Plus new ones from Morgan Wright and The Marías.
Friday is here, which means it’s release day for a bunch of artists at home and around the world. With so many hot releases out there to tuck into, we’ve compiled some of the best to present to you for the weekend.
This week, Hiatus Kaiyote deliver a masterpiece of soul with Mood Valiant, Tyler, The Creator returns with a mature and refined record, Morgan Wright releases his first full length genre-spanning record and The Marías unveil the sophisticated pop record Cinema.
This week’s top picks:
- Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant
- Tyler, The Creator – CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
- Morgan Wright – Class Tourist
- The Marías – Cinema
Read all the latest music news here.
Hiatus Kaiyote – Mood Valiant
Melbourne based neo-soul extraordinaries Hiatus Kaiyote release their first record in six years. Mood Valiant is a groovy positive masterpiece, adding to their collection of outstanding and revolutionary releases. For those uninitiated, Hiatus Kaiyote have been around for the past decade, with their music beloved and sampled by famous artists including Questlove, Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Anderson .Paak and Drake.
Standouts on this record include ‘And We Go Gentle’ which is a low swung track in which lead singer Naomi ‘Nai Palm’ Saalfield asks for a light repeatedly and ‘Red Room’ which is also on the subdued tip, in which Saalfield’s voice drifts above the stripped back arrangement of drums, guitar, bass and keys. The single ‘Get Sun’ which received an exclusive release for Record Store Day is a pop infused soulful track which is quite maximalist in nature.
Hiatus Kaiyote worked with Brazilian arranger Arthur Verocai on this record. He provides an extra level of sheen to the already fantastic formula and you can hear his imprint most noticeably on the track ‘Get Sun’ through his gorgeous string and horn arrangements.
Essential Listening.
Tyler The Creator – CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
Getting the DJ Drama treatment, Tyler comes back into the fold with his most cohesive work yet. CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST was preceded by a couple of singles and a hotline you could ring to hear the new record which was posted on billboards around the world.
Rapping under the alias Tyler Baudelaine, this project is reminiscent of Childish Gambino’s project with DJ Drama where he took on a new persona, with a more braggadocios style, showcasing the person he wanted to be instead of the person he was. It seems Tyler is following in his footsteps but this record actually seems more in line with how Tyler’s personality comes off now.
The record is laced with DJ Drama’s echoed out screams, very Atlanta. Tyler feels more at home on this record, with themes that seem to be less extreme compared to his past releases, while still rapping quite hard. Standouts from this record include ‘LUMBERJACK’ where Tyler raps the aforementioned braggadocios style over a menacing beat and ‘SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE’ with falsetto singing which fans will surely be comfortable with now since his 2019 record Igor featured it.
Morgan Wright – Class Tourist
Melbourne based electronic musician Morgan Wright puts out his first LP via his own imprint, Burning Rose Records. Morgan has worked with a wide range of artists, most notably officially releasing a remix of dance music royalty Roza Terenzi’s ‘All Starz’ on Klasse Wrecks.
Following this and a string of EPs released with Pelvis Recordings, Morgan has released his first full length solo album Class Tourist. The record bends between genres which Morgan has dubbed as “post-break” and “Australiana break beat”.
Highlights from the record include ‘I Think Of You’, a collaboration with producer 3NDLES5 which features a dance floor break beat contrasted with spoken word parts and ambient esc synth lines and ‘Last Season’s Meta’ which is a pounding and menacing track you’d want to hear on a large Funktion-1 rig.
Check out our feature with Morgan, detailing his gear for this release.
The Marías – Cinema
Headed up by couple María Zardoya and Josh Conway, this record is a pop record with class and style. Zardoya, who was born in Puerto Rico, met Conway in Los Angeles and almost immediately after started writing music together and dating. After the release of a few EPs they have come out with a full length album, which is a great listen cover to cover.
This record is dreamy and elegant, and features some tracks with Spanish lyrics from María. Standouts from the release include the groovy ‘Little by Little’ which features these Spanish lyrics in the verses and is accentuated by Zardoya’s delivery. On ‘Un Millón’ the staccato synths juxtapose against her smooth vocal delivery, producing one of the albums singles.
The track ‘Hush’ features both Zardoya and Conway on vocals, delivering a slow burning dance track which has been released with a sleek looking music video you can watch below.
For sophisticated pop lovers, this ones for you.
Read our picks from last week here.
