Why be a wallflower when you can be a Venus flytrap

Nu Music Monday #27 / 14-06-2021

Hey there,

I’m Red, and welcome to Nu Music Monday. Glad to have you here.

Every week I share my favorite tracks released in the past seven days (-ish). I also go into the latest music news when I feel like it and share stuff I think is worth your time.

This week: read all about MARINA’s last album and enjoy Jack Antonoff’s work with Bleachers, Lorde and Clairo.

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Review: MARINA - Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land

Harking back to 2010’s The Family Jewels, MARINA’s self-penned Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land does away with the lowest common denominator electro inflections that marred her last full-length body of work.

The result reads more like a follow-up to the personal Froot (2015) than it does the collaborative Love + Fear, and finds MARINA emboldening her trademark theatrical glam with sharper edges.

A whirlwind of an opening, and also setting the tone for the albums first half, the title track is a re-actualization of Muse’s "Uprising" - sharing thunderous percussion and a sense of urgency with the former. MARINA’s voice soars across a rambunctious bass line, her angelic soprano launching into orbit as she senses the advent of a revolution. A sense of hard-earned confidence rises to the surface: the ebullience of the first track and the fruits of its introspection are echoed in the second, a sassy self-empowerment call to arms that only grows more hectic with time.

Full review in The Line of Best Fit.

The Nutshell ~ news of the week

• R. Kelly’s legal team has been completely re-shuffled after the bulk of it quit.

• A plethora of artists (Pixies, Foo Fighters, Black Pumas, Judas Priest, [insert your fave]…) have announced tours: live music is clawing its way out of the wormhole!

Track of the week: We Made It - H.E.R.

Just For Me - SAINt JHN (with SZA) 

How Dare You Want More - Bleachers

Interlude 1: Much ado about a lot

austin brown @blahstin

if you think poptimism represented the subjugation of cultural tastes to market conditions and the whims of the privileged, just wait until you hear about the rest of art history

WHAT WOULD YOU DO? - HONNE (feat. Pink Sweat$)

Blouse - Clairo 

I Want You (I Need You) - Baltra

Interlude 2: With all my heart

mexie co @baby2o00

I hope this email doesn't find you. I hope you've escaped, that you're free.

Solar Power - Lorde

Huhhhh - cupcakKe

Competition - Amber Mark

Interlude 3: It’s Lorde’s world and we’re just living in it

Emily Treadgold @Etreadgold

Good 4 lorde she looks happy and healthy not me if she ever cared to ask

Dropout Boogie - Your Old Droog, MF DOOM

Cashmere - Tkay Maidza

U Already Know - DJ Seinfeld, Teira

Interlude 4: I hope you get your dreams

Judy @judith_ism

Girl are you okay? You’ve hardly put your records on.

Out in LA - Aquilo

White Walls - GoldLink

Girl From Rio - Anitta (feat. DaBaby)

Chain My Heart - Topic, Bebe Rexha

More, more, more

Also check out these *present-day* new tracks:

• Picasso - Migos, Future

• OTRO FILI - J Balvin, Jay Wheeler

• Sofia - Askjell, iris, AURORA

• Nabi - Peggy Gou (feat. OHHYUK)

• Biblical - Calum Scott

• Not Far Now - Darby, FancyNormal 

• Tell Me What You Want - Weezer

• SACEM - Hyacinthe, Spider ZED

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You’ll find my favorite June releases in this Spotify playlist.

Thanks for reading! Back soon with more great music & stuff,

I’m @red_dziri on Twitter.