Last month, R&B sonic shapeshifter SZA returned with the stellar ‘Shirt’. Initially teased on the singer’s Instagram stories in 2020 and again in a livestream performance the following year, the track has finally received an official release, alongside a Tarantino-esque music video featuring actor LaKeith Stanfield.
The singer-songwriter claims to have prepared 100 songs in the five years since her 2017 debut ‘Ctrl’ dropped, and assures that her upcoming second album could drop “any day”. And although we’ll have to remain in the dark about its details for now, her latest track gives us a taste of what we can expect. ‘Shirt’ leads this week’s additions to NME Radio, alongside other new cuts including the first preview of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’ upcoming fourth record, the opening song from Holly Humberstone’s recent project ‘Can You Afford To Lose Me?’, and more.
Check out the newest additions to NME Radio 1 and 2 below:
On the A List:
SZA
‘Shirt’
SZA is at her wits’ end on ‘Shirt’. Against a backdrop of powerful drums and deep bass, the she dissects the mechanics of a toxic relationship: “Still don’t know my worth, still stressing perfection / Let you all in my mental, got me looking too desperate / Damn.” It’s another stellar offering from the talent, and an exciting glimpse of the artist’s anticipated second album. – Eli Ordonez
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
‘Pretty Boy’
Noel Gallagher returns with the High Flying Birds on ‘Pretty Boy’, the first teaser of the group’s upcoming fourth album. With in tow, the Mancunian icons jangle away on acoustic guitars over a driving bassline and metronomic drums. Channelling , Gallagher brings urgent intensity to the track, with the chorus’ shout-along of: . – EO
