With long-awaited releases and surprise collaboration announcements from the past week, new music is alive and well. Between the announcement of Vampire Weekend’s upcoming album Father Of The Bride and the subsequent singles the band is releasing or the two singles released by Florence + The Machine, it’s fair to say there’s something that everyone can appreciate from the week’s releases. Here are some of the highlights:
The wait is over for Vampire Weekend
Any fan of Vampire Weekend would’ve been disappointed but not surprised if the mention of new music was false, but fare not fellow fans, new music is here and more is on the way. Releasing not one but two singles, Ezra Koenig and gang are gearing up for the release of their fourth studio album, Father Of The Bride. The two singles, while both very fitting for Vampire Weekend, are also very different. “Harmony Hall” is bright, fun and pulls on the pop-aspect of the band, while “2021” brings a more minimalist, electronic feel to the table. Both singles are pretty superb, and it’ll be exciting to see the singles the band releases before the album.
J. Cole is here and he’s not leaving any time soon
Though J. Cole just released his fifth studio album KOD in April 2018, the rapper isn’t slowing down on the release of music. Between multiple feature appearances during the latter half of 2018 with the likes of 21 Savage and Anderson .Paak, J. Cole still found the time to create his latest single “Middle Child.” Using the idea of being a middle child as a metaphor for how he feels in the rap world, Cole shows that he’s not going anywhere any time soon. With a sleek production and ebb and flow-like beat to it, “Middle Child” is a perfect example of J. Cole being anywhere but the background of the rap genre.
The collaboration we didn’t know we wanted, but we’ll take
Both Alex Gaskarth and Mark Hoppus are household names in the pop-punk world, but their new collaborative project Simple Creatures hones in on the radio-friendly aspects of the genre. Bringing in the new-age sound of All Time Low’s latest works and combining it with the experience and lyricism of blink-182, the duo’s debut single “Drug” isn’t necessarily what one would expect — but that’s not a bad thing. With rock, electronic and pop elements the song is a shoo-in for radio play, and it’ll be exciting to see what the duo do in the future.
Taking the best from both worlds — or albums
Coming off the high of the buzz of June 2019’s High As Hope, Florence + The Machine released two new singles. “Moderation” sounds like it belongs on How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful with its raucous guitar and drums, while “Haunted House” fits the airiness and dream-like state of High As Hope. Both are fitting for lead singer Florence Welch’s angelic yet versatile voice, and though a quick turnaround, the singles could be leading to a possible new album for 2019.
