6 albums you need to hear this week
With music by The Murder Capital, Dave Rowntree and Låpsley
In the age of streaming, it’s never been easier to listen to new music — but with over 60,000 new songs added to Spotify every day, it’s also never been harder to know what to put on. Every week, the team at Rolling Stone UK will run down some of the best new releases that have been added to streaming services.
This week, we’ve highlighted records by We Are Scientists, The Murder Capital, Maneskin, We Are Scientists, Dave Rowntree and Låpsley.
The Murder Capital – Gigi’s Recovery
On their debut album, The Murder Capital expressed their sadness after a close friend took his own life. Although sonically similar, the second record is more upbeat. The title track is a slice of haunting post-punk, while finale ‘Exist’ is an ode to the power of grabbing life with both hands. A stunning return.
Listen on: Spotify| Apple Music | TIDAL | Bandcamp |Amazon Music
We Are Scientists – Lobes
According to Scientists frontman Keith Murray, the record’s title reflects an “evocation of sci-fi”. Appropriate then, that their eighth album offers future-primed sounds tailor-made for the dancefloor. Opener ‘Operator Error’ sees them dabbling with synths, while ‘Settled Accounts’ shows their knack for a catchy chorus is still very much intact.
Listen on: Spotif | Apple Music | TIDAL| Amazon Music
Måneskin – ‘RUSH!’
On their third album, Måneskin deliver a star-studded love letter to rock – no doubt aided by the international platform they received upon winning Eurovision. This means a team-up with Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello on the furious ‘Gossip’ – which posits itself as a powerful two fingers to backbiters. Super-producer Max Martin also sprinkles production stardust on several tracks, while an unexpectedly powerful highlight arrives in ‘Mark Chapman’ – a chilling tale of an obsessive stalker that takes its name from John Lennon’s killer. There’s enough here to ensure their rock and roll odyssey continues.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Dave Rowntree – Radio Songs
Starting a solo career at 58 is no easy task, but on the basis of this album it seems Blur drummer Rowntree shouldn’t have too many problems. Deep, contemplative soundscapes are paired against Rowntree’s own contemplative lyrics to provide a profound portrait of his life so far.
On lead single ‘Devil’s Island’, he even opens up on his experiences of growing up in Britain during the economic uncertainty of the 1970s.
“It was full of industrial unrest and just really bleak and grim,” he previously told Rolling Stone UK.
“Yet that’s far enough in the past that the collective consciousness has been buffed up to a point that people look back on that like it was some kind of rosy place that we should get back to.”
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Bandcamp| Amazon Music
Mac DeMarco – Five Easy Hot Dogs
From the first few seconds of woozy opening track ‘Gualala’, it’s almost as if no time has passed at all since we last heard the languorous, lo-fi beats of Mac DeMarco. Four years since the release of Here Comes The Cowboy, the musician’s new instrumental album is a road trip record through and through, documenting his time “ripping around and recording and travelling” from Los Angeles to Utah, capturing his feelings of malaise and aimlessness on the long, open road.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music
Låpsley – Cautionary Tales Of Youth
The breadth of sonic territory explored on the singer-songwriter’s third album – from electronica and Latin to Afrobeats and R&B – communicates the weight of the physical and emotional journey the artist embarked on to arrive at this point. Charting the highs and lows of her early twenties, Cautionary Tales Of Youth is an emotionally charged reflection on life’s most formative and perplexing era.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music | TIDAL | Amazon Music