There is no denying that Friday is the best day of the week where new music is released and we geek out at every playlist available while celebrating the end of the work week and getting excited about weekend plans. While new music is dropping almost every day, we understand that the task of breaking through all that music clutter is difficult. Starting this year, we’ll be doing you a favour by handpicking new singles and albums you ought to keep your headphones on for.
JAWN – A World Next Door
Returning to his folk sensitivity, singer-songwriter JAWN welcomes the new year with his latest single release, ‘A World Next Door’. The title of the single itself says it all, with stripped back down to earth lyrics and an acoustic production, the single is all about comfort – choosing to step outside a world of doubt and self-hate and into something better.
Listen to ‘A World Next Door’
Charlie Lim & Aisyah Aziz, Won’t You Come Around
Singer-songwriter, Charlie Lim has teamed up with fellow singer and actress, Aisyah Aziz to release the bilingual English and Bahasa Melayu duet, ‘Won’t You Come Around’.
While interpreted as a romantic invitation, the track’s true message is of the growing pains of learning to understand, accept, and rely on each other in a long-term relationship. While conveying the importance of learning to trust in a relationship, the song also narrates the personal struggle one faces in search of peace of mind and finding the patience to love oneself. Self-love is both a challenge and a constant struggle faced in our everyday lives, and learning to let go becomes crucial.
Listen here:
The music video for ‘Won’t You Come Around’ will be available on 25 January 2021, 9PM on Charlie Lim’s Youtube page.
Scenery, For You
Singapore and Melbourne based Indie R&B band, Scenery recently released their third single, ‘For You’. This single explores the pains of distance and longing, marrying ethereal guitar lines, crooning vocals, and a bold rhythm and bass section to create a warm-toned space of contemplative reprieve – very much appropriate for listening to on late nights when you’re completely done for the day.
Scenery released an accompanying music video for this single. A collaboration with Singaporean director, Daniel Chan (Dan Visuals), the video paints a blurry night drive home, following the ponderings of a pensive salaryman.
Listen to ‘For You’
Jean Tan feat. 양중은Yang Jung Eun, Oak Cherry Wine Remix
Singer-songwriter, Jean Tan will be releasing a remix version of her spellbinding single, ‘Oak Cherry Wine’, a collaboration with Korean YouTube artist, 양중은 Yang Jung Eun. The track tells the story of Jean’s struggles with kidney disease, and of the man who stood by her in the celebratory and difficult moments alike. Like all truly good romance stories, the song’s lyrics has a bittersweet tinge and is all the better for it – a love that is tried and true. The remix is elevated by a new arrangement, breathing new life into the track with a lo-fi beat, a jazz-hop push and pull, and syncopated electric piano.
Jean Tan’s Oak Cherry Wine Remix (feat. 양중은 Yang Jung Eun) will be available on 29 January 2021, with an accompanying music video shot of a pair of lovers dancing through the quotidian scenes of Stockholm city out on 14 February 2021 on her Youtube page.
Subsonic Eye, Nature of Things
Leading up with released the singles, ‘Unearth’ and ‘Fruitcake’ last year, Singaporean noise-rock mainstays, Subsonic Eye, have reinvented themselves to release their third full-length album, ‘Nature of Things.’ Shedding heavy fuzz and fanfare for rawer tonality and wearied lyricism, the 9-track album sees the band coming to grips with their place in a strange world, finding refuge in confessional intimacy with a grounded palette that evokes the album’s name-sake – nature—whilst pondering the toll of human indulgence.
Listen to ‘Nature of Things’
*MZA, Liquid Ocelot
Created with the guidance from prolific electronic producer, Intriguant, beatmaker MZA dropped, ‘Liquid Ocelot’, a liquid drum & bass track traversing deep club sounds filled with peril and twists. MZA is as much influenced by John Coltrane as he is with producers from DJ Premier to Larry Heard. Now part of Yen Disco Soundsystem, MZA is embarking on a new journey producing beats and music heavily influenced and inspired by the artists’ music he frequently plays during his DJ sets. From jazz, soul, R&B, hip hop, and house no stone will be left unturned on his quest for the perfect sample.
Listen to ‘Liquid Ocelot’
*ZIONN, Krystajoy, NAME DROP
Previously known for her soulful roots, Krysta Joy explores unchartered territory with electronic music producer ZIONN in this slick, punchy pop song, ‘NAME DROP’. Although still keeping to her crooning, this collaboration between singer-songwriter and producer breathes life to this bop of a track. ‘NAME DROP’ encourages musicians to believe in themselves instead and get to where they want to through creating a name for themselves authentically.
Listen to ‘NAME DROP’
*‘Liquid Ocelot’ and ‘NAME DROP’, are tracks that were recently produced as part of *SCAPE’s ALT Residency program.