ICYMI is a series featuring new and notable releases you (and we) may have missed
Art by Enne Goldstein, you can find more of her work here
“Thirst” – Cutouts
“Thirst,” the latest track from Cutouts, is dusted with an alluring iridescence. Its ability to embody a dreamlike quality, something that is largely galvanized by a lush vocal performance and a steady rhythm, leaves the listener feeling as if they had a listening experience that was just as ethereal as it was vibrant. “Thirst” presents the ear with nuance without engaging in excess, and that serves as a major source of its overall strength. The thoughtful attention to the role of balance and detail unquestionably paid off.
–Lindsay Teske
“Obsessed” – Hatchie
Hatchie is making a case for iphones being the new super 8. In theory, they achieve the same thing — it’s a non-intimidating way of capturing our most intimate and playful moments. Superimposing iphone clips on top of each other, the video is not trying to match the aesthetic of film, but is personal in a different way. Filmed vertically a la instagram story and horizontally, the tour diary of sorts feels more like we’re catching up with a friend and less like it’s an artist we likely have not met. While this isn’t a highly produced or directed piece, the video elevates the 90s nostalgia pop song from being a catchy tune to something memorable that sticks with you personally.
“Mercedes Marxist” – IDLES
Hanging in the space between Brutalism and Joy As An Act of Resistance, there’s the previously omitted “Mercedes Marxist”. A result of anger, confusion, floating through space and time with many questions and few answers, the track is a sort of propelling, off-kilter, droning madness that ends in the haunting plea, “Forgive my cripple head, our revolution’s dead”.
“Pink Tide” – Silverbacks
There’s a different sort of urgency emerging from UK bands right now. Even when it’s tongue-in-cheek like “Pink Tide”, it’s politically driven and never apathetic. Appropriately, the song pokes at the performative, paper-thin, trendy political leanings of the people who readily post via social media about social change, but don’t take the initiative to enact that in the world offline.
