New music round-up (for w/e 5 July 2024)

Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 5 July 2024.

Featuring the triple j playlisted and Rolling Stone praised “Sunday Drive”, Eves Karydas steadies to embark on a new trail, burning all the tapes and moving on. Written across Stockholm and Meanjin / Brisbane, recorded in London with Chris Zane (producer, summerskin), the new release Burnt Tapes is set to paint Eves’ ascent as a multidisciplinary creative. Reconstructing indignant burnout and frustration in the face of her perceived success, Burnt Tapes is “an ode to reclaiming my sound, image and narrative.” By no means a victim of circumstance, this new album is set to reveal a master of their instrument, the reward of choice and courageous freedom, and merit in embracing a guerrilla ethos. With musicality and conviction unlike before, Burnt Tapes shares an all new purview to her deepest motivations – songwriting and performance.

Unreal Unearth is the new album from Grammy nominated Irish singer-songwriter, Hozier. This 16 track collection has production credits for Hozier, as well as Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, Jennifer Decilveo, and Bekon. Hozier burst onto the global music scene in 2013 with his hit single “Take Me To Church,” now RIAA certified Diamond, with over 13 million in combined sales and streaming volume. Hozier, his self titled debut album from 2014 is RIAA certified 3x Platinum, and the 2019 follow up album Wasteland Baby! is RIAA certified GOLD. Hozier has toured globally, and played numerous festivals including Coachella, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, ACL, and more.

On kuniko plays reich, percussionist Kuniko Kato presents highly virtuosic solo performances of three premiere arrangements of Steve Reich works. The pieces – brand new arrangements of Steve Reich works newly written for percussion – are in celebration of his 75th birthday by one of today’s most gifted percussionists. Upon hearing the recording Steve Reich wrote: “Kuniko Kato is a first rate percussionist who has put a lot of careful thought and hours of rehearsal into making this excellent [album]. She has created new and very beautiful arrangements.” Kato’s arrangements are simply stunning and this recording exhibits elements of her Japanese heritage to create a warm, virtuosic performance. This unique recording must be heard!

On My Prophet, Oded Tzur together with his quartet of pianist Nitai Hershkovits, bassist Petros Klampanis and the new group member Cyrano Almeida on drums, continues on the idiosyncratic musical path he has carved out for himself – a flowing jazz idiom that seamlessly combines multiple forms of expression – while delving deeper into the meditative and highly concentrated realm of improvisation. In the process, the saxophonist presents some of his fiercest playing yet. The quartet’s synergy is of a unique blend, with each player’s distinct voice adding to an ensemble sound capable of conjuring both the quietest storm and the most passionate crescendo. Hershkovits’s bountiful stylistic reach and fluent technique swirl around Oded’s unmistakable tenor tone with Klampanis providing both backbone and melody, adaptable yet guiding – just like his rhythm-partner Almeida.

JessB’s highly anticipated debut album, Feels Like Home, is more than just a collection of catchy tunes; it’s a journey through self-discovery, cultural identity, and the true meaning of home. The 12-track album showcases JessB’s versatility as an artist, blending elements of rap, R&B, and hip-hop with infectious melodies and insightful lyricism.

A24 Music has released MaXXXine (Original Score), by recording artist and film composer Tyler Bates. It’s the sonic companion to the explosive final chapter of writer-director Ti West’s X trilogy. Bates has been an integral part of the series since its inception: He partnered with celebrated goth rocker Chelsea Wolfe on the haunting score for X, and worked alongside award-winning composer Tim Williams to create the sweeping, late-Romantic orchestral backdrop for Pearl. Bates returns for the trilogy’s highly-anticipated conclusion, cultivating an immensely suspenseful aural world for MaXXXine. Ornamented with bouts of sultry saxophone, the score compliments the 1980s Hollywood framing of the movie, in which adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) finally gets her big break.

Harmonics – the new album from Hot Chip founding member Joe Goddard – is a record rooted in warmth, instinct and empathy. Across 14 tracks of left-of-centre dance music – touching on UK garage, house, hip-hop, pop, and disco – Goddard opens the floor for a number of collaborators. The voice of Ibibio Sound Machine’s Eno Williams rides the afro-house groove of “Progress”, while starry-eyed boom-bap track “When Love’s Out of Fashion” features UK rapper Oranje. Former Wild Beasts frontman Hayden Thorpe lends his uniquely expressive vocal to the low-slung house of “Summon”, and Joe’s Hot Chip bandmates Alexis Taylor and Al Doyle both appear on the gleaming half-step ballad “Heal Your Mind”. Other guests on Harmonics include Tom McFarland of the London dance-pop group Jungle, Bronx-raised singer Fiorious (on recent single “New World (Flow)”), Guinean vocalist Falle Nioke, and UK jazz musician Alabaster DePlume.

Other reviews you might enjoy:

• New music round-up (for w/e 18 November 2022)
• New music round-up (for w/e 20 September 2024)
• New music round-up (for w/e 1 December 2023)