Fresh Music Fridays #2: 13/04/18

In this second instalment of Fresh Music Fridays, SURG staff writers Olly Cummins, Haydn Hickson, and Jamie Weiss take their first listen of Empress Of, Princess Nokia, and Chrome Sparks. 

“In Dreams” — Empress Off

Olly: Empress Of hasn’t done a lot since her stellar 2015 debut album but In Dreams picks up right where she left off, with a muted break-up anthem that feels intimate and wishful, her songwriting as strong as ever.
Haydn: Swinging comfortably from her falsetto and her chest voice, Empress Of comes through with the summery anthem you didn’t know you needed. It’s so moving, you can’t even tell the majority of the song is in another language.
Jamie: Soulful and breezy with almost a Gotye vibe, with a sprinkle of Latin flavour.

“Flowers and Rope” — Princess Nokia

Olly: On Flowers & Rope, Princess Nokia pulls heavily from the early 2000s rock scene she so clearly loves, marking a huge stylistic shift from her previous New York indebted hip hop sound, and while it works for the most part, whether this song lands for you really depends on how much you like Avril Lavigne and Blink 182.
Haydn: Somehow, on this unusual pop-rap bop, Princess Nokia manages to sound like Lil Boat and All American Rejects put together… It’s weirdly mesmerising….Patrick: Tension-building flow, somewhat empty-sounding beat but the Migos feature shines through towards the end.
Jamie: Sounds like the theme song for a TV show crossover of Daria with Jet Set Radio Future. A fan.

“I Just Wanna” — Chrome Sparks (feat. KLLO)

Olly: I Just Wanna is a sensual, emotional dance song that you probably couldn’t really dance to, bubbling and blooping its way along for 4 minutes until it finally builds to a climax that wants to be more epic than it probably is… but I love it anyway.
Haydn: With the help of guest vocals from KLLO, Chrome Sparks delivers a wonderfully weird dance tune that’ll have you considering going out tonight. Like you won’t go, but you’ll consider it for sure.
Jamie: If this was playing in a clothing store I’d buy all their merchandise. What a groove.

Tune in next week for our next Fresh Music Friday!