Gemma Cockrell and Kiah Tooke
Gemma and Kiah review the latest releases from The Famous Daxx, daine, Matt Maltese and Josie Proto.
The Famous Daxx – Quarterlife (Gemma)
The Famoux Daxx has released her third single Quarterlife, a track about turning 25 years old and being confused about the in-between state where you still feel like a teenager but are supposed to be an adult. It is a soundtrack to Daxx’s quarterlife crisis (which resulted in her getting a pet cat), recorded in 2020 with an all-female session band. The track is atmospheric and dreamy, with dark tones and grungy guitars. Following her previous singles Gamble and Weatherman, I can’t wait to see what Daxx does next.
daine – IDC (Gemma)
daine’s new single IDC is emo rap-tinged and moody, much like the rest of her discography. Since she began to release music in the first lockdown, she has mastered her unique and futuristic sound, whilst also accumulating a strong following on social media platforms such as TikTok. The second half of the track changes tone, moving towards more hyperpop sounds, with higher-pitched vocals. This mixture of emo rap and hyperpop (two of my personal favourite genres) leaves me continuing to enjoy daine’s music very much. With a continuous string of singles being released since mid-2020, surely an EP or album is coming from her soon?
Matt Maltese – Nothing Breaks Your Heart Like Christmas (Kiah)
Matt Maltese, the English singer-songwriter, has returned with a more downbeat Christmas song that discuss the negative feelings the holiday season can bring. Mellow piano accompanies Maltese’s vocals as he acknowledges Christmas’ role in him realising what he has lost through a breakup. Nothing Breaks Your Heart Like Christmas has a slow and relaxing beat that compliments Maltese’s calming voice – the end of the song sees light synths being added that is reminiscent of classic Christmas songs. The song’s lyrics contain amusing lines such as ‘’my second cousin asks what you’re up to now / I comfort-eat a whole pie and make a frown,” that keeps the song from feeling too desolate.
Josie Proto – Sticky Fingers (Kiah)
Josie Proto is an upcoming British singer-songwriter and has recently released her latest single Sticky Fingers, a powerful and energetic song that fits her indie pop genre. Sticky Fingers discusses Proto’s experiences growing up when she felt like she had to mould her personality around other people to fit in. Accompanying the song is a music video that depicts this vision, with Proto sharing ‘’we really wanted to depict this outsider that does everything she can to try and fit in’’. This new song builds upon Proto’s previous single Problem Child which talks about her not fitting into the ideal role desired for a child.
Gemma Cockrell and Kiah Tooke
Featured image courtesy of Nina via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes made to this image.
To listen to all of these tracks, check out the New Releases Roundup playlist on Spotify.
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