olivia. Don’t get me wrong it is a fantastic album but it made me realize I adore the Taylor Swift-esque genre of music. Taking the album as a stand alone, it is a large pool of emotions that will bring you on a journey of growth through heartbreak. The lyrics are honest, brutal at times and don’t shy away from the heartbreak feelings Oliva went through. The most interesting part of this album is how Olivia experimented and didn’t keep the songs all the same throughout the album. It also shows off Olivia’s vocal range and unique sound. Will 1 of us here at Our Muchness Guide stand at one of her concerts in the future surrounded by younger fans? Definitely but, for now, we’ll blast ‘Sour’ as needed. 

Roisin O – 2023

The last Homegrown Hero on our list this week is the wonderfully talented Róisín Ó. ‘2023’ is Róisín’s second release of the year. Were we expecting such an absolute banger from Róisín? Yes, yes we were, but we honestly always seem to be blown out of the water by Róisín! What we imagine the song is going to be like is something but the final product is always so much better. ‘2023’ after the first listen sounds like a song that needs to be turned up while you dance around to it! But make sure you take the time to take in the lyrics of another emotional song from Róisín! Keep the exceptional music coming Róisín, we’re loving it! 

Royal & the Serpent  – Phuck U 

Royal & the Serpent is an American singer-songwriter who many people will know from her hit single ‘Overwhelmed’ which came out last year. What we love about Royal & the Serpent’s songs is her honesty within her lyrics, ‘Phuck U’ is no different! We are here for the heavy instrumental moments that make you dance along and scream the lyrics louder! As for the lyrics themself, it is interesting to hear Royal & the Serpent’s story of her journey in the music industry since the success of her single ‘Overwhelmed’. We are here for her honesty and her incredibly catchy songs.