The 10 best songs of the week

Kendrick Lamar

euphoria

Rap beefs are a bit lame aren’t they?

Grown men disagreeing with each other and trading trivial insults over hastily-dialed in beats are the rap beef M.O. but some beefs just are too salty to ignore.

Drake, Kendrick and J Cole have been going tete-a-tete in a petty one over the last few weeks.

As a piece of bravado theatre, this beef is fascinating in its gossipy pettiness but zoom out and it’s all a bit embarrassing – these men need some therapy maybe? Did Kendrick not learn this from Mr Morale?

OK, rewind. Stop. ICYMI.

Kendrick dissed Drake and J. Cole on Future and Metro Boomin’s song ‘Like That’ on a previously unannounced guest verse. These three self-appointed giants of rap, then started fuming in public with J. Cole posting a freestyle, then retracting his response and apologising, embarrassed at taking the bait (a bigger man, well done).

Then Drake released not one but two songs ‘Push Up’ and ‘Taylor Made Freestyle’ that fired back at Kendrick, the latter of which, since removed due to AI usage copyright claims, featured fake AI verses from Tupac and Snoop Dog (lame).

Now, here’s Kendrick surprisingly sinking into the confrontational mire of the beef on ‘euphoria’ and delivering a six-minute rap that is aimed squarely at Drake which retreads some of the main points of Pusha T’s Drake diss all-timer ‘The Story Of Adidon‘ in saying Drake is a bad father and isn’t raising his child), punches down (on someone in Drake’s circle with Parkinson’s and dementia), questions his blackness and highlights the hush money he paid to make a sexual assault case go away in 2019.

He absolutely rips him.

I’m still surprised he took the bait though – I expected Kendrick to rise above the slander.

Yet, trite lyrical objections aside, the beats sound Casio keyboard level but the rapping is great, showing why Kendrick is the best actual rapper.

And isn’t that the thing? Even when Kendrick is being a bit lame, he’s still god-tier above Drake in the rap stakes.

Kara Jackson

Right, Wrong Or Ready

A worthy reminder that Kara Jackson’s Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love? was one of 2023’s best albums, so it’s nice to hear Kara cover a folk songwriter classic in Karen Dalton, a stopgap song released to mark some US dates and that Jackson plays live to open her shows.

“‘Right, Wrong or Ready’ is one of my favorite songs that has become a mainstay in my live sets. I love the song because it’s not quite a love song, but more so a statement of the kind of limbo love can become when a person has been on your mind for way too long. A love song for the lonely.”

Kara is coming back to Ireland to play Beyond The Pale.

Nilüfer Yanya

Like I Say (I Runaway)

Nilüfer Yanya is back with her first song since 2022’s album Painless.

‘Like I Say (I runaway)’, the English artist’s first release new label on Ninja Tune, and dominates with wonky alternative guitar fuzz (I hear Nirvana ‘All Apologies’) and a tamped vocal delivery.

“It’s about how you choose to spend your time. Time is like a currency, every moment. You’re never going to get it back. It’s quite an overwhelming thing to realise.”

The video featuring Nilüfer as a runaway bride was directed by Yanya’s sister Molly Danie, and the song was written in in collaboration with Yanya’s creative partner, Wilma Archer, who has been part of her work since the excellent debut Miss Universe.

IDER

Girl

The under-rated UK duo of IDER are back with their first song since the 2021 album Shame. ”Girl’ is a sonic reminder of the Megan Markwick and Lily Somerville’s evocative electronic pop music, and their derft hand at writing earworm melodies, this time out with a bit more of a club-dynamic feel.

“Girl is a celebration of our inner wolves and the many different faces of femininity – soft, powerful, gentle and fierce, compassionate, destructive, demonic and divine. 

“It sums up the feeling of freedom when you’re moving with your favourite people, and you don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

Pretty Girl

Higher

Simple clubby pop banger-with-heart music from soon to be London-based Melbourne producer Pretty Girl that feels ’90s in a nice way without being too nostalgic.

The track’s euphoria was inspired by “a moment of dancefloor clarity” at Glastonbury last year.

It’s from the artist’s forthcoming EP Get Back To Me out June 5th via One House.

“If my first two EPs were the caterpillar and the chrysalis, this one will be the butterfly. My intention with this EP was to look into my heart and see exactly what music it was telling me to make. I wanted to focus on what feels good, rather than just what sounds good. I think that intention shines through and when a track comes from an artist’s heart there is a special quality to a song. I used the process of writing the EP to actually reground myself in my identity and confidence not just as an artist but as a person. I used to have a very strong sense of self but felt lost in my identity over the past couple of years (which is normal for people in my position as an up-and-coming artist). Throughout the process of writing this EP I had to come to terms with these qualities and really face a lot of insecurities I have about myself, and also ask myself so many times “who am i?” Music makes you feel alive, and when you feel alive you’re talking to your higher self, your most genuine self, who you really are.”

See Also

The Nialler9 New Music Playlist: Adrianne Lenker, System Olympia, Big Wett & more

Bullion

World_train (feat. Charlotte Adigéry)

Bullion’s new album Affection was released this past Friday on Ghostly International and features Carly Rae Jepsen, Panda Bear and this Charlotte Adigery-featuring Arthur Russell and wind-instrument oddball country jam.

John Glacier

Nevasure

I have been putting this tune from London experimental rapper, producer, and poet John Glacier’s recent EP Like A Ribbon into heavy rotation.

I previously featured a Vegyn collaboration, and ‘Money Shows’.

Cruza

Supa Anxious

Also very much vibing on this track from the Orlando four-piece Cruza.

Woozy textures, downbeats and razor-thing guitars under whispery vocals that feel like walking into a particularly nice band jam.

Jessica Pratt

The Last Year

How does Jessica Pratt manage to sound like she’s being beamed in from another era of time past?

‘The Last Year’ is the third single from the forthcoming Here In The Pitch album, out this Friday.

The Streets, Overmono

Turn The Page

Overmono have ben playing their own version of The Streets’ ‘Turn The Page’ in their live shows over the past couple of years.

The official remix just dropped on XL and is also available on 12″.

Overmono play Forbidden Fruit this summer, and are on tour across Europe as below.

Since the release of last year’s Good Lies, Overmono dropped one of their tune highlights in their collaboration with Joy Orbison and Kwengface in ‘Freedom 2’ along with ‘Blowout’ and a recent collaboration with Lil Yachty and Fred again..