Happy Friday, folks? Happy. Hmmm. It is certainly Friday. Not too happy about it. Well, it’s bittersweet – it’s my final Friday in London, and the past week has been a bit of a doozy. While this week has been virtually music free for me, I have traveled across most of southern England, seen some amazing landscapes in the countryside, and visited cities older than the trees on my block at home in LA. Very beautiful island over here. What architecture they’ve preserved lives up to the hype and whatnot. While I’ll be sad to go home, I have an entire season of Stranger Things waiting for me to watch while I readjust to my timezone, and buckets of Halloween candy to pass out. See you again sometime soon, England. Thanks for having me the past two weeks.
Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on Twitter with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. As you already know, I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too!
As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.
P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!
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“Alterlife” (Seiho Remix) - Rina Sawayama | Keep your finger on the pulse for RINA, y’all! She’s dropped her debut 8-track mini album today simply titled RINA (listen here). I’ve decided to include the Seiho remix of her absolute BANGER track “Alterlife” simply for the fact I’m obsessed with the club-ready flourishes slipped over the instrumentals. Her songs are all 12/10’s, lush, addictive, and SO. FUCKING. INCREDIBLE. Listen here (okay but also spin the original HERE)
“Two Laces” - THØSS | Remember the days when all you listened to was Local Natives on repeat for weeks at a time? No? Just me? Listening to THØSS took me back to those days – but it’s generally his vocal inflections that resemble Local Natives. The instrumentals in the track are just slightly off kilter. Whilst sounding deceptively organized, it’s riddled with surprising twangs and notes being plucked apart. The more you listen to “Two Laces,” the more you guzzle up its quirky nuances. Listen here
“Sweet Luv” - Avelino feat. MJ Cole | Avelino, one of my favorite UK hip-hop (not Grime, y’all!) artists, has blessed us with an entire new project titled NO BULLSHIT. “Sweet Luv” is a charming, softer side of Avelino, and is one of my favorites off his new tape. Listen here
“Never One Thing” - May Erlewine | Based on “Never One Thing” alone, I have declared May Erlewine a Midwestern treasure. It takes one hell of a talent to craft a simple, beautiful, sing-a-long folk tune. “Never One Thing” was love at first listen. Listen here
“Overboard” - Miles From Kinshasa | For fans of ABRA, Blood Orange, and the lush, tinny sounds of lo-fi music, Miles From Kinshasa has been waiting for you. Recorded entirely in his bedroom in South London, the opening track of his mini album LIMBO “Overboard” is an absolute delight. Listen here
BONUS
My neglectful eye FAILED to notify all of you that a Tegan and Sara cover album dropped last week in celebration of The Con turning TEN years old. Jeez. It has covers by MUNA, Myyki Blanco, CHVRCHES, Pvris, Bleachers, Shura, Shamir, Hayley Williams, and SO so so so so so many amazing artists. I may be biased, but my favorite cover is MUNA’s of “Relief Next to Me” Listen here
ERDEM x H&M have launched the most EXTRA collaborative campaign I have seen in awhile. The adverts peppered around London have been nothing short of gorgeous. The collab is a bit of a big deal, as the clothes, covered in Erdem’s signature floral, look exquisite for a high-low fashion production. H&M’s budget included a 4 minute mini film directed by the legendary Baz Luhrman and original music composed by Years & Years! The result? A dream fantasy I want to live in Watch here
Best birthday surprise of the week was Franz Ferdinand announcing a forthcoming album and dropping a new, swanky tune “Always Ascending” Listen here
Sexy R&B jams album rec of the week: new Majid Jordan album The Space Between Listen here
I will support Tinashe (the American Rita Ora) to the ends of the EARTH. Girl deserves more than “2 On,” is the chameleon queen of recording and performing for ANY genre of music and nailing it… and OF COURSE keeps getting f*cked over. IDK what is going on, but, here – have this collab with blackbear, “up in this” Listen here
Absolute legends Stereophonics have a new album, Scream Above The Sounds Listen here
Other absolute legends Weezer also have a new album out today, Pacific Daydream Listen here
Update from last week: A WHOLE ASS FEVER RAY ALBUM IS OUT NOW!!! Just in time for HALLOWEEN!!! Listen here
Speaking of Halloween, don’t think I’d leave you hanging! As promised last week, I have thrown (quite literally) a moody playlist for Halloween. Filled with sinister film scores and dark pop tunes, I’d say this list may help you get in the spirit on Tuesday Listen here
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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal October 2017 playlist. There I will be dumping in new (and occasionally throw back) tracks as the month carries on. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.
A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.
See you next week!
