Welcome to the first edition of our "music" column. Every month, we plan to write about releases that have been some of our favorites during that month, be it albums, singles, or just specific songs from projects released in February.
Reserv - How Long Does It Last
Just two months after dropping Burst, Reserv is back with his new EP, How Long Does It Last. Across five tracks, he explores themes of longing, romance, and sadness. The cover art and title may lead listeners to believe they are about to listen to an emo project, but the opening track, More Than Ever, shuts that thought down immediately with its catchy instrumental and chorus that makes you want to sing along.
Favorite tracks: More Than Ever, So Much Fun, Perverted
Instupendo & Ripsquad - Ripstupendo
Instupendo returns with Ripstupendo, his new collab album with Ripsquad, released with no prior announcement; the album was preceded by two singles, Kissout and Gin, with the former releasing over a year before the album release.
While the production of Love Power A-to-Z transported listeners into a futuristic world, Ripstupendo evokes the feeling of a warm summer evening, serving as a natural continuation of the sound present on the former's title track. Listeners may know Ripsquad for their sample-heavy tracks, but this project challenges that, instead building much of its sound from samples of earlier versions of the same tracks.
Instead of a press release, Instupendo announced the project with an interactive website, a rare sight in the current music landscape. The site allows the listeners to explore the project's credits and lyrics, while also allowing them to interact with the X's present on the project's cover.
Favorite tracks: Human Nature, Gin, Paranoi, Island, Twice
venturing - Ghostholding
Ghostholding is the debut album from venturing, a side project by Jane Remover. venturing first began as a fictional band active during 1990-2002, with the band being discovered by Violet, who slowly archived their music online, trying to piece together their discography. Shortly after the release of Census Designated, Jane Remover announced that she was done with any side projects. She later retconned the existence of the fictional band and now uses the name as a pseudonym to continue with the sound present on Census Designated. The project still references the fictional band though, with the track Recoil interpolating parts of Sweet/Dye, and Side D of the vinyl release including the Arizona EP, which was released by the fictional band.
While the album does seem pretty back-loaded, it's still an enjoyable listen all the way through, and it makes me excited for future material from venturing, even though I wish they continued with the fictional band idea.
Favorite tracks: Recoil, Dead forever, Sick / relapse, Famous girl, Sister
Reserv - Physical Humor
Physical Humor is the newest single from Reserv, a track where he wishes for clarity and wants to be more than just a rumor. Throughout the track, he repeatedly sings the line "you and me, I think we're a thing." a statement he undermines by connecting it with obvious contradictions such as "Though blue is green and yellow is pink, and red is a shade of aquamarine.".
Even though the track was only released a few days ago, it has already become one of my most listened tracks of the year, making me excited for what's yet to come from Reserv in the future.
Oklou - ict
The same feeling as a plane landing. A perfect blend of both A. G. Cook’s more idm focused work (ie Life Sim) and oklou’s melodic based pop music, a match made in heaven perhaps, the horns are magical too, the whole song feels like something you’d briefly hear on the radio or in a shopping centre and spend months - perhaps even years trying to find it again.
The Femcels - He Needs Me
He Needs Me is the debut single from the London-based band The Femcels, the track, which is a cover of a Shelley Duvall song, was first previewed as part of their NTS show with Spinee, it isn't a completely faithful cover though, as The Femcels have added their own spin to it with spoken word where they talk about a boy that has been too busy eating burgers, skateboarding and starting a band with his friends that just came back from Manchester, but we're all sure he's just about to reply and is actually madly in love.
rainfield - i don't love
rainfield had a relatively busy February, releasing three different tracks and also featuring on a track by his long-time collaborator jamison2. However, my favorite has to be i don't love, a track originally recorded in 2021, which has rainfield singing about the feeling of falling in love with someone you don't truly love.
EsDeeKid, fakemink & Rico Ace - LV Sandals
This might just be the song that puts all 3 of these guys in some sort of future soundcloud hall of fame in a few years time. The hook is so fucking catchy, its the sort of song you wanna listen to on loop for a few hours at least, pure energy and braggadocious bars. Don’t forget to check out the video too - it's the highest quality you may ever see these three.
Jane Remover - Dancing with your eyes closed
Just two weeks after releasing an album through venturing, Jane Remover came back with her new single, a track from her upcoming album Revengeseekerz, while her previous album Census Designated felt like her moving as far away from Hyperpop as possible, Dancing with your eyes closed has her coming back to the sound that she started with, with much of it feeling like an evolved version of leroy, her alias for sample-heavy EDM mashups, most of the track also includes callbacks and samples used in her older music, signifying Jane coming to terms with the music that first put her in the spotlight.
Sidney Philips - Break Me Down (feat. Laker, Ricky Chix & Bootleg Baby)
Despite all the features, Sidney manages to hold her own on this song, the chorus is pure perfection, and the only thing that holds it down is the fact it ends. This further proves that Laker would be a much better lead singer of a band, rather than a rapper too.
Weatherday - Tiara
Tiara is a track that I have been anticipating for a long time, with Weatherday performing the track live multiple times more than a year before its release. The song wastes no time, instantly going all out with its instrumental. It also has one of the best vocal performances from Sputnik, with raw screaming that perfectly makes you feel the emotions. My favorite part of the track has to be the chorus, which practically forces you to scream desperately together with them. Tiara excited me even more for Hornet Disaster, which will definitely be one of this year's most important albums.
sunsǝt - SUNRISE (MASSAGING ME)
A euphoric mashup of both “Sunrise” by the Hoxton Whores and “Massaging Me” By Future. sunsǝt (aka 500) is an absolute master of mashups, and knows exactly where the line is regarding what's too far when it comes to putting songs together (nothing is too far nor too extreme.) This also proves that Future could practically rap on anything and make it a hit.