Every week in Best New Tracks, Team NME undertake an algorithm-free hunt for the biggest and best releases across the globe – the tunes that’ll dominate your weekend listening and beyond. In this edition, Portishead’s Beth Gibbons makes a stunning comeback, Caroline Polachek collides with Weyes Blood and much, much more.
Words: Thomas Smith and Sophie Williams
1999 Write The Future – ‘Long In The Tooth’
A quick Google search for this hip-hop collective brings up the following result: “Who the fuck is 1999 Write The Future?” It’s a fair question; whether it’s deliberate obfuscation by the 88Rising-affiliated hip-hop group or not, people are taking notice. Their 24-track debut album, out today, features guest spots from BadBadNotGood, Westside Gunn, Ghostface Killah, Warren Hue, Amaarae and many, many more. ‘Long In The Tooth’, a brassy beat with De La Soul’s Pos, is the pick of the bunch. TS
Beth Gibbons – ‘Floating On A Moment’
There is so much to love in the Portishead vocalist’s new solo offering ‘Floating On A Moment’. Firstly, to hear Gibbons’ serene vocals – her first output since an unexpected collaboration with Kendrick Lamar in 2022 – in any form is a delight, but it’s the inquisitive songwriting that brings a new level of potency: “On a voyage where the living/They have never been” she reveals atop a rustic guitar-loop. Her first solo record in over 20 years arrives on Domino in May. TS
Glorilla – ‘Yeah Glo’
When listening to any Glorilla track, you should be holding your breath, bracing for impact. Take the 24-year-old’s not-so-humble brag of a comeback single, ‘Yeah Glo’, which is unabashedly loud and vibrant: charting her illustrious career to date – Grammy nominations, a Top 10-charting collab with Cardi B, breaking out of Memphis’ small, but mighty rap scene – she lays down her achievements over a gritty, bass-boosted beat. With her sights set on a huge 2024, this song makes it clear that Glorilla is raring to go. SW
Little Simz – ‘Mood Swings’
When does Simz sleep, honestly? The British artist has been ubiquitous since 2019’s ‘Grey Area’, following that up with a stone-cold classic in ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ and most recently releasing 2022’s blistering ‘No Thank You’, alongside a knockout tour and festival slots. Now, the latest of her ‘Drop’ EP series – which kicked off a decade ago – has arrived with its seventh edition; ‘Mood Swings’, a skittish club banger, could hint at darker, new experimental soundscapes. TS
Love Remain – ‘LDN Girls’
Last summer, rising London poet Gboyega Odubanjo died in tragic circumstances at Shambala Festival in Northamptonshire. His singular voice lives on as a vocalist in ‘LDN Girls’, Love Remain’s fizzing ode to the friendships among the capital’s diverse communities. The song closes with a moving recital of a Gboyega-penned poem by his brother: a moving reminder of how fragile life can be. TS
MRCY – ‘Lorelei’
The textures on MRCY’s debut single are of the soothing sort: effects slowly layer, weaving an aura of psychedelic zen against a blissfully calm vocal from Kojo Degraft-Johnson. Produced by Barney Lister – who has worked on records from Joy Crookes and Olivia Dean – the track unfurls gorgeously, with lyrics that expand from inward rumination to philosophy related to embracing a new relationship. Romantic confusion may provide the song’s backdrop, but the overarching feeling is one of unburdening, and confidence restored. SW
Kacey Musgraves – ‘Deeper Well’
There’s power in the intimacy of ‘Deeper Well’, Kacey Musgraves’ first single since 2021’s ‘Star-Crossed’. Between an acoustic guitar and washes of reverb, the arrangement is simple, but a gentle, looping synth section suggests an undercurrent of hope. Similar to the most recent material from Nao and Adele, Musgraves sings of her Saturn return – or, an astrological coming of age – and the major life changes that come with it. In the song’s most tender moments, the production effects are toned down even further to focus on Musgraves’ melodic desire for a new beginning. It’s a quiet celebration of music as a source of solace.
Caroline Polachek ft. Weyes Blood – ‘Butterfly Net’
It’s hard to think of many other contemporary pop artists who have enjoyed a mid-career rejuvenation like Caroline Polachek. Following the split of her previous band Chairlift in 2017, she has sustained a wave of vast critical acclaim – including Grammy and BRIT nominations for her second solo LP, ‘Desire, I Want To Turn Into You’. This updated version of album highlight ‘Butterfly Net’, featuring Weyes Blood, sees the vocalists meld their two unique cadences: the whispery crispness of Polahek’s falsetto; Blood’s low, buttery tones. The contrast only enhances both sensations. SW
Maggie Rogers – ‘Don’t Forget Me’
Maggie Rogers’ new album ‘Don’t Forget Me’ was written across five days in December 2022 and the following January. It’s the sound of a “Sunday afternoons” and made with authenticity and directness at its core she explains in an accompanying letter. A back-to-basics return following a heavier direction on second album ‘Surrender’.
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