March has been a strong month for pop fans, thanks to Rosalía and Charli XCX who’ve both dropped killer records. The former revved up for ‘MOTOMAMI’, a stunning collection of genre-bending tracks that received the five-star treatment here at NME, while the latter made contact with ‘Crash’, a record we described as: “a headstrong collection of carpe-diem pop bops”. This week we’ve added choice cuts from both projects to the NME Radio playlist.
In our five-star review, NME proclaimed Rosalía’s third album ‘MOTOMAMI’ “a dazzling musical grab-bag”. There are bops, but second track ‘CANDY’ takes a steelier tone. On this single, Rosalía and five other producers – including ‘El Mal Querer’ collaborator El Guincho and hitmaker Tainy – turn a sample of Burial’s ‘Archangel’ into a chilly soundbed for an arrogant kiss-off. – Karen Gwee
Royal Blood’s surprise new single ‘Honeybrains’ is the product of an instinctual creative process. “No thought went into this track – in the best possible way!” frontman Mike Kerr told NME. “I wasn’t writing for any reason. I wasn’t trying to write a single or the next Royal Blood song; I was just making music.” – KG
On ‘Crash’, the opener and title track of her new album, Charli XCX makes self-destruction sound so sweet. “I’m about to crash into the water, gonna take you with me,” she promises on the hook. “I’m high voltage, self-destructive, end it all so legendary.” This Janet Jackson-indebted banger sets the tone for the rest of this brilliant pop album. – KG
‘Skinty Fia’ – an Irish phrase that translates to “the damnation of the deer” – is a saying used to express disappointment or annoyance. Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten felt the phrase an accurate one to describe his feelings about the “mutation” of Irish culture abroad, and so the Dublin post-punks took it for the title of their third album. Hear its alluring, propulsive title track on NME Radio. – KG
Working Men’s Club have announced their second album ‘Fear Fear’ with icy synthpop single ‘Widow’. Like most songs from the Yorkshire band, it’ll get your feet moving; but it’s not a cheery tune: “Lust was easy until you died / Now I fuck inside my head but not outside,” vocalist Sydney Minsky-Sargeant intones on the hook. – KG
Of the experience recording new single ‘Waterfall’ with Raye, Disclosure have said: “We all knew within five minutes we were gonna make a [UK garage] summer sunshine banger and that’s exactly what we ended up with.” The description couldn’t be more apt: Raye’s vocals stream through Disclosure’s glistening production just like warming rays of the sun. – KG
Earlier this month, we added BENEE’s ‘Never Ending’ to the NME Radio playlist. Now we’re chasing it with ‘Marry Myself’, another track from her ‘Lychee’ project. In this whimsical tune, the Kiwi pop artist is horrified to find herself being proposed to. “I turned around and to my surprise / You’re on one knee, beady eyes / What are you doing? / No, for real / What are you doing?” she sings. Marriage is out of the question for BENEE – unless it’s a union of one. – KG
Welcome to ‘Beatopia’. Beabadoobee has unveiled ‘Talk’, the fuzzy, guitar-filled first preview of her new album. “Generally, it’s about doing things that aren’t necessarily healthy or great for you, but you can’t help indulging,” the Dirty Hit artist has said. “It’s like that unavoidable feeling that you get. You can’t get rid of it, and you know it’s bad, but you love it really, and its whatever, so you do it anyways.” – KG
NME 100 artist yunè pinku has dropped the hypnotising new track ‘DC Rot’, which she’s described as “an exploration of a year and all the things you do in one”. The producer adds: “Whether it’s coming out of hibernation and getting older, experiencing in excess whether that be negative or positive. Putting yourself out there and sometimes getting hurt, but just going on a pilgrimage of all the things you can and can’t do.” – KG
Syd’s new single ‘CYBAH’ is a masterclass in modern R&B. A chiming guitar, sensual bass and less-is-more percussion come together to support Syd and collaborator Lucky Daye in this preview of Syd’s new album ‘Broken Hearts Club’. – KG
Psychedelic soulster Jitwam has dropped ‘Brooklyn Ballers’, a groovy homage to New York City, one of the cities he calls home. It pays tribute to the city “in all its hustle and bustle,” he said in a statement. “The magic in the air, that can make dreams come true and can turn your fears into your worst nightmares.”– KG
