Murs – No More Control
Murs has always been a rapper who defies labels. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, he’s always had an ear to the streets and reflects those influences in his music. But he’s never been one to buy into narratives that limit people based on their background or upbringing, and he’s constantly emphasizing the need to look deeper and urging people to embrace one another.
Now a member of Tech N9ne’s Strange Music label, Murs’ new album Have a Nice Life dropped this week. On the stand out track No More Control, Murs recruits MNDR for the chorus to this soul searching song. Dealing with themes of violence in the African American community, both from external forces and from within, Murs parses the struggles of growing up in difficult situations—a struggle he knows too well—and pleads for people to stand up against violence in all forms.
Hot Chip – Burning Up
Hot Chip’s new album Why Make Sense? came out earlier this week, but one of the band’s best tracks didn’t even make the cut. Left on the cutting room floor is Burning Up, but its absence definitely doesn’t speak to its quality. The track has a dreamlike quality, floating upward on the glistening sounds of synth. Despite the name, Burning Up is more of a simmer, but the slow burn pays off as the song builds to a lovely, gentle peak, then fades like a candle flame blown out.
Holly Herndon – Chorus
Your first listen of Chorus is going to be a trip. At first, it sounds like a disjointed mess of sounds and effects being mixed together in a sort of sonic stew. But as the song progresses, and the sounds start to blend, something more cohesive starts to emerge. Cerebral and heady as it may be, once it reaches its apex it’s an undeniably dancey track. Clicks, pops, and blips turn into driving rhythms and head nods, before coming to an abrupt halt.
Twenty One Pilots – Stressed Out
Columbus, Ohio’s own Twenty One Pilots popped up on the indie scene back in 2009, then made a true mark with their first record as a signed act, Vessel, in 2013. Now back with Blurryface, the group revisits its genre-hopping ways as it draws in rock, indie, and electronic sensibilities, before blending into an alt hip hop mix. Stressed Out might listen like a response to the pressures of duplicating success, as the duo lament formulaic music and having to meet expectations, but if you demand good music, it definitely delivers.
Muse – Mercy
We’re less than a month away from a new record from Muse, the English rockers known for their epic compositions. As a teaser, the group released Mercy, and it should be enough to get any fan of the group worked up for the full album release. The track is Muse at their anthemic best, powered forward by pulsing pianos and distorted guitars as it builds to a powerful chorus, belted out in full force by band frontman Matthew Bellamy.
