NME Radio Roundup 8 February 2021: FKA twigs, Headie One & Fred again.., H.E.R and more

Last year, FKA twigs lent her gorgeous vocals to ‘Judge Me (Interlude)’, a track from Headie One & Fred again..’s joint mixtape ‘GANG’ that left listeners clamouring for more. ‘Don’t Judge Me’ is an extended version of that song, featuring a powerful verse from Headie about the experience of being Black in Britain, plus more of twigs’ stunning vocals.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Even before its release, H.E.R.’s new song ‘Fight For You’ was nominated for Best Original Song at the 2021 Golden Globes. The soulful track, which speaks about the fight for social and racial equality, draws inspiration from the funk hits of the ’60s and appears in the forthcoming film Judas And The Black Messiah.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

If lead single ‘Narrator’ is anything to go by, Squid’s debut album ‘Bright Green Field’ is going to be a wicked record. Drummer/lead vocalist/chief lyricist Ollie Judge yelps and roars over skittering guitar lines, zany synths and unpredictable post-punk structures, while guest vocalist Martha Skye Murphy provides an unnervingly calm foil to Judge’s manic delivery. ‘Narrator’ was inspired by the film A Long Day’s Journey Into Night, and follows “a man who is losing the distinction between memory, dream and reality and how you can often mould your memories of people to fit a narrative that benefits your ego,” Squid have said.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Iceage have returned with off-kilter new single, ‘The Holding Hand’. It’s another compelling addition to the Danish rockers’ body of work, distinguished by grandiloquent sounds and lyrics. Frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt has said in a statement that “the song lives in a slurred world,” and the swooping strings, haunting backing vocals and dynamic tempos go a long way to establishing that seasick sonic environment.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

We might not be able to return to the clubs anytime soon, but SG Lewis latest tune is an addictive dancefloor banger to turn up in the bedroom. The English producer’s latest Nile Rodgers-assisted single is a hypnotising concoction of disco, featuring sleek guitar, bass and keyboard.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

If the goal of Dublin-based musician Ciara Lindsey, otherwise known as Kynsy, is to impress, then her flashy debut EP ‘Things That Don’t Exist’ certainly did the job. Among the five tracks, which finds the singer genre-hopping between distorted pop, scrappy punk and electronica, it’s opener ‘Elephant In The Room’ that stands out. A minute in and the song bursts at the seams with guitar and drums, an explosion of bittersweet euphoria as Kynsy sings: “The elephant in my room remembers / How I used to lose go and lose my temper”.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Brent Faiyaz’s new song might be called ‘Gravity’, but the trippy tune sends listeners to the cosmos with its bewitching bassline and head-spinning pitch changes, courtesy of DJ Dahi. An equally spacey verse from Tyler, the Creator (“Yeah, see, I’m a star, look at me from afar / Hard to be down to Earth, when you nestin’ on Mars / You comet on how I move, too much space to assume) is the icing on this proverbial cake.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Drawing inspiration from the band’s own experience in growing up biracial, ‘FYO’ is “about belonging to different worlds but feeling rejected by both”. The single, which is the New York indie collective’s first track of the year, elegantly captures the internal struggle of mixed-race youths trying to define their identities over a groovy beat.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Hot off their brand-new album ‘Cooler Returns’, ‘Maid Marian’s Toast’ is a cheery indie-rock track that presents a striking sonic identity – there’s an engrossing storyline, a well-tuned harmonica and an abundance of jangly guitars. “Bye-bye Marian, we know how you butter your bread / So long Marian, the boys need to get back to bed,” vocalist Jeremy Gaudet sings. Whimsy yet relaxed, ‘Maid Marian’s Toast’ is just brilliantly good fun.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

In ‘Fem Chem’, the opening track of their latest EP ‘Create Simulate’, Brisbane quintet Nice Biscuit present a propulsive slice of psych-pop. Filled with tasty guitar hooks, warm vocal harmonies and subtly seductive synth lines, ‘Fem Chem’ is a total belter.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music