What We're Listening To Right Now

If spring had a soundtrack it would sound like…

We're living in exciting musical times, even if, as other countries open up their arenas around the world, we're still seeing a frustrating amount of tours Down Under cancelled. But while we're sure you've been devouring every new album you can get your hands on in lockdown, or simply replaying the classics to death, the warm weather that's beckoning is just begging for some fresh new tunes to go with it. Here are five artists we think you should be working into your rotation right now.

Lorde
Lorde’s latest album, the effervescent and very appropriately titled Solar Power, has divided critics and longtime fans of the Kiwi songstress like none of her previous projects. What’s an indisputable fact, however, is that the mellowed-out sound of Solar Power is positive, summery, and perfectly tuned to the ears of a population emerging from lockdown into the warmer weather.

Salute
Coming out of Manchester by way of Vienna, UK producer Salute is gathering huge momentum in Europe right now, earning co-signs from the likes of Disclosure and Porter Robinson thanks to his funky and endlessly catchy fusion of house, breaks and UK Garage.

SG Lewis
SG Lewis’s disco-infused album Times, which blends pop, funk and house to rapturous effect, was one of the albums of early 2021, earning huge praise from the likes of Elton John, among many. Dance-y enough to bust out at a gathering, yet refined enough to have on in the background, it’ll have you bopping along all day.

Tkay Maidza
Why neo-soul queen Tkay Maidza isn’t the most hyped name in music Down Under is beyond us, the Zimbabwe-born Australian rapper and singer having dropped her third critically-acclaimed EP in as many tries only last month. Tkay’s sound has come on leaps and bounds since her more poppy 2016 debut album, and if you’re not acquainted with the stuff the 24-year-old is doing now, Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 3, is a hell of a place to start.

Tyler, the Creator
Aside from cementing himself as one of the most stylish men on the face of the earth right now, Tyler has truly established himself as one of the foremost names in hip-hop with Call Me If You Get Lost, a banger-laden LP that sees Tyler’s older, more ferocious rap style re-emerge over the intricate production that his more recent albums have become renowned for.