Hello dear readers we are finally back with a New Music but this time it is a Mega Post! With life getting in the way a little in recent weeks, we had to suck it up and slow down to focus on ourselves but the good news is this Mega Post is jam packed with 21 artist who released music in the past two weeks! A number of our favourite International Artists are finally back releasing music while our Homegrown Heroes here in Ireland are slaying it across the board! So without future ado, here are our music picks that we are loving!
If you prefer to head straight to the playlist, please click here!
Alma Grace – Frida EP
First on our list is an Artist we were introduced to thanks to Instagram. Alma is a 20 year old singer, actress and activist from New York City. Her debut EP came out last Wednesday. With a mixture of lyrics in English and Spanish the EP showcases Alma’s range perfectly with the song’s story telling flowing nicely throughout each of the songs. One thing I enjoy from Alma’s song is her flawless and effortless switch between singing in English to Spanish. Alma lists Selena as one of her big influences which you will be able to hear some parallels between the singers but Alma has truly carved her own path in the American Music Scene. We have included the song ‘Aventura’ above which is Niamh’s favourite from the EP.
Ashe – Ashlyn
So we’ve talked about Ashe a few times recently when she released singles from this album and finally her album has appeared and it did not disappoint. Ashe had all the ingredients to create a typical pop album but she infuses everything with her own brand and style to create really unique songs that are very clearly full of Ashe-ness. Personally, I adored ‘Save Myself’ but ‘Ryne’s Song’ really shows that this album is a hugely personal creation. It really is a superb first album and well worth a listen.
Billie Eilish – Your Power
The third single from Billie’s upcoming album ‘Happier Than Ever’ is a straight forward ballad focusing on how younger people can be taken advantage of both in and out of a relationship setting and how the abuse of power can make the victim feel like they’re the one to blame for the situation they are in. It’s hard to know what parts of this gorgeous acoustic ballad are based on personal experience and what isn’t but, without a doubt, ‘Your Power’ makes the most of Billie’s beautiful ethereal falsetto.
Cian Ducrot ft. Cate – Know Me Again
The first homegrown hero on our list this week is Cian Ducrot. Cian is a singer-songwriter, producer and TikTok sensation from Cork but now divides his time between London and Los Angeles. Previous releases include ‘started in college’ (mixtape) and ‘Not Usually Like This’. His latest single sees Cian teaming up with Cate! If you are a regular reader you may remember Cate from us featuring her single ‘Groupie’ back in March. She is a Canadian singer-songwriter now based in London. ‘Know Me Again’ is their latest creation with a familiar concept to both artists for this beautifully written song. Cian and Cate vocals compliment each other and honestly ‘Know Me Again’ will make you crave more music from these talented artists.
Coldplay – Higher Power
The only words that I can use to describe Coldplay’s newest release is euphoric and optimistic. ‘Higher Power’ has the potential to be yet another stadium anthem for the band and will have you bopping along in no time. The song has a super catchy chorus but, in my opinion, the focus of this track is not the lyrics but rather the feelings that the song as a whole evokes.
Conan Gray – Astronomy
The ever fabulous Conan Gray is back with his second single of the year! Anyone who is not familiar with Conan Gray, he is a singer-songwriter from Texas who is one of the biggest emerging pop stars in the world in recent years! We have been fans of Conan since 2018 thanks to MTV’s Rising Stars segment. Slowing things down in his new single, ‘Astronomy’ is just Conan’s vocals and slow acoustic music in the background. Yet again Conan has proved that he is an artist that can influence the listeners mood from the opening few seconds of a song. ‘Astronomy’ brings the listener on a journey through a failed relationship using Astronomy to explain what they went through together to explain how they were ‘two worlds apart’. Cheers for making us emotional during this phenomenal song, Conan. We look forward to seeing where your journey takes us next!
David Guetta – Get Together
The idea behind this song was to show how music can unify the world but this funk heavy track does more than that. It will just make you smile and the summery vibes of the track give off such feel good vibes. David Guetta has created another radio bop that will have you dancing along in no time. If you don’t believe me the track is well worth a listen.
J. Balvin – 7 De Mayo
You want to celebrate your 35th birthday? Well, if you’re J. Balvin you release the fourth song from your upcoming album on your birthday. Sticking to his signature reggae inspired style, the track tells J. Balvin’s story starting all the way back in Medellin. The real focal point of the song is J. Balvin’s lyrics and the minimalistic approach to the backing track and production really lets those lyrics shine.
Julia-Maria – Morning Light
Next up we have the newest homegrown hero on our radar Julia-Maria. She hails from Cork and ‘Morning Light’ is her second release. ‘Morning Light’ can be summed up as being a fun number that has a catchy chorus and backing track. Definitely an artist we will be keeping a close eye on to see what she releases next!
Julia Michaels – Not In Chronological Order
The debut full length album from a person who has spent years writing songs for other well known artists was always going to be highly anticipated and Julia songs were clearly put together with the utmost care by someone with tons of experience writing. It’s a largely acoustic album but, personally, I feel like there is something missing. It is a great album and very clearly belongs to Julia and no-one else. The songs show immaculate skill as a writer but some are missing a certain something I can’t quite put my finger on.
Lorraine Nash – Sing With Her
If you have been with us for a while Lorraine Nash will be familiar to many of our readers as we were lucky to do an in depth write up for her debut EP last year. But Lorraine is finally back with a new single ‘Sing With Her’. Lorraine is another Homegrown Hero from Kerry. We are always blown away by Lorraine’s vocals and ‘Sing With Her’ is no different with Lorraine’s powerful vocals being at the forefront throughout the song. Another interesting story told within Lorraine’s lyrics, she truly has unlocked the power of telling a captivating story within her lyrics.
Little Mix – Confetti (Feat. Saweetie)
If you’re looking for a club banger Little Mix and Saweetie are happy to provide it for you. This song is for all the ladies who love to dance on a night out. Little Mix have never failed to deliver when it comes to danceable tracks and this team up with Saweetie delivers in spades with plenty of girl power, attitude and sass. And, if you fancy a laugh, you just have to watch the music video.
Pauli – Sunshine
Another Homegrown Hero is next: Pauli. Readers who have been with her for a while might be familiar with Pauli’s work as we reviewed his debut EP last year. ‘Sunshine’ is Pauli’s first single since his EP release and truly showcases his fantastic sound and positivity. Pauli’s new single moves away from the pop/rock genres that were found in his Isolation EP and has cemented itself into the folk/country genre. An interesting move from the artist but ‘Sunshine’ is truly a song for the Summer. You definitely need it on your Road Trip playlist. ‘Sunshine’ is one of our favourite songs on this Mega List.
P!nk – All I Know So Far
P!nk has dropped a gorgeous acoustic song that tells the story of her life, it’s struggles and difficulties included, like a beautiful letter to her daughter. The track is a song about perseverance and embodies so much of what P!nk is admired for and the song itself will appear on the soundtrack to the Amazon Prime movie P!nk: All I Know So Far.
Rag’n’Bone Man – Life By Misadventure
Rag’n’Bone Man could have easily copied and pasted the style of his previous album and easily guaranteed himself tons of sales but instead ‘Life By Misadventure’ looks at heartache and finding a way back to normality after heartbreak. A song inspired by a dream, Crossfire is a soaring pop ballad and probably my favourite track from the album. The album as a whole is a lot of soul with a little bit of country sprinkled in for good measure and any fans of his previous album will thoroughly enjoy this one too.
Sheppard – M.I.A. (End of the World Remix)
M.I.A gets a slick update to its groove and rhythm in this End of the World remix. The original song already had a great beat but the new remix really makes the song a celebration and the electronic additions after the chorus create a retro video game vibe which I love. This song is just a celebration of doing what you please and being yourself. A real feel good bop from Sheppard and End of the World.
Sigrid – Dancing In Your Living Room EP
Sigrid’s newest EP includes one song from the Raw EP and two remixes of some of her most popular songs, Strangers and High Five. Hazers give High Five a more acoustic feeling in the verses while adding drums and huge depth to the choruses. They matched their production to the way that Sigrid sings the song building the whole way to the chorus. Jonas Blue’s remix of Strangers added some bounce to the verses and makes this bop even more danceable. The whole EP is a coming together of a lot of Sigrid’s most popular songs in one place.
Soda Blonde – In The Heat Of The Night
Another Homegrown Hero and this time it is Soda Blonde. The band is from Dublin and the reincarnation of the band Little Green Cars. After calling a quit with their band Little Green Cars, we are happy they didn’t all go in separate directions and decided to form Soda Blonde. With a new sound and numerous singles to date, the band are now back with their second single of 2021. ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ showcases all the best features of Soda Blonde’s sound. This is one of the songs we look forward to hearing live on the list this week when gigs get back to normal.
True Tides – I Can’t Wait (Acapella)
The last Homegrown Heroes on our list are the fabulous band of brothers, True Tides. The band hails from Cork and have been spoiling fans throughout the past year during lockdowns with their Acapella masterpieces. ‘I Can’t Wait’ came out back in February but the band decided to record an Acapella version and released it last Friday! Even if you have heard the original version of ‘I Can’t Wait’, make sure you listen to the Acapella version as the vocals are stunning and this performance of the song brings a new aspect to the song.
Willow ft. Travis Barker – t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l
We have all seen Willow grow throughout the years since 2010 and it is fantastic to see the vocal growth along with her finding her style within her music. For anyone who is not familiar with Willow, she is a 20 year old singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. While her partner in crime for this song is Travis Barker, who many will know as the drummer of Blink-182. The addition of Travis Barker sees a dominant drum moment which adds remarkably to the chaos of the music in this song! Since 2020 with the release of ‘The Anxiety’ Niamh has enjoyed Willow’s music more and more with ‘t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l’ shooting right to the top spot as her favourite song by Willow. So, do yourself a favour and leave all assumptions you have of Willow aside and listen to this song for what it is because it might just blow you away.
Wrenn – Your Friends Like Me Better
Following on from the success of her hit single ‘Hailey’, Wrenn is back with a bang with her new single ‘Your Friends Like Me Better’. Wrenn is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. YFLMB tells the story about her lockdown relationship that fell apart. Wrenn previewed a snippet of the song on Tik Tok back on April 8th causing the video to go viral when the main focus of the video revolved around the fact her relationship was with her best friend’s favourite artist! The guessing began! We still don’t know who said artist is but YFLMB will have you hooked from the very first listen with it’s clever use of lyrics, a catchy chorus and Wrenn’s overall mesmerizing vocals; this is her finest release to date.
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