Tunes of the week
Foxa Riot – Letdown (Everything I Ask For)
Letdown is the debut single from Foxa Riot; the alter ego of Stoke producer, Rhys Oakes. He describes his sound as lo-fi bedroom pop, but I think that does this a bit of a disservice. Lo-fi tends to be a synonym for fuzzy/poorly recorded, but this all sounds pretty clean. I’d describe it as more low key than lo-fi; it feels laid-back and carefree, from the fictional ad that starts it off, through to some old-school hip-hop scratching at the end, and some whistling along the way (I’m not 100% sure there is actually whistling in this, but it just feels like there should be whistling).
The song is really built around contrasts; the lightness of the music providing the backdrop to lyrics which reflect on mental health struggles and someone generally having a bit of a shitty time. There’s a bit of dark comedy in how nonchalantly “had a friend then he died” is thrown out alongside “bought a Mac but it fried”. If you want to get deeper, you could read that a couple of different ways; a criticism of the over importance we afford to material possessions, or maybe a comment on the genuine importance of our tech because of how much of our lives we pour into them. But also, it just sort of sounds funny.
And it’s that sense of contrast that gives the song an optimistic vibe in spite of the lyrical content, without actually having to resort to ‘everything will be ok’ cliches.
THE GOA EXPRESS – Talking About Stuff
THE GOA EXPRESS are a band who unashamedly harken back to the glory days of the NME. Now, that could mean different things for different ages, but for me that signifies the mid-00’s indie boom. And, while I love a lot of the music of that era, it tends to be a bit of a red flag nowadays, and often translates to fifth rate Arctic Monkeys impressionists.
Their sound definitely brings that era of indie to mind, but thankfully they don’t just sound like a knock-off. I mean, I’m sure they do sound like someone, but I’m struggling to place it (a hint of The Cribs maybe? A bit of The Coral?). Seriously, who do they sound like? Answers on a postcard please. Whoever it might be, it sounds like something I’d burn to a mix CD in 2007 between Men’s Needs and Fluorescent Adolescent.
There’s an easy going charm to this. Where writing a song called Talking About Stuff doesn’t sound stupid, but captures the simple comfort of good friendship. All backed with jangly indie pop which feels designed for summer days. They’re now on a run of strong singles, which bodes well for their debut album due in October.
One which will bring back fond memories for mid-00’s indieheads, even if you’re getting too old to remember what memories exactly.
Grace Cummings – Straight To You
This is Australian songwriter, Cummings’ cover of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ Straight To You. I think of Cummings in a similar vein to Leonard Cohen; that moody baroque folk sound where the cover art just should be black and white. I really liked her 2019 debut of stripped-back bluesy folk, and the follow-up was solid, although felt like she was slightly caught between sounds, aiming for something bigger but losing a bit of the charm along the way.
On paper, this is a fairly stripped-back piano ballad. But this is elevated to an epic by Cummings’ voice, alongside the carefully deployed backing vocals which have the power of a choir. With Cave’s grand lyrical imagery (“the sky will throw thunderbolts and sparks”) it’d be easy for many singers to get lost in this song. But Cummings pulls it off seemingly with ease. Her strength as a vocalist is probably in her restraint as much as anything. She has a deep, and undoubtedly powerful voice, but keeps it steady and relatively muted for the most part. So any switch in inflection or slight increase in volume feels like she’s rising to meet the drama of the lyrics, without the need for excessive vocal contortions.
Cummings is an artist who feels like she could do something really great. She’s been in the potential stage so far, but this cover might just provide a template for how she can lean closer to the sound of her debut, but pull off that ‘something bigger’ regardless.
Hak Baker – DOOLALLY
DOOLALLY is another preview from East Londoner, Baker’s upcoming album, Worlds End FM, and presents a totally different sound to the Carribean-tinged folk of previous single Windrush Baby. This sounds like an early Streets album track, and I mean that in the best way. Like Mike Skinner’s strongest work, Baker’s stream-of-consciousness lyrics bring his tales to life and plant you right into the story as an eyewitness observer.
It manages to capture the spirit and relentless pace of a good (or maybe even bad) night out…hopping from moment to moment, place to place, drink to drink. There’s no chorus to be had here, just a couple of brief musical interludes as if to provide a transition between scenes. Yet without any grand moments the song/the night flies by and is over just like that.
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