Gemma Cockrell and Kiah Tooke
As Halloween is over and winter beckons, Gemma and Kiah review the latest releases from hidingthehurt, Zuzu, CHVRCHES and Conan Gray.
hidingthehurt – Tinted Glasses (Gemma)
hidingthehurt’s new single Tinted Glasses is our first taste of his upcoming EP, the title and release date of which are yet to be announced and confirmed. hidingthehurt is the stage name for 19-year-old Ollie Greenhalgh, who studies at university in Nottingham.
According to Greenhalgh, the track was written and recorded during a time “where [he] almost broke out of the cycle of love and adoration [he] had for a previous partner… Taking off the tinted glasses is what we do when we move on from someone and realise that our perception was truly guiding our emotions surrounding them.”
Whilst previously his lyrics have focused on past memories, this track represents him coming to terms with the present, marking a huge step forward for him both emotionally and in terms of his sound as well. The EP promises to provide “an insight into [his] mind, the good and the bad”, and it seems likely that we will see hidingthehurt expressing his raw emotions without fear as he has always done in his music.
Zuzu – Queensway Tunnel (Gemma)
Zuzu has released the title track from her upcoming album ‘Queensway Tunnel’, which will also serve as the closing track of the album. It takes a slightly more laidback approach in the first half of the song than her previous single Lie To Myself, but it is just as emotive, particularly towards the latter half when the pace increases for the outro of the track.
based on these singles, it is shaping up to be one of the most promising debut albums of the year
Zuzu said of the track via Instagram: “This one is incredibly personal to me, I wrote it one morning when I woke up at the crack of Dawn feeling helpless. It’s about being promised the world to be let down every time.”
With this being the final single to be released from ‘Queensway Tunnel’, fans will have to wait until 12th November to hear the full project. One thing is for certain though: based on these singles, it is shaping up to be one of the most promising debut albums of the year.
CHVRCHES – Killer (Gemma)
This week, CHVRCHES unveiled a deluxe version of their fourth full-length album ‘Screen Violence’ which came out earlier this year in August. As well as the ten original tracks, it also features three new additions: Killer, Screaming and Bitter End.
With the initial album being very concise, fans will be delighted to receive a few extra songs to extend the spectacular concept album that CHVRCHES crafted. The first of these tracks is Killer, which follows the dark-tinged synth-pop sound that CHVRCHES established on ‘Screen Violence’.
Whilst not doing anything remarkably innovative in comparison to the standard edition of the album, it does exactly what a deluxe track should do: it gives fans an extra taste of the album, extending the world of ‘Screen Violence’ for just a bit longer.
Conan Gray – Telepath (Kiah)
Rumours have been circulating about Conan Gray’s upcoming second album, and his new single Telepath is thought to be the third single released from this, following People Watching and Astronomy. This new single is a pop anthem that has influences taken from electro-pop 80s music, and is a move away from the more downbeat People Watching.
Lyrically, the track is about an ex-partner that keeps coming back despite having abandoned you in the past
Telepath was teased several times on Conan’s Instagram before its official announcement the week before. Lyrically, the track is about an ex-partner that keeps coming back despite having abandoned you in the past. This is similar to the themes discussed in The Cut That Always Bleeds, which also talks about someone returning only when they want something.
Telepath was released on the same day that tickets for Conan’s world tour went on sale, increasing the anticipation for these shows. After having had his 2020 tour cancelled, Conan has since only played at iHeartRadio Music Festival 2021, making his live comeback all the more exciting.
Gemma Cockrell and Kiah Tooke
Featured image courtesy of Nina via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In-article images courtesy of @hidingthehurt._ and @chvrches via @instagram.com. No changes were made to these images.
To listen to all of these tracks, check out the New Releases Roundup playlist on Spotify.
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