Music Week’s guide to the most essential tracks of the moment...
SAM FENDER
Dead Boys (Polydor)
Sam Fender’s first single for Polydor pulls no punches. “Nobody ever could explain all the dead boys in our hometown,” he sings, hopelessly, before drums roll and waves of guitar crash around him.
Contact Jon Lawrence
jon@chalkpressagency.co.uk
YUNG FUME
Big Business (Payday Records)
South Londoner Yung Fume releases new EP Too Much Wave 2 this week, and this lackadaisical cut shows the young rapper’s way with a dark groove.
Contact Kate Head
kate@stokedpr.com
ALICE IN CHAINS
Never Fade (BMG)
The guitar motif in Never Fade cuts like a guillotine, and its battering ram drums are heavier than stone. What more could you want from a rock song?
Contact William Luff
william.luff@wilfulpublicity.co.uk
APHEX TWIN
T69 Collapse (Warp)
Welcome back, Richard D James, what a pleasure it is to consume the delightful, confusing products of your amazing brain. This song is bananas.
Contact Leah Ellis
leah@warprecords.com
PURPLE DISCO MACHINE
Dished (Male Stripper) (Positiva)
The German disco producer might just be responsible for the catchiest club tune of 2018. It makes little sense, but the dancefloor doesn’t care.
Contact Paul Barker
paul@emmspublicity.com
FONTAINES DC
Chequeless Reckless (Trigger Party)
These five Dublin punks have just earned themselves a deal with Partisan, and it’s no surprise: their broken down, beaten take on the genre is thrilling.
Contact James Parrish
james@prescriptionpr.co.uk
METHOD MAN
Grand Prix (Hanz On Music Entertainment (H.O.M.E.)/OneRpm)
While upcoming LP The Meth Lab II: The Lithium showcases new Staten Island rappers, cuts like this stoned-out slowie prove Method Man still rules.
Contact Michael Cleary
michael.cleary@wma.agency
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