Over the last couple of weeks there has been some brilliant albums filtering through that you may have missed. There’s just so much great music dropping that it’s hard to keep up sometimes, and we just want to make sure that you don’t miss out on something you may need to listen to because nothing will ever beat listening to a full body of work over just a single.
Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth
Genesis Owusu is an artist who may just have one of the biggest years in his career ahead of him. His debut album ‘Smiling With No Teeth’ is a bold, powerful and incredibly impactful body of work that will captivate you from the opening moments of ‘On The Movel’, right through to the poignantly titled and glitchy ‘Bye Bye’.
Singles ‘Don’t Need You’, ‘The Other Black Dog’, ‘I am’, and ‘Whip Cracker’ provide some big anthemic moments, but those moments don’t just end there. ‘Waitin’ On Ya’, ‘Drown’, ‘Gold Chains’ and ‘I Don’t See Colour’ will leave you speechless and have you so captivated and in awe of this Canberra based artist. It’s an immersive record that will have you pressing replay over and over again as you peel back all the layers and get to know him and his artistry explicitly.
Zara Larsson – Poster Girl
Zara Larsson’s debut album ‘So Good’ was an underrated and glittery pop record that spun some huge hits that topped the charts. It’s been a longtime in the making, but her sophomore record ‘Poster Girl’ is finally here, and it’s a even more glittery affair with synth layered bangers that you’ll be begging to see in a live setting soon.
‘Love Me Land’, ‘Wow’ and ‘Ruin My Life’ lead the way with their dynamic sounds but she cements her popstar status with some further pop goodness through the retrospective ‘Need Someone’, ‘Poster Girl’ and ‘Look What You’ve Done’. However one thing I would love to hear more from Zara is a stripped back ballad where she just bares all her emotion and gives it to us intimately like she did with ‘I Can’t Fall In Love Without You’ on her debut.
Nick Jonas – Spaceman
Nick Jonas kinda just dropped a new album on us, and while the lead single (and title track) ‘Spaceman’ was a very average introduction to the world that this record lives within, there is luckily so much more to unpack. Where Nick really seems to thrive sonically is in the synth-pop realm. ‘Don’t Give Up On Us’, ‘Delicious’ and ‘This Is Heaven’ are perfect examples of this, and with their euphoric sounds he should’ve led with these songs instead as they are so much more exciting and provide a better sense of euphoria.
With all of these tracks addressing love, there is a sexier and honest contrast to the way that some songs like ‘Heights’ and ‘Sexual’ are delivered with their RNB fusion. It’s a strong continuation to what his previous two records laid down, and shows a distinct growth in his songwriting and production craft.
Madison Beer – Life Support
Madison Beer has been in the spotlight since 2013, and with her career reaching the eight year mark the New York based singer-songwriter has finally dropped her honest and visually inspired debut album. ‘Life Support’ has been a long time in the making, and it doesn’t disappoint. Hinting at references from Ariana Grande’s last three records, this album simply sits in the RNB meets pop soundscape. She doesn’t over complicate the production too heavily, and instead allows the emotion and beautiful arrangements to captivate you.
While I still think ‘Boyshit’ deserves it’s mammoth chart moment, there are some really retrospective tracks that will have you all deep in your feelings. ‘Stay Numb And Carry On’ is an immediate standout, and you’ll find yourself pressing replay frequently on that as well as ‘Blue’, ‘Effortlessly’ and ‘Follow The White Rabbit’. Sonically this album really sits in the ‘Positions’ and ‘Thank U, Next’ soundscape, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing as it’s a sound that Madison Beer can pull off extremely well.