Posted on Wednesday 31st July 2024 at 16:00
Looking for hot tracks? Gigantic Tickets has a sizzling playlist to match the (sometimes) scorching summer. Check out all the tunes we have been enjoying spinning the last month with our On Repeat blog and playlist. We’ve got more anthems than the Olympics plus more bangers than a BBQ, so get ready for a serious infestation of earworms because it's non-stop slamming tunes all the way.
So, when this puts you in the mood for a gig or festival, click the link to check out our near-endless choice of awesome bands and artists. And just before you go, make sure you subscribe to our newsletter bringing you all the announcements you want to know.
Aussie psyche-rockers Pond return with Stung! Their tenth studio album includes the eight-minute epic odyssey “Edge of the World Pt.3”, taking listeners on a mind-blowing journey to the outer limits. Hold on tight, because this is one hell of a ride!
With echoes of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion”, “Everything and Nothing” is the latest single to be taken from Soft Play's (formally Slaves) most recent record Heavy Jelly. Strings are met with a mandolin in this emotionally charged folky ode to their fallen friend Bailey Churchill who died in 2020. The monochrome video sees the Tunbridge Wells punk pairing return to their hometown, celebrating the importance of community.
Soak up the melancholic vibes on Sammy Rae & The Friends’ “Talk It Up”. The indie-jazz songwriter presents a sepia-tinged, wistful picture of the pressures of just getting through the day however you can. There’s a stoic resistance at the core of this song, so play it whenever times are tough.
Boston soul trio Lake Street Dive cover Hall & Oates’ Top 40 hit single "Rich Girl” on their six-track Fun Machine EP. Originally released in 1976, their fresh version is a bright and breezy take on the classic track.
Acoustic-led “Hawkmoon” is found on The Mysterines’ brand-new LP Afraid of Tomorrows. The tortured track is reminiscent of Bowie’s Major Tom songs, searching for signs of humanity lost somewhere beyond the sky.
Feel the funky bass on Prince’s 1980 song “When You Were Mine”. Whilst never a single, the Dirty Mind track was released as a promo 12” which also included further album tracks "Gotta Broken Heart Again" and "Uptown". Whilst not as popular as the legendary performer's other anthems, “When You Were Mine” was covered by blue-eyed-soul singer Mitch Ryder plus pop icon Cyndi Lauper.
Childish Gambino (AKA rapper, actor and genius virtuoso Donald Glover) teams up with Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Jorja Smith and Ghanaian-American Afrobeat great Amaarae on the sumptuous electronic-soul collab single. The sheer wealth of talent combines into a seamlessly sensual confession of forbidden desire which will be included on his eagerly awaited album Bando Stone & The New World.
Hands Off Gretel singer gone solo Delilah Bon and grime-informed alt-pop pairing ALT BLK ERA turn up the feminist fury to maximum on their blistering collab single ”WITCH”. It’s a no-holds-barred clap back to all those who burnt defiant women on a stake.
“If women were outspoken, if they challenged the church or the patriarchy, they would be forced to confess to being a witch under torture then hanged or burnt at the stake. All of it was fuelled by misogyny and the fear of women’s power.”
Massachusetts-raised bedroom-pop songwriter Clairo has made the leap from indie darling to mainstream success thanks to her charming style and idiosyncratic sound. Her most recent record Charm broke the Top 20 here and hit No. 8 in the US, thanks in no small part to the alluring track “Juna”.
Clairo played the sensual song live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ahead of the album’s release and recently played a pop-up show at the Mercury Lounge in New York, as she reaches ever greater audiences.
Alt-pop It girl Caroline Polachek contributes to the soundtrack for celebrated queer horror flick I Saw the TV Glow with her latest single “Starburned and Unkissed”. The down tempo song is a marked departure from her previous output, tapping into post-grunge with bruised yet impassioned vocals.
Having recently impressed at Glasto, grungy gang Wunderhorse are now gearing up to release their new record Midas. Recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Craig Silvey (The Rolling Stones, The National, Florence and The Machine), they have opted for a raw approach with a naturalistic feel as heard on the single “Silver”. The rough yet catchy hooks are offset by the vulnerable lyrics and melodic vocals, hinting that a truly great album is on its way.
Superstar Sub Pop signee Suki Waterhouse taps into dream-pop and shoegaze on her wonderfully scuzzy single “Supersad”. Channelling 90s vibes and cult comedy movies, Waterhouse says she was inspired by such classic flicks as Clueless and Legally Blonde on this punchy little number.
Indie-pop songwriter Amber Bain AKA The Japanese House returns with her country-tinged standalone single “:)”. Inspired by her own euphoric experiences of the early days of romance, the unbridled optimism shines brilliantly throughout this three-minute joyride on the highway to true love.
Swedish power-metal octet Brothers of Metal go full throttle on their Nordic ode of apocalypse “Prophecy of Ragnarök”. Lead single and title track of their debut album, it’s the perfect soundtrack to the End Times as the Twilight of the Gods is put to rampaging riffs, stampeding drums and truly epic vocals.
Oregon stoner-metal group Red Fang have been melting faces for the last 19 years and are renowned for their hard-hitting sound that blends classic rock with freewheeling prog freakouts. “Prehistoric Dog” can be traced back to where it all began and is the lead track on their very first eponymously titled LP. Turn up the volume and get ready to enjoy this killer tune about a hellhound from the outer limits.
The esteemed Ezra Collective recruit London-based soul singer Yazmin Lacey on their up-tempo new offering “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing”. Winners of last year's Mercury Prize with Where I'm Meant to Be, Ezra Collective also became the first jazz act ever to headline Wembley Arena and they continue the celebrations with a feel-good anthem ahead of their next album Dance, No One’s Watching.
“Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” is Bob Dylan’s account of chasing love in the swinging 60s. Found on Blonde on Blonde, the folk hero finds himself besotted with a bonnet-wearing fashionista who many speculate to be Edie Sedgwick.
Dylan is the subject of the upcoming biopic A Complete Unknown. Starring Timothée Chalamet, the upcoming film focuses on the iconic songwriter’s rise to fame and is directed by the award-winning James Mangold who also made the Johnny Cash movie Walk the Line.
Get into the groove with La Luz’s “Floating Features”. The snappy little instrumental track may be little more than two minutes long, but the Seattle-based surf-rock quartet still manage to take the listener on a wild lysergic lucid dream you’ll never forget.
NYC crew The Beatnuts grab Bronx rapper Big Pun plus Cuban MC Cuban Link for “Off The Books” for a perfect piece of funky East Coast hip-hop. Originally released as a 12” and CD single on Relativity Records in 1997, the track would first feature on Stone Crazy and then later the Beatnuts Forever compilation album.
Who can resist the rise of republican rappers Kneecap? The baiting Northern Irish hip-hop trio have risen to the fore on a wave of controversy, mixing up aggro grime beats with political satire as heard on their debut album 3CAG and their brand-new release Fine Art. “I’m Flush” mashes up Irish and English, celebrating wasting your money on all the things your ma wouldn’t approve of.
Irish-folk troupe The Mary Wallopers give traditional sounds a sharp punk edge, drawing influence from such homeland greats as The Pogues and Lankum. Following an eponymous LP and second album Irish Rock N Roll, the sextet now unveil their Home Boys Home EP including a rambunctious cover of a classic by The Dubliners.
New stars on the scene CLEWS are the Australian indie-pop-rock duo taking the world by storm. Having previously impressed with early singles “Hollywood” and “New Age”, Sydney-based sisters Lily and Grace Richardson now drop their new EP Love Prank which includes the tender track "Can’t Be Real", a stirring yet melancholic three and a bit wistful wonder exemplifying their gorgeous vocal harmonies.
Often overlooked in favour of frenetic indie disco favourites “If You Wanna” and “Norgaard”, “All In White” is the epic sentimental belter heard on The Vaccines' debut LP What Did You Expect from The Vaccines? Building and eventually ending on a killer bassline, it’s a bitter song steeped in jealousy and self-loathing as singer Justin Young remonstrates himself for playing the victim.
Julian Casablancas takes his band into strange and dangerous new territory, mixing up elements of gritty electronica, raw punk-rock with a few wailing metal riffs chucked in for good measure. If it wasn’t led by Casablancas’ signature New York drawl, it would be pretty damn hard to see how this chaotic mess had anything to do with The Strokes, and it’s so damn satisfying to hear the indie icon screaming his heart out to his passion project.
Sports Team are known for their mick take of middle England, and now they release “I’m In Love (Subaru)” which is a full-fledged send-up of an 80s power ballad complete with sexy sax. Close your eyes, and you could easily be fooled into thinking you were listening to a newly uncovered deep cut from Spandau Ballet as Alex Rice croons about a passionate desire for a car that would make even JG Ballard blush.
Of course, the post-punk pranksters haven’t sold out and this erotic automotive yearning is really a satirical take on how youth culture is co-opted into easily marketed faux rebellion and packaged for the next gullible generation. “I’m In Love (Subaru)” is taken from Sports Team’s upcoming third LP Boys These Days set for release in 2025.
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