Singles Spin #29
So what’s the latest singles in Singles Spin #29? Check out the latest from:
“This album is the story of a second chance.” — Bethany Cosentino, Best Coast
California’s Best Coast — comprised of Bethany Cosentino (guitar, vocals) and Bobb Bruno (guitar) — will release their fourth studio album, Always Tomorrow, on February 21, 2020 via Concord Records. Always Tomorrow, produced by Carlos de la Garza with additional production by Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Paramore, M83), is the band’s first album of new studio material since their acclaimed 2015 record California Nights. The band previewed a new song from Always Tomorrow, entitled For The First Time, to an incredible response this past fall; today they share Everything Has Changed, whose video, directed by Ryan Baxley, features a number of people from one of Bethany’s favorite shows — Vanderpump Rules.
After mounting the biggest comeback of the decade last year, GRAMMY® Award-nominated trio Jonas Brothers release their first new single of 2020, What A Man Gotta Do.
What A Man Gotta Do charges forward on upbeat acoustic guitar and a percussive groove. This high-energy bounce culminates on the hook where they coyly ask, “What a man gotta do to be locked up by you?” Continuing a tradition of event-level visuals, the group also reveals a blockbuster music video co-starring their significant others: Priyanka Chopra Jones, Sophie Turner, and Danielle Jonas. Directed by Joseph Kahn, the band and the ladies put their own smart, satirical, spirited and sexy twist on classic films such as Risky Business, Grease, and Say Anything.
Following on from his captivating debut single Come Midnight, songwriter Andrew Farriss offers up a funky country groove Good Momma Bad as the second single from his highly anticipated forthcoming self-titled debut album. With Good Momma Bad released on the day Tamworth Country Music Festival kicks off, it is fitting that Andrew and his band will be showcasing the single, and tracks from his new album – due for release in May – at the festival, including a special performance at the Toyota Stars Under The Stars event on Friday 24th January.
“I wanted Good Momma Bad to have a strong funk groove played with country music instruments such as fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar and pedal steel,” says Andrew. “Good Momma Bad was a great recording session, we approached it in an old-school Nashville way, with the emphasis on playing live wherever possible, which was also exciting to get the right take and feel. I co-wrote Good Momma Bad with James Dean Hicks and Buck Johnson. Everybody, no matter what, needs a good mother, and no one gets through life without help from other people. The sad truth is not everyone has a good mother, and consequently people suffer during and in the midst of life. Many need much more love and support in their lives.”
Gold Coast favourites, Sunset City, enter 2020 with a new soulful pop release Feels So Right, out now on Central Station Records. Gaining attention around the country for their compelling lyrics and contemporary upbeat stylings, the new single bolsters the band as connoisseurs of edgy pop. The release explores diverse pop sounds by blending Parker’s infectious vocals with nuanced funk riffs, amplified by a darker production quality compared to previous releases. For their fourth single, the band draws inspiration from the insecurities that can arise when delving into a new relationship.
Sunset City frontman Parker explains how the track came together; “‘Feels So Right’ is about someone that you’re into that makes you a little bit clumsy when you’re around them. We were working on a track in Melbourne with MSquared that was a bit darker than we intended, I wanted to brighten the whole vibe of the song up with a vocal that contrasted the production so I came up with the hook to the music that night after the session. Everyone liked the weird bendy ‘feels so right’ part, so we sat down and finished the song from there.”
Brisbane besties WALKEN have sprinted into 2020, dropping their brand new banger Regular Human Person and backing it up with an Australian tour – their first in nearly two years!
Regular Human Person is the first piece of new music from the trio since the release of their 2017 EP, What’s Your Environment?. An instantly familiar bop, Regular Human Person dabbles in the kind of alternative/pop-punk hybrid fuelled by layers of frenzied pop and soaked in nostalgia.
Lyrically, Regular Human Person explores vocalist/songwriter Matt Cochran’s casual relationship with a powerful woman that knew what she wanted and went after it, and the song is a fun retelling of that with some tongue-in-cheek lyrics and pop culture references thrown in.
Birds Of Tokyo hit the ground running in 2020 with the anthemic and uplifting new single, Two Of Us.
Frontman Ian Kenny explains, “‘Two Of Us’ is a homage to love. The one you love. I thought I had lost love and would never find it again, never thought I’d be ready again. I spent a couple of years rebuilding my head, heart and soul – then an old friend came back into my life and we both found love again, there and then.
“We found something we had both been missing for so long. Sometimes everything you need has been there all along – it’s just the universe can take you on a detour to get there. In the end it’s all worth it.”
Vocal powerhouse Diana Rouvas, winner of last year’s series of The Voice, returns in 2020 with emotional new single, Can We Make Heaven.
Discussing the single, Diana said, “‘Can We Make Heaven’ was inspired by the personal lessons we learn in life and how I feel we can choose to be empowered, choose to grow, create, manifest and be the light in the darkness. The last few months have been an incredibly difficult time for so many Australians affected by the bushfires and it has been so inspiring to watch the nation come together to support those in need. It is amazing to see what we can achieve when we all band together and I know our resilient spirits will see us through to find that light again.”
PLATINUM-certified independent singer, songwriter, producer, and pop visionary Lauv drops new single Tattoos Together. In conjunction, he also released the music video that was all filmed in one shot, directed by Declan Whitebloom (Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, One Direction). Tattoos Together is the latest release off the artist’s 21-track debut album, ~how i’m feeling~, set for release on March 6, 2020
Lauv said on the reason behind the visuals, “This is one of my favourite videos I’ve ever done cause I’ve recently done a few heavier, more existential videos but Tattoos is just straight fun the whole time….and I got to prove to the world once again that I can’t dance.”
Building on undeniable melodies, soaring vocals and a breezy indie-rock vibe that makes it playlist-ready, Adelaide’s Venice Queens deliver their first tune for a new decade in Punchdrunk. A long time in the making, the single is drenched in sunkissed vibes and primed for live shows, taken from a new EP in the making. Released ahead of a slew of tour dates this month, Punchdrunk is the best tonic you could have as we prepare to see out these last months of summer.
Recording at Adelaide’s Chapel Lane Studios with Simon Kither, with Grammy nominated and ARIA winning producer Adrian Breakspear (Gang of Youths, Pharrell Williams) on mixing duties and Ben Feggans (Studios 301) on mastering, Punchdrunk was an opportunity for Venice Queens to throw themselves in the deep end of their creative process and know that their music was being cultivated in the best of hands. “We’re so excited to share ‘Punchdrunk’ with the world. It’s been a long time coming and it’s one we really felt we couldn’t rush. It’s been awesome having the opportunity to get both Simon (Kither) and Adrian’s (Breakspear) input and really achieve our live sound in the studio.” Venice Queens
Returning vivacious and energetic as ever, RACKETT brings us a hectic single to kick off a new year of music in OXYTOXIC. Unveiling new pop-driven and experimental sounds last year with Machinations and exploring new territory in the live arena in Australia and Japan, RACKETT continues to flourish with Oxytoxic – a song focused on desire.
Incorporating trap and dance influences on her latest, RACKETT goes large in the positioning and delivery of lyrics that are equal parts intoxicating and enticing. “Got your kiss, named our kids now, all of my picket fence dreams are making sense.” she sings. “At your address, I’m undressed now, come find me standing outside your parents’ house.”
Co-written with Dave Hammer (JEFFE, Lime Cordiale) in Sydney, Oxytoxic is another piece of this new puzzle of creative identity RACKETT has been forming since returning to the fore last year. As RACKETT (songwriter Rebecca Callander) describes, the single comes from a place of undiluted yearning. “The song is about uncontrollably romanticising about a fictional lover and being overcome by desire for someone you don’t even know, but can play the part.” RACKETT
South-African DJ/Producer Kyle Watson shooting off the 2020 starting blocks with the enchanting I Got You, featuring compatriot Apple Gule, out now on Sweat It Out.
Kyle talks about the track and his work with Apple Gule; “I’m extremely excited to see this record come out! I’ve been playing it for a while in my sets and the reactions have been incredible from all the crowds I’ve played it for. It’s always a blast working with Apple, and this time I think he really knocked it out the park.”
Born and raised in Sydney, Australia – the now London/Amsterdam based producer duo Two Another made up of Angus Campbell and Eliot Porter, sign to homegrown label Sweat It Out, making a grand return following the release of their critically acclaimed 2018 debut LP Another Tape. Working with UK producer Utters (AlunaGeorge, Maverick Sabre, PREP), the band seamlessly blend R&B, Motown-era soul and contemporary electronic music resulting in their most assured statement to date titled ‘Another Night’.
Taking a different approach on the production to their previous works, the duo wrote the song from start to finish, sitting in front of the piano, with Angus further explaining “Working with Utters, we were able to bring the song to life, recording strings and making the sound a little darker to shine light on the vulnerability of the song by referencing 90’s trip hop artists like Portishead and Massive Attack.” Eliot continues, “We have been on this journey for a few years and truly overwhelmed by the reaction to our music.. We have enjoyed being able to make records with some of our favourite musicians around the world and release them independently. We reconnected in the studio earlier this year, drawing inspiration from both our lives. Sonically the project represents a different direction for us – more emotive and raw than our previous work.”
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