Ladytron - The Island

A: Ladytron
S: The Island

The second single teasing Ladytron's next album - the legendary Liverpool electronic act's first after a 7-year hiatus, slated for release in the first quarter of next year - is here and it's ace. Delivered in familiar Ladytron fashion, The Island feels like a nod to longtime fans who've been awaiting the group's return for so many years.

... fate loves desire.

Neneh Cherry - Shot Gun Shack

A: Neneh Cherry
S: Shot Gun Shack

Cherry heard the phrase Shot Gun Shack while at the funeral of late jazz musician Ornette Coleman: I don’t even remember who said it, but I was like, ‘Shotgun shack! That’s a cool term.’ It’s about gun culture—the notion of war zones and the tragedies that guns bring there. The dealing of arms. Street culture. The gun is a powerful thing - dangerous, but powerful.

... you can't cry now.

Aesop Rock - Kirby

A: Aesop Rock
S: Kirby

Kirby is actually a pretty simple song in terms of content for Aesop, being an ode to his cat Kirby. At the end of the song, he reveals that he bought the kitten because his psychiatrist told him to. It happens. I guess.

... homie don't fetch, only woke to stretch.

Say Lou Lou - Golden Child

A: Say Lou Lou
S: Golden Child

Australian-Swedish sibling duo Say Lou Lou have come out the other side of their renaissance with Immortelle, an album that explores the roles and relationships of women. Their second single Golden Child is a percussive, dream-pop anthem for young, and every man who feels like a natural woman.


... there's fire burning in your bones tonight.

Childish Gambino - Feels Like Summer

A: Childish Gambino
S: Feels Like Summer

Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) dropped an animated music video for his single Feels Like Summer on Saturday, and it’s chock-full of high-profile cartoon cameos. Feels Like Summer, which was released in June alongside Summertime Magic, issues a subtle warning about climate change delivered through Gambino’s haunting vocals and dreamy melody. The new video also features dozens of cartoon versions of pop culture and political icons.

... I'm hopin' that this world will change.

Troye Sivan - Bloom

A: Troye Sivan
S: Bloom

No other song this year has inspired more unbridled joy than Troye Sivan’s My My My!. Like a pair of glitter-heeled boots, it begs for you to strut as reverbed drums clack and shake in the background. In fact, Bloom, the YouTuber-turned-singer’s second album, is soaked in this exuberance. Whereas before Sivan was meekly stepping out of the closet, embracing his homosexuality with brooding melancholia, Bloom dances around the closet as it burns. Enjoy.

... I've been saving this for you, baby.

Die Toten Hosen - Willkommen in Deutschland

A: Die Toten Hosen
S: Willkommen in Deutschland

Dear nazis, AfD politicians and all of you the other people hating in Chemnitz in 2018, 79 years after the third reich started the second world war, 15 years after this song was written - please retire your hate speech, please shut the fcuk up, or even better, please go and die. Thanks and sincerely yours, humanity.

... du bist schuldig, wenn du deine Augen davor schließt.