A few weeks back Beabadoobee released ‘Our Extended Play’, a collaborative EP written with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy and drummer George Daniel. The four track collection is softer than Beabadoobee’s ferocious 2020 debut album ‘Fake It Flowers’, but the razor-sharp songwriting and lush production remains. With its anthemic chorus and scuzzy guitar riffs, we’ve added killer recent single ‘Cologne’ straight to the NME Radio A List this week.
Also new to the NME Radio playlist we’ve got a track from Doja Cat‘s long-awaited album ‘Planet Her’, slick house grooves courtesy of Diplo and Damian Lazarus, as well as a nostalgia-laced pop jam from Jade Bird.
Here are all this week’s additions to the NME 1 & 2 playlists:
On the A List
Beabadoobee
‘Cologne’
Beabadoobee explores sex on ‘Cologne’, a cut from her latest four-track EP ‘Our Extended Play’. It’s a fuzzed-out tune that takes a deep dive into her psyche; but even with the track’s sharp guitars, abrasive production and assertive confidence, talking about sex remains an awkward thing for Bea Kristi: “I hate what this song is about,” she confesses on the song’s earworm refrain. – JX Soo
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Diplo & Damian Lazarus
‘Don’t Be Afraid (ft. Jungle)’
Boasting an all-star line-up of Diplo, Damian Lazarus and Jungle, ‘Don’t Be Afraid’ delivers slick house grooves aplenty. Tranquil bass guitars and snappy drums drive the track forward with a cathartic thump, while glossy synths and pulsing arpeggiators instil the song with an atmospheric sense of awe perfectly calibrated for the dance floor. – Isaac Chiew
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the B List
Doja Cat
‘Woman’
The opening track to the highly anticipated ‘Planet Her’, Doja Cat’s ‘Woman’ is an empowering, unabashed ode to womanhood and feminine diversity. “Princess or queen, tomboy or king / You’ve heard a lot, you’ve never seen / Mother Earth, Mother Mary rise to the top / Divine feminine, I’m feminine,” she asserts over an infectious Afrobeat bounce. – IC
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Jade Bird
‘Now is the Time’
Jade Bird embraces nostalgic retro-pop stylings on ‘Now is the Time,’ an uplifting Bee Gees inspired number. On the track Bird encourages listeners with an infectiously optimistic approach to life’s harsh struggles. “Never have I ever seen a better day to get up, doesn’t matter ’bout the weather / Now’s the time, to go and get it,” she sings over bright guitar chords and cheerful bass lines. – IC
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Liz Lawrence
‘Down For Fun’
Liz Lawrence’s ‘Down For Fun’ is a hypnotising indie rock slice. Influenced by Lawrence’s move back to the West Midlands last summer, she’s explained the song is “definitely the sort of music I would have listened to when I was last walking down these streets” when she was a teenager, but adds “it isn’t nostalgic. It isn’t sentimental. All the subcultures and countercultures I was around were very male-dominated, and this is about feeling like there are other options. It’s the words I needed to hear.” – IC
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Rohne
‘Phase’
Rohne’s understated approach to electronic production pays off on ‘Phase’, a soothing track that offers listeners some sonic respite. The Portland-based producer combines downbeat kick-snare patterns, steady synths and ambient textures for a peaceful aural experience. – IC
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the C List
Sault
‘London Gangs’
Personal notes of hope and pain dominate SAULT’s fifth record ‘NINE’, a record that “carries just as much political and personal weight as its equally vital predecessors”. We’ve selected ‘London Gangs’ for the playlist this week. A stellar cut dominated by distorted bass grooves and skittering beats, and that sees the elusive group craft a treatise on life in the capital. – JXS
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Geese
‘Disco’
Brooklyn-based psych rock quintet Geese make a lasting first impression on their debut single, ‘Disco.’ With frontman Cameron Winter crooning with an earnest charisma over post-punk rhythms and angular guitar riffing, and clocking in at slightly under seven minutes, the track is an uncompromising, freewheeling jam. – IC
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Aitch
‘Learning Curve’
On his latest single ‘Learning Curve’, Aitch takes over a playful, WhyJay-produced beat to create a summer anthem. The recent NME cover star explained that it’s “just a fun song to show everyone that I’m back,” adding: “I didn’t want to be away too long or let people miss me too much, so it’s a good little vibe to uplift and entertain people”. With its earworm piano licks and witty lyrics, it’s welcome return.
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Daniel Avery
‘Hazel And Gold’
A shimmering mood piece, Daniel Avery’s latest is a textural study that indulges in luscious palettes and percussion. As downtempo rhythms anchor his bitcrushed chimes, the hedonistic energy of his previous full length ‘Love + Light’ gives way to inviting warmth, in an uplifting, optimistic affair. – JXS
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Rico Nasty
‘Magic’
Love can cure everything, and on this smooth ode to summer love and loyalty, Rico Nasty’s only got eyes for a special someone. Departing from her usual hard-hitting style, on ‘Magic’ she croons about her affection over buttery guitars and thumping beats. – JXS
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
The post NME Radio Roundup 5 July 2021: Beabadoobee, Doja Cat, Jade Bird and more appeared first on NME.
