1. Good Woman by The Staves
The title track off The Staves’ upcoming album (to be their first in six years), Good Woman is as lovable for its music as for its lyrics. Everything about the song is superb – the killer band harmonies, the groove of the guitar riffs, the intense build up, the flawless live video performance to accompany (below) – and holding it all together is the energy of three sisters singing about womanhood (could things get any better?).
In an interview a few days ago, Camilla Stavely-Taylor talked about the song’s context: “I think that a lot of the time, when you're in a relationship, you can begin to view yourself and value yourself through the lens of the other person. You start to see yourself through their eyes, and it forces you to hold up this weird, kind of distorted mirror to yourself.” (“I’m carrying weight but I know it’s not mine,” she sings in the third verse – easily the best line of the song.)
The final compulsive repetition of “I’m a good woman” is so well done, starting with a desperate unease before getting louder and more defiant. Eventually the entire band has rejoined the singers as they belt the same phrase with a new nerve, as if finally reclaiming the words.
2. Uno Dos by ¿Téo?, Jaden Smith
At first it was just the rap verses that hooked me onto Uno Dos (the transition between 1:48 and 1:55 is one of the most addictive bits of music I’ve heard in a while), but now I love everything about the song – even ¿Téo?’s aggressively seductive Spanish verse tossed in the middle. The Colombian-American artist is known for his unique rhythms, usually mixing Brazilian Bossa nova elements with an array of other styles (in this case trap beats).
He and Jaden Smith are long-time best friends and have collabbed before: in 2017 they released Diamonds v1, which leans more into Smith’s lo-fi emo-rap vibe. It’s very good too, but unavailable on Spotify so probably won’t be listening for another few years.
3. Never Get To Heaven by Flyte
I’ve written about Flyte here before but Never Get To Heaven shows the band in a new light – more stripped down and vulnerable than ever. With nothing but harmonies and unhurried guitar strumming, the song’s choruses are breathtaking, and especially the second one when the music diverges momentarily from its restraint.
Flyte uses the same technique in another recent single, Losing You (equally good): repeating the same melodies and phrases with an even pace the entire time, so that for the few seconds the singer slightly loses composure and leans into the sentiment (helped by harmonies), that small display of emotion punches hard. It feels like hearing him finally let out the knot at the back of his throat.
4. Eternal Light by Free Nationals, Chronixx
The perfect energy to end on, Eternal Light is the hypnotic reggae-dripping collab of Jamaican artist Chronixx and Free Nationals. This song is unbelievably smooth, with a mesmerizing bassline and Chronixx’s laidback vocals obliging you to fully relax for a few minutes. I can’t think of a better mood setter for the week.
Listen on Spotify to all 'Songs of the Week' here.
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