Top Ten Tracks: Little Simz, Cordae & Smoothboi Ezra 23/4/21

As the title suggests, Cordae’s Just Until… is a stop gap to reward his listener’s patience as he builds towards an album.

Featuring sincere bars detailing the footnotes of a hectic year and a hook from none other than Q-Tip it’s a worthy peace offering until his next LP.

7.5

After taking a one way flight to London during a bought of creative stagnation, the onset of a global pandemic meant that LA crooner Deb Never spent a little longer than planned in the UK.

Though, following the release of ‘Someone Else‘ and today’s ‘Sorry’ it’s looking like it was a welcome spanner in the works.

Bending a plethora of sounds at will Deb Never is carving a unique melancholic sound of her own, demonstrated with her latest hit.

7.8

Landing as part of the Deluxe version of Isles, Belfast production duo Bicep have again recruited Clara La San on the earworm ‘Siena’.

7.8

It’s pretty much a given at this point that anything The Neptunes produce is worth adding to your rotation.

Though, Memphis rapper Moneybagg Yo got a double helping of Virginia goodness on Certified Neptunes with Pharrell bringing static-laced production and a bouncy hook.

7.9

‘The Darkness You Feel’ is the first record form the The Chemical Brothers since their 2019 GRAMMY-winning album No Geography and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

While we’ve been conditioned to stay indoors, you’d think it’d be a straight forward sprint to the shops when society slowly reopens, but understandably there’s some residual anxiety from our unprecedented transition back to normal life.

With that in mind, the electronic pioneers are back with a hopeful arm around the shoulder.

8.0

Though at times it sounds like he’s had the weight of the world on his shoulders, Earl Sweatshirt is sounding more animated and alive than ever in ‘Nobles’.

Bench pressing his problems before he spots Navy Blue over another classic beat from The Alchemist, it’s a resilient anthem landing ahead The Alchemist’s This Thing of Ours that features Boldy James, Maxo Pink Siifu and more.

8.1

Hailing from Greystones, Smoothboi Ezra is quickly developing a reputation as one of the country’s most compelling songwriters whilst simultaneously providing representation for those identifying as non-binary and people on the autism spectrum who traditionally lack public-facing representation.

‘Stuck’ represents a lame duck relationship that is teetering towards its end and its intimate qualities are enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

8.2

Navy Blue moved behind the boards for his cut with AKIA SOLO ahead of their collaborative album. The New York artist’s rickety, hypnotic and off-kilter production accentuates AKAI SOLO’s blunt vernacular.

8.4

Announcing his debut album with the title track ‘Town’s Dead’ earlier this week, Dublin rapper Kojaque added another genre-agnostic stitch to Ireland’s evolving musical tapestry.

Sampling Irish post-punk outfit Girlband’s ‘Going Norway’, it’s a fuzzy and visceral track that holds hope for the capital.

8.4

Though a self-professed ‘Introvert’, Little Simz came out all guns blazing on her return, pitting cinematic sounds against lyrics that wrestle with her inner turmoil.

Though there was the release of her Drop 6 EP as a quarantine care package, there was a feeling we were all waiting for a bigger statement piece. In a similar vein to acts like Kendrick Lamar, who remain silent for large periods there is commanding air on Simz latest effort that invites a closer examination of every word.

Ahead of what could be a career defining album after the success of Grey Area, ‘Introvert’ is a compelling track that grapples with identity in the midst of chaos.

8.5