The Time Out mixtape
Your weekly guide to the best new tracks
Listen to the Time Out mixtape: our music team's round up of their favourite new tracks, mixes and music videos. Check out the hottest new music here, and check back for regular updates.
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Temples – 'Colours to Life'
Some people think that James Bagshaw, the frontman of Temples, looks like Marc Bolan. What he actually looks like is one of those creepy, addled middle-aged men who hang out in Soho nightclubs and think they look like Marc Bolan. But so what if he may have slept in that sheepskin coat at least once? Obviously we're not going to judge his band on appearances – not when we've got a jangling psych-pop future classic like 'Colours to Life' – and some pretty, retro visuals – to distract us from Bagshaw's disconcertingly nest-like barnet. So far Temples have ridden a wave of hype without releasing all that much music, but thankfully 'Colours to Life' is a step up from their first single 'Shelter Song'. That debut release was a Fabergé egg of a track: yes, it was lovely, sparkling and obsessively detailed, but what could you actually do with it? 'Colours to Life' is just as impressive, but it's not just a retromaniacal exercise but a lysergic rush, something you can really get into, maaan. You dig?
Mount Kimbie – 'You Took Your Time' (feat. King Krule)
We've known that a King Krule kollaboration was coming ever since Peckham electro-wizards Mount Kimbie announced their second album 'Cold Spring Fault Less Youth' back in March. And yeah, we were pretty excited. But we weren't expecting anything quite this stunning. Across the duo's fizzing, ambient R&B track, King Krule – that's Archie Marshall, a south Londoner who makes his own foggy, rock 'n' roll-influenced bass music – intones a chilling, leering vocal part that hovers just on the edge of full-on rap. It's so menacing, in fact, that you'd never guess he's a skinny ginger teenager with a thing for check shirts. And – more good news – there's one more Krule-featuring track on Mount Kimbie's new album, which is shaping up to be one of the year's highlights. Whatever you do, don't miss it.
Fryars – 'Can't Stop Loving You'
Remember the heady days of 2009? Gordon Brown was in Downing Street, Lady Gaga was a rising star, and Ben Garrett released his debut album as frYars. Well, times have changed and so has the way Garrett capitalises his one-man alt pop project. He's about to finally follow up 'Dark Young Hearts' with a new album called 'Power', and this week he teased us with this rehearsal footage for a new song called 'Can't Stop Loving You'. It's pretty timeless, and that's not just because of the classy black-and-white filter. Full of classic guitar ploinks and bends and John Lennon-y piano chords, and with a solid chorus that – with a few minor tweaks – could have come out of a transistor radio, Walkman or boombox any time since about 1968, 'Can't Stop Loving You' suggests that 'Power' is going to be something rather special. The only trouble is there's no release date yet, so keep your ears open…
Solange – 'Looks Good With Trouble' (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Typical – you hear the new Mount Kimbie track and think you've found the week's best guest appearance, and then Kendrick Lamar comes on and makes it impossible to choose. Let's recap: Solange is Beyoncé's talented little sister, and she's been making some gorgeous, '80s-indebted synth-soul and R&B with producer Dev Hynes, the man behind Lightspeed Champion and Blood Orange. Got it? Right. Well she's just dropped this velvety, slightly Sade-ish track, and it's all very nice, but it's only when Kendrick drops in for a stark guest verse that things really take off. Describing the isolation of touring and the flip-side of hip hop party culture, the Compton-born rapper depicts himself sleepless, stuck on a tour bus, searching for a wi-fi signal with 'James Mason on repeat'. Brilliant, melancholy stuff that – alongside Mount Kimbie and King Krule – goes to show that as long you get the right cooks, you can make a damn good broth.
Petite Noir – 'Noirse'
In our 'ones to watch' feature at the beginning of the year, we tipped Petite Noir – or Yannick Ilunga, as he's known when he isn't making electronic tropi-pop – as a man who was going to achieve great things in 2013. He's clearly not the kind to let us down, since 'Noirse' (the latest single by the South African) is a lovely thing of yearning that'll appeal to indie kids and dance heads alike. And it looks like he's enjoying life in London too: anyone who lives in Finsbury Park can spot their local bowling alley in the 'Noirse' video.
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