This week The Mic Recommends... series is jam-packed with reviews of artist-comebacks as well as up-and-coming talent.
There’d Better Be A Mirrorball – Arctic Monkeys
What screams Arctic Monkeys more than a genre-shift and reminiscent lyrics? Not much, and their comeback single There’d Better Be A Mirrorball from their upcoming studio album The Car offers just that. Very much fitting into the genre of ‘lounge’ music, it plays upon tropes from their previous album Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino, but takes a more ‘grounded’ and less experimental tone. With a minute-long intro, the band clearly assert themselves as being back on the scene. Orchestral strings and repeated piano chords give it a more classical feel – I would go as far to say that it is reminiscent of elevator music (but in a good way, if that makes sense). Alex Turner’s vocal maturity is evident in the track, as the heartfelt lyricism about the ending of a specific era and the emotions attached to that pair well with the band’s growing wisdom, as they are now seven albums deep. Whilst it is a far cry from the angsty punk of the AM era, I am excited to see the band’s new direction. Amrit Virdi
Prettier – bexx
Following the poppy tones of her previous single One More Night and the rock-inspired vibes of her 2021 release Biggest Mistake, Notts-based artist bexx is back with a new single titled Prettier. The track features foreboding guitars and sharp drums alongside soaring chorus vocals, demonstrating a new side to bexx that we haven’t yet seen before. It is also important to mention the lyrics here, which are a commentary on the pressure that is put on women within society to look perfect all the time – “I’m covering up my mirrors / I’m sick of finding things I need to fix”, she sings on the chorus. This single seems set to bring her wider success, with it appearing on the New Music Friday UK playlist, a huge achievement for any artist and a step towards putting the local Nottingham music scene on the map. Gemma Cockrell
I’m In Love With You – The 1975
Arguably the best thing about The 1975’s single-rollout for their fifth record Being Funny in a Foreign Language, has been the pure sincerity of the whole thing. Their last full-length, Notes on a Conditional Form was undoubtedly controversial: its leadup had seen singer Matty Healy being gleefully cagey and pop-messiah-like as he could be, and the record itself felt lacking in any solid direction or conceptuality. However, their most recent single I’m In Love With You, follows its predecessors Part of The Band and Happiness, in being simultaneously honest, romantic, tongue-in-cheek, and cathartic, in the best way possible. Healy bears his feelings to a lover, “I can summarise it for you, it’s simple and it goes like this, I’m in love with you,” even in face of the “going wrongs”, whilst he’s backed up by joyous gang vocals and a glittery Fleetwood Mac-esque synth. The song would be perfect as a closer for a romantic film, which feels like a good sign for the album, as The 1975 are at best when they’re successfully sound-tracking the lives of young people. Caradoc Gayer
You Must Die – Suicide Silence
Californian deathcore heavyweights, Suicide Silence, have released their new single You Must Die ahead of their upcoming album next year. The heavy and punishing track is a reminder of mortality and the fleeting of time, as well as how we shouldn't allow time to consume our lives. The first opening of the track is fast-paced and full of blasting beats and infused with a flurry of sound. it breaks into a heavy and grimacing slow deathcore pace. Finishing up with a classic Suicide Silence breakdown with a moment of silence before dropping you into the depths of the last 30 seconds of the track. The not-quite title track from the upcoming album Remember... You Must Die lives up to the name with the message it provides in a beast of a track. Kerenza Hudson
The Real Animals of… – Live Do Nothing
Live Do Nothing describe themselves succinctly, and quite modestly, as “A pop band from Cardiff”. This blasé description belies the band’s new single, The Real Animals Of…, released in advance of the band’s debut album, Hiraeth and Loathing. The band’s new single demonstrates the inimitable quality of both being irresistibly catchy and pretty much without a hook to speak of. Instead, The Real Animals Of… is held aloft by deft guitar work, a driving rhythm, and some quite impressive production, which incorporates backing vocals skilfully into the track’s overall mix, replacing what might have been a lead guitar part with almost choral harmony, which works strangely well alongside the scratchy, pulsing rhythm. It’s everything that Live Do Nothing’s contemporaries have come to be recognised by, with a flair added that is hard to come by in other acts - surely marking Hiraeth and Loathing a record to watch for. Hiraeth and Loathing will release on the 23rd of September via Specialist Subject records. Hal Hewlett
Pass The Nirvana – Pierce The Veil
As an active Twitter user on the relentlessly fan-girl side of the app, Pass The Nirvana was dominating my digital retreat. I was cautious to listen to the track because I’d never really listened to Pierce The Veil, and as far as I could tell from their past album artworks and punky reputation in the scene, they weren’t really my cup of tea. But fast forward a few scrolls and I caved in. Let’s see what all the fuss is about, then. Immediately I joyously rocked my head back and forth to their Cage The Elephant-esque guitar work that very quickly escalated to an all too beloved hardcore instrumental. The twangy vocals came as a surprise but seemed to give the track a classic, nostalgic feel to it, despite me being completely unfamiliar with their work. But now, familiar, in my feels, and completely in my comfort zone of music, I was greeted with possibly my favourite breakdown I’ve ever heard. The rawness, freedom of vocal range, and punky, climactic screams were like this incredible new tea blend that would redefine what was or wasn’t “my cup of tea”. It’s safe to say I am converted and have a new-found trust for what Twitter ‘oomfs’ have to say. Roxann Yus
Dare You To Doubt Me – The Script
Irish band The Script tend to write two different types of songs: emotional heartbreak ballads, or motivational, inspiring anthems. New single Dare You To Doubt Me is a traditional The Script song of the latter variety. Starting with soft, melodic piano keys before building into verses that are half-sung-half-rapped, the track can be compared to tracks like Hall Of Fame and Superheroes, since these tracks were similarly driven by their positive lyrics and uplifting energy. The track’s release didn’t come with an announcement of an upcoming album, so it may just be a standalone single, but nevertheless, it’s a nice surprise to have new music from the band so soon after the release of their Tales From The Script: Greatest Hits record towards the end of last year. Gemma Cockrell
Congrats – LANY
Having recently become a duo after Les Priest (the bands guitarist) made an exit, America’s LANY released their newest single Congrats last week- unsurprisingly, another heartbreak anthem following their discography of breakup-related music. In complete contrast to their earlier releases, with the likes of their album Malibu Nights being one I came back to often, and listened to religiously, there has been a lot of progression in their music in recent times. The originality of the slow ‘dream-pop’ sound of their first two albums is what made LANY a band I could listen to for hours. So, I hate to say it, but to my disappointment, the pair seem to have surpassed their slow, heartfelt and poetic music ‘era’ and have evidenced their pop-punk side, most notably with their newest release. Don’t get me wrong, I love the song. But it’s not very LANY-like at all! Congrats has a rockier beat and an anthem-like melody, whilst the band seems to be taking an angrier approach to both the breakup and their sound. With lyrics ridden with insults, and a sarcastic chorus ‘congratulating’ Klein’s ex on “getting her own way,” the catchy tune wouldn’t have come from LANY without its broken-hearted nature, disguised with a musical mask. Ultimately, the band have undergone change in recent months, which has had its effect on their sound. If Congrats was introduced to me as blink-182’s newest single, I would not question it. I’m excited for what’s to come from them and how their sound may evolve more. So long crying to LANY late at night, and hello to shouting at the top of your lungs, I guess! Bethany Coldwell
Bleak – Michael Aldag
After previewing the track on TikTok and at his live shows, Michael Aldag is back with a single titled Bleak. Lyrically, it holds many similarities to his previous releases, most notably his recent single Apathy. The song is also filled with similar levels of emotion, which is one of Aldag’s many strengths as an artist: he wears his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to share deep and often dark emotions with his audience through both his lyrics and emotive singing. The song builds in energy throughout before it dims to near silence as he sings “It’s all getting bleak again / It’s been one of those weeks again”. He has also released a high-quality live recording of the track on YouTube, which demonstrates just how brilliant he is as a live performer. Gemma Cockrell
Every Night – flor
On Every Night, flor wears their hearts on their sleeves: lyrically and instrumentally. Right out the gate, vocalist Zach Grace sings “Take me as I am, we’ve all got scars to show,” before describing experiences of addiction, over an instrumental that strips the band’s normally synth-heavy-sound down to guitars and drums. The song is a surprise addition to their most recent album Future Shine, which the Oregon quartet have described as their most honest and bombastic record. It finds solace in the past; when the four were teenagers, playing guitars in each other’s garages; Every Night was written way back in that period. The song has pop-punk influences: evident in how drummer Kyle Hill indulges his dancey-alt-rock drumming style. In the past, it was integral to elevate flor’s floaty, ambient style to be the most energetic it can be, but now it’s matched in energy by the guitars. You can’t help but feel that there was a small miss, in that the song could have ended with a cathartic guitar solo, rather than just more vocals. However, there’s nothing better than seeing the, often introverted, flor boys at their most energetic: I’ll be blasting this in my headphones for some time to come. Caradoc Gayer
Edited by: Roxann Yus
Cover image courtesy of Arctic Monkeys via Facebook
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