Track Of The Day: Tolü Makay – ‘Don’t Let Go’

An understated, beautifully soothing listen that encourages listeners to embrace hope, Tolü Makay has shared her latest single ‘Don’t Let Go’. The Nigerian-born, Ireland-based artist gently reassures her listeners to let go of their fears through her smooth vocals, tender lyricism and jazz inspired instrumentation.

Inspired by the likes of Erykah Badu, Nina Simone, Amy Winehouse, Asa and Labrinth, Makay first realised her talent for singing in church, and it’s a talent that continued to blossom as she embraced writing songs for herself. ‘Don’t Let Go’ sees her practising self compassion whilst navigating her “emotional transition from fear to hope.”

The track’s accompanying video was shot and directed by Fiona-Louise Ntidendereza on 16mm film, and shows Makay during some of her most relaxed moments. The visuals reflect Makay’s message of empowerment and self belief, providing a warm and bright insight in to the sounds on her forthcoming debut album.

Listen to ‘Don’t Let Go’ below and follow Tolü Makay on Spotify, Facebook and bandcamp

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: HANYA – ‘Texas’

Having charmed us on more than one occasion playing for us live, and with acclaim from the likes of BBC 6Music’s Steve LaMacq and The Quietus, Brighton band HANYA return with a beautiful new single.

Propelled by a dreamy haze, ‘Texas’ flows with twinkling hooks and the soaring, effervescent vocals of front person Heather Sheret. With shades of the lush surf-pop of Real Estate or Best Coast, it’s a shimmering slice of exquisite indie-pop oozing a blissful tranquility and spellbinding ethereal splendour. The perfect soundtrack to soothe these post-summer blues. Of the track, the band explain:

“‘Texas’ was entirely written and recorded during lockdown, experimenting with working remotely as a group. The track explores the startings of a relationship – the head-over-heels uncertainty, the self-doubt and the desire to know each other entirely.”

 

‘Texas’ is out now. Listen here.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Jessie Morgan

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Track Of The Day: MOURN – ‘This Feeling Is Disgusting’

A bright burst of guitar noise to counteract feelings of anxiety and uncertainty, Barcelona trio MOURN have shared their latest single ‘This Feeling Is Disgusting’. Lifted from their upcoming album Self Worth, which is set for release on 30th October via Captured Tracks, the song is an energetic effort to reclaim some kind of confidence when thinking about the future.

“The song is really about…being anxious about what’s going to happen, not knowing if you’re going to be able to earn a living or not,” the band explain. Juxtaposing their serious unease with curt and relatable lyrics like “it sucks”, MOURN’s latest offering is as honest and cathartic as its title suggests. “It’s a really happy song,” the trio continue, “but one that represents being stressed out. The idea of ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford an apartment any time soon, but hey, let’s dance and have fun!’ That’s the concept behind it.”

This duality is explored further in the accompanying video, directed by Alex Fernández. The visuals show the group in therapy, playfully trying to work though their feelings of angst and anxiety. The band want listeners to know that it’s “ok to go to therapy and to take care of yourself,” and that feeling unhappy is not a permanent state of emotion. It’s this mindset that fuelled their new album Self Worth, which looks set to be a riotously uplifting listen.

Watch the video for ‘This Feeling Is Disgusting’ is below and follow MOURN on bandcamp, Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Photo Credit: Cristian Colomer Cavallari

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Track Of The Day: Nuha Ruby Ra – ‘Cruel’

As part of the promotion for her latest track, Nuha Ruby Ra was asked by the PRS Foundation to put together a playlist which featured, amongst others, such diverse names as Billy Fury, Nina Simone, Thee Headcoatees and The Birthday Party. Reading between the lines, if there’s one thing that links these artists (and the many other acts cited as influences by Ra in past interviews) and her latest single, ‘Cruel’, it’s an ability to craft narrative in song form, typically with a dark tinge. ‘Cruel’, the latest cut from forthcoming EP How to Move,  is perhaps even more darkly hypnotic than debut ‘Erase Me’, and sees Ra morph multiple genres into a singular whole.

Opening with a bass sound and vocalisation that most recalls the dark Swedish psych of GOAT, the track’s opening two minutes are compelling, if belying in what is to come. A middle eight bass breakdown, of sorts, breaks off the song’s first half, before Ra opens up her singing style in Siouxsie fashion and sax murmurings creep more prominently into the mix.  By the time the whole thing has simmered and come to a boil, its instrumentation, replete with drum rattles and guitar riffs, has moved closer to free jazz. Ra’s backing band – Ian Wilson (guitar) and Julie Hair (percussion) of the similarly dreamy Isolation Society, Interpol’s bassist Brad Truax, and Vestments saxophonist Nikki D’Agostino – are an ideal ensemble to accompany her voice, which is by turns eerie, insistent and direct, overlaying itself with whispered incantations that pre-empt or echo lyrics and give the song the hallucinogenic feel of fantasy and nightmare. Its lyrics are clearly deeply personal to Ra, confirmed in social media posts which discuss the topics cited, with the imagery of isolation, bondage, self-sabotage and self-consciousness perfectly evoked by her unique vocal style.

Credit has to be given for Ra too for the accompanying video which, due to recent restrictions, was filmed, directed and edited by the singer in her warehouse workspace.  Similar to the video for ‘Erase Me’, with its deliberately simple colour scheme, and holographic style of overlapping, its raw and (literally) stripped back styling reflects its creator’s willingness to lay bare her soul and her body for her art. Even just by her two singles, Ra is the breakout multi-hyphenate of the year: an artist, a performer, a musician, whose work is both self-reflective and self-reflexive, boundary-pushing yet relatable enough to carry along its listener. What follows will, no doubt, be fascinating.

Watch the new video for ‘Cruel’ here:

‘Cruel’ is out now. Listen on Spotify.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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