The last month has been an incredible one in terms of new music, with new releases from some artists I’m very fond of. But having fantastic new music from artists that you’ve never heard of, but that turn out to be pretty great in their own right makes things that bit better.
Picking just six songs to sum up March has been tough, but here’s the cream of the musical crop as spring shuffles in:
Martin Jensen – “Solo Dance”
Tropical house is getting to the stage where it’s being overdone a bit, with even some of the most loathsome pop songs around trying to borrow influence from it. There’s still room to do it well, though, and this tune does exactly that.
The vocals leading into the chorus and beyond give this track a signature feel, with a pretty common message of being devoted to the music than any other pursuit on a night out being delivered well. Then the drop does it’s job of bringing the dance to the tune and giving it energy.
It’s fun and has a super catchy hook to it, so naturally it’s done well to get a few plays on the ol’ iPod this month.
Lost Kings – “You” (feat. Katelyn Turner)
Speaking of catchy, this is a rather new discovery of an old song that is actually pretty good. It’s perhaps dance music by numbers, and a lot of old clichés are present here, but the whole package works in the poppy way it’s meant to and delivers a hell of an earworm.
The drops are a bit quiet, the lyrics are a bit old hat, but try listening to this and not getting the “la-la-la-la” bit stuck in your head.
Lorde – “Green Light”
Lorde’s return to the music scene has been much triumphed, as her debut at the tender age of 17 set pop music alight with the possibilities of a new prodigy. This song goes some way to proving that at the not-so-much-older age of 20 she’s just as worthy of pop royalty as she was back then.
“Green Light” is a bit of a envy rich song, but it’s done in a pretty fun and open way. I’m not too big a fan of the lyrics, but it’s layered together in a really smart way and sounds great as she skips through it at a pitched-up speed.
A quality opening salvo of what’s going to be another big few years from New Zealand’s biggest musical export in years, and it’s follow up was a sign that her new album Melodrama will carry more than just a few cheap thrills.
Lorde – “Liability”
The second, and far slower, of Lorde’s new tracks is perhaps not the most radio-friendly but it’s an incredible ballad that shows the flip side to her powerful voice being used in an amazing way.
A song about the new found fame and fortune’s effect on relationships she’s had, it’s heart-felt and simple – striking a very emotional chord that everyone can relate to and certainly made me think a bit too (although sadly not for fame and fortune).
It’s a stunning testament to her skill in song-writing that she can release a pop-fuelled banger and a proper ballad too – but she pulls it off with ease and a lot of character too.
Galantis – “Rich Boy”
This is distilled Galantis in its purest form, and a hell of an offering to restart their push for dancefloor domination. It’s such a fun song, and has their signature vocal styling, lyric repetition – but most importantly some killer drops that
The thing that makes the song most appealing is that each drop does something different, so the first time you hear it is a constant source of surprise and excitement. Each one is great in its own right too, hitting the high notes when it needs to and taking it lower the second time round to defuse the tension a bit before building it up again.
It’s clever and fun and can’t help but bring a smile to my face, so what more can you ask for in a song?