So lend an ear and join Steve Miller (no, not that one!) as he tucks into his pick of some of this week’s most prominent music releases. You never know, your new favourite record may be in there!
Like Iggy Pop riding downtown with the top down to Tom Wait’s “Goin’ Out West”, “Slick Rick” from US rockers Spiritual Cramp is a delightfully greasy, bombastic riff fest. With shades of The Cramps, Warmduscher, Billy Idol and ZZ Top, this cut from their eponymous first album is fully fuelled and custom built for drive time, so floor it! “Slick Rick” is out now via Blue Grape.
Bonkers but absolutely addictive, “Dead End Kids” is the alt-bubblegum-pop punk shakedown you’ve been missing in your life. Featuring a chorus worthy of peak-80s MTV, this single from TikTok sensation Ratbag - aka Sophie Brown - may be an indication of anything but a dead-end career for the mischievous New Zealander. You can thank our man Stephen ‘Steps’ Lowe for digging up this certified banger. Check out more of Ratbag doing her thing here.
Built on a synth riff influenced by the likes of Nightcrawler’s classic early-90s house jam “Push The Feeling On”, this unlikeliest of collaborations between [the vocally pitch-shifted] Lenny Kravitz and South Korean DJ Peggy Gou follows the same format as her summer club anthem “(It Goes Like) Nanana” by utilising the underpinnings of well established dance classics to create something new yet thoroughly nostalgic. Weird but addictive. This one just dropped via XL recordings.
Floridian soulster Q - aka Q Steven Marsden - follows up his recent ‘soulPRESENT’ album with the 3-track EP ‘Everyday, Changes’ and the 3rd track “Changes” is a delightfully infectious slice of open-eyed soul pop built on a metronomic bass groove/kick drum combo. Painted with a colourful production and driven along by Q’s smooth vocals, this one is easy on the ear but heavy on your repeat button. Curious? Checkout more from Q here.
Today Radio favourite Antony Szmierek returns from revisiting Auld Lang Syne and hitchhiking fallacies to drop his latest cut “Dance Better”. Vocally, we all know what to expect as Schmerick confidently peels back the lyrical layers of his latest introspection. Musically is where things take a slightly different route to his previous output. The garage hooks are still there but there’s an almost 80s new romanticism/power soul angle to the melody and backing vocals, making this a perfect 3-plus minutes of kick-back/chill-out/wind-down joyfulness. “Dance Better” is out now via Lab Records. Check out our man Steps’ interview with the wonderful Szmierek over on RTL Play.
Brighton-based alt/indie band CIEL combine their love of grunge, goth and shoegaze on their new single “Shut In My Body”, delivering a fresh, broody and glorious sub 3-minute rocker - anchored firmly by the rock/pop vocals stylings of singer Michelle Hindriks. So wind down the windows, tweak the volume and get ready to unlock yourself for 2 minutes of head-nodding fuzz-powered freedom. “Shut In My Body” is out now via V2.
If you’ve found some new tunes recently, have any recommendations for what we should be checking out, or simply have an earworm that you just can’t shift, then why not drop us the details via WhatsApp (+352 621 525 000) and, as our esteemed colleague Stephen ‘Steps’ Lowe always says, if we have it - we’ll play it!
