The end of the working week is upon us once more, which can only mean one thing – the return of New Music Fridays.
The final New Music Fridays of the month feature a wavey connection between past and present from Atlanta hip-hop duo EARTHGANG and a visceral account of love and loss by Australian rock band Gang of Youths. Read on to hear the week’s biggest albums, plus a few singles scattered in there too.
EARTHGANG – Ghetto Gods
Despite Ghetto Gods receiving its official release today, many fans have already heard EARTHGANG’s new album during the live listening sessions for nearly a month now. Letting diehard supporters hear the album before anyone else was all part of the plan to prepare for their Biodeghettable World Tour.
Ghetto Gods is a celebration of Olu and WowGr8’s hometown and a display of their vivacious versatility at singing, rapping and producing all of their own work. They have also enlisted the help of rap royalty with fellow Atlantan Future and Dreamville Records boss and long-time collaborator J.Cole.
Robert Glasper – Black Radio III
It’s been ten years since jazz pianist Robert Glasper released his pioneering album Black Radio, a stunning synthesis of jazz, rap, hip-hop and R&B. This week, Glasper continues to explore and refine that complex marriage of sound with Black Radio III. This star-studded album is an extraordinary piece of work from a true visionary that has the celebration of Black music and culture at its core.
Gang of Youths – Angel In Realtime.
The Sydney rock band’s first full project in five years was released today – Angel In Realtime. is a profound collection of tracks that range from the deep rumination and laboured vocals on you in everything to the brighter, more summery atmosphere on new single tend the garden.
Lead singer Dave Le’aupepe lost his father to cancer in 2018 and his grief is detectable throughout the project, but it is far from bereft of optimism and positivity. A real sense of excitement and anticipation is at play on the single the angel of 8th ave., and the record as a whole is an eclectic journey that ferries the listener through an ocean of jubilation and joy, of melancholia and misery.
SASAMI – Squeeze
LA singer-songwriter Sasami Ashworth released her self-titled debut record in 2019, and her follow-up release, Squeeze, is quite a contrast. What seemed a quite gentle indie-rock style on her debut was replaced with an abrasive, industrial-sounding record that creates something powerful, aggressive, and ambitious. Even the difference in artwork for both albums speaks volumes about the transition SASAMI has gone through.
Squeeze looks to be an exploration of SASAMI’s identity through a conduit of nu-metal, with the odd slower track providing a nice balance throughout the album.
Singles
Mura Masa, Lil Uzi Vert, PinkPantheress, Shygirl – bbycakes
Alec Benjamin – Shadow of Mine