Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this best new music segment.
On this week’s list, we have ‘kisses’, the hazy, tender lead single from Slowdive’s first album in six years; Aphex Twin’s first official single in five years, ‘Blackbox Life Recorder 21f’, which warps its melancholy in gentle, hypnotic fashion; the Smile’s mesmerizing, fiery eight-minute epic ‘Bending Hectic’; Faye Webster’s entrancing new single ‘But Not Kiss’, which could be “a really romantic song or a really anti-romantic song,” in the musician’s own words; ‘Fader’, another excellent single from Róisín Murphy’s new album; Carly Rae Jepsen’s bubbly, infectious new single ‘Shy Boy’; and Palehound’s raucous post-breakup track ‘Independence Day’, lifted from their upcoming album Eye on the Bat.
PC Music, the label that A. G. Cook founded in 2013, has announced it will not be releasing new music after this year. “After a decade of activity, 2023 will be PC Music’s final year of new releases,” reads a statement on the label’s website. “Following that, the label will be dedicated to archival projects and special reissues. We have an undisclosed number of new albums and singles coming very soon. For now, 10 x 10 minutes of content from the past, present & future. Personal Computer Music forever.”
To celebrate PC Music’s 10th anniversary, the label has shared a 100-minute mix of old and new music featuring contributions from Cook, EASYFUN, Ö, GRRL, Kane West, umru, Datalord, caro♡, BOPPLES, and Dux Content. Listen to it below.
Founded by Cook in London a decade ago, PC Music helped define the sound of hyperpop and internet pop, which was often paired with displays of ironic consumerism. After gaining traction with singles like ‘Hey QT’, a collaboration between Cook, Sophie, and the performance artist Hyd, many of its producers began working with artists outside the PC Music universe, including Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Caroline Polachek.
Rina Sawayama appeared to call out Matty Healy of the 1975 during her set at the Glastonbury Festival of Performing Arts. “Tonight, this goes out to a white man that watches Ghetto Gaggers, and mocks Asian people on a podcast,” Sawayama said while introducing her song ‘STFU!’. “He also owns my masters. I’ve had enough.”
Matty Healy faced criticism for an appearance on the Adam Friedland Show in February. During the interview, Healy admitted to watching someone “just getting, like, brutalized” on Ghetto Gaggers, a pornography series in which women of colour are degraded and subjugated by white men. He also laughed as Friedland and co-host Nick Mullen mockingly impersonated Chinese, Japanese, and Hawaiian accents in an attempt to guess rapper Ice Spice’s ethnicity.
The 1975 and Sawayama are both signed to Dirty Hit. Healy was a director at Dirty Hit Limited, the label’s parent company, from December 2018 until April 2023. Addressing the controversy onstage in Auckland, Healy said, “I’m kind of a bit sorry if I’ve offended you. Ice Spice, I’m sorry. It’s not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued. It’s because I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a dick. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry.”
Since its inception in 2005, the Longines Master Collection has showcased some of the finest Longines watches in recent times. From beautiful dress watches to terrific Chronograph pieces that deliver on their price bracket, aesthetic, and performance. In today’s Watch Spotlight, we’re eager to feature the Longines 42mm Master Collection Chronograph with the moon-phase.
Design
The watch is available in four variations, including two dial options: the Sunray blue dial and the Silver ‘barleycorn’ dial. While diverse, the choices are both challenging to choose between. The blue dial has a more sophisticated evening look and blends like settled paint with the moon-phase at 6 o’clock. While the silver dial presents a more iconic look that I’d argue fits a more extensive range of fashion styles, including the trendy “old money” look. Moreover, there are three variations of the bracelet and strap. The first choice, the stainless steel bracelet, is available on the silver and blue dial. While if you are going for a leather look, you can get the brown alligator strap with the silver dial or the blue alligator strap with the blue dial. In case you want to add new colors, there are also rubber bands for Longines watches perfect for those who are into active outdoor activities.
Size-wise, the watch is 42mm which is in the perfect range for most male wearers but will appear slightly too big for those typically dipping into the 36mm to 38mm ranges. For those unhappy with the size, you can opt for a 40mm option, saving you £200.
Movement
The calibre of the piece is L687, a self-winding mechanical movement ticking at 28’800 vibrations per hour, with a solid power reserve of up to 66 hours. The timepiece has the Chronograph feature, which is super-handy but adds great aesthetic value to the watch. It also features a beautiful moon-phase, which seals the deal.
Conclusion
To put it briefly, this timepiece by Longines ticks the boxes. It’s exciting for the number of functions it holds but also because it’s so well-designed that it works formally and informally. The Longines Master Collection certainly has some exquisite pieces, and while many alternatives appear, not as many excite someone looking for a brand with heaps of history like Longines. At a reasonably low-luxury price tag of £3,400, this piece by Longines would take the crown over many of its competing Swiss watch brands in the price range.
Anytime Fitness, the renowned 24-hour health club chain headquartered in Minnesota, is transforming the way people approach fitness. With a deep commitment to providing a convenient and enjoyable workout experience, Anytime Fitness has embraced technology to create an innovative virtual gym platform. Fengyi Liu, an exceptional visual designer, attempts to transform its brand identity to deliver a fitness journey like no other.
Inspired by the popular Nintendo Switch game “Animal Crossing”, Liu embarked on a mission to infuse the fitness experience with elements of fun, personalization, and community. The result is a captivating mascot in the form of a kettlebell, complete with endearing anthropomorphic expressions. This mascot serves as the centerpiece of user interaction, bridging the gap between individual progress and collective memory within the fitness community. Users can track milestones, share achievements, and connect with like-minded individuals. Liu’s attention to detail highlights the vital role of storytelling in interaction design, elevating the fitness experience.
The project obtained Gold Winner of 2023 Muse Awards. Describing the mascot as a personification of Anytime Fitness itself, Liu emphasizes its role as an energetic and uplifting companion throughout users’ fitness journeys. With its engaging presence, the mascot motivates users to conquer challenges, surpass their limits, and forge a deep sense of camaraderie within the fitness community. By infusing the brand with a relatable character, Anytime Fitness can become a source of motivation and support.
Aesthetics play a crucial role in the brand’s identity. Liu strategically selected a vibrant color palette that encapsulates its essence. The dominant use of purple represents the brand’s commitment to excellence, paying homage to its legacy. Vibrant orange exudes enthusiasm and vitality, reflecting the brand’s aspirations for its users. These colors create a dynamic visual identity, capturing the spirit of Anytime Fitness.
Beyond the digital realm, Liu’s design philosophy extends into the physical spaces of Anytime Fitness. By incorporating the brand’s color palette into the interior design, Liu creates a warm and inviting atmosphere that fosters connection and belonging. This pioneering approach caters to the needs of dedicated fitness enthusiasts who appreciate the brand’s design, immersive and interactive features. By doing so, Liu has successfully crafted an experience where users can discover their unique fitness memories, creating a lasting impact on their overall well-being.
Liu emphasizes that brand identity extends beyond visuals, highlighting the importance of user engagement. The goal is to foster empathy, address individual needs, and create a sense of unity within the fitness community. By expanding the platform’s capabilities, Liu hopes to solidify its position as a leader in the fitness industry. The brand’s dedication to revolutionizing fitness and providing a personalized, enjoyable workout experience knows no bounds.
draag me, the duo of Spirit of the Beehive’s Zack Schwartz and Corey Wichlin, have announced a new LP. lord of the shithouse, the follow-up to 2020’s i am gambling with my life, lands August 18 via Doom Trip. It includes contributions from Body Meat, CRASHprez, Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo, and Devin McKnight. Along with the announcement, they’ve shared two new songs, ‘blade in view’ featuring Body Meat and ‘death cult’. The music video for ‘blade in the view’ was made by Ada Baba, while the one for ‘death cult’ was directed by Schwartz. Check them out below, and scroll down for the album cover and tracklist.
lord of the shithouse Cover Artwork:
lord of the shithouse Tracklist:
1. Like a Nuisance [feat. Crashprez]
2. Cut the Check
3. Wax Figures in the Rain
4. Throwing Rocks
5. Memory 107
6. Death Cult
7. Faces of Vultures
8. Dangle From the Smoke Ring
9. Blade in the View [feat. Body Meat]
10. Donny Path [feat. Pedazo de Carne con Ojo]
11. The Process [feat. Devin McKnight]
12. Nightclub
13. Following
14. Lord of the Shithouse
15. Faster Now (It’s Almost Late)
Gwen Stefani has returned with a new single called ‘True Babe’. Marking her first new music since 2021’s ‘Slow Clap’ featuring Saweetie, the track was produced by Swedish production duo Jack & Coke and and LA songwriter and producer KThrash. Listen to it below.
Stefani, whose last solo album was 2015’s This Is What the Truth Feels Like, recently performed at the BeachLife Festival in Redondo Beach, California. She also announcied that she will be returning to The Voice for Season 24, along with coaches Reba McEntire, Niall Horan, and John Legend.
Carly Rae Jepsen is back with a new single, ‘Shy Boy’. The track was produced by James Ford and comes with an accompanying visual, which you can check out below.
Jepsen released her latest album, The Loneliest Time, in October. She recently announced a string of summer dates across New York and Los Angeles. She’s also set to perform at Glastonbury Festival and will join boygenius for a few dates on their North American tour.
The Blessed Madonna has teamed up with Jacob Lusk of Gabriels for a new track, ‘Mercy’. It follows the London-based producer’s recent collaborative singles ‘Serotonin Moonbeams’ (with Uffie), ‘We Still Believe’ (with Jamie Principle), Fuck what u heard’ (with Todd Edwards), and ‘Shades of Love’ (with the Joy). Check it out below.
“I’m interested in the dichotomy of the sacred and the ordinary in songwriting,” the Blessed Madonna explained in a statement. “Agony and ecstasy. A song about love and heartbreak can still be a deeply spiritual piece of work. I began by thinking about what love is for me in my life and arrived at the simple idea that it was at its core a promise not just to live but to forgive. Love is Mercy. Over many revisions and with the developments that came from working with Jacob and the rest of the many people who came together to make this record a reality, the idea deepened and we found exactly the sweet spot between the church and the dance floor that I was looking for. The gospel influence is intentional and undeniable. I thought in particular about the sculpture The ecstasy of St Theresa which is an incredibly rich image that feels as carnal as it does holy. This is my conception of god: those moments where we are humbled by a love so big that we can’t imagine being worthy of it or worthy of the kind of acceptance and mercy we feel.”
Icona Pop have shared the details of their first album in a decade. The follow-up to 2013’s This Is… Icona Pop is called Club Romantech, and it’s out September 1 via Ultra Records. Listen to the new single ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ below.
“’Where Do We Go From Here’ was one of the first songs we wrote in the fall of 2020 after realizing we couldn’t move back to LA because of the pandemic,” Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt said in a statement. “Back in Stockholm, we formed a small crew to start making music and thought ‘what the fuck are we going to do now?’ Eclectic, fun, hard, pop, deep, mainstream, catchy, weird, late at night, early in the morning – always with a tear in the corner of the eye and a smile on our face. That’s how ‘Where Do We Go From Here’ feels and that’s how CLUB ROMANTECH feels too.”
Talking about the album, Hjelt said: “As Icona Pop, we can release a pop tune or a super hard dance song, and that’s who we are. When we started to write this album, we didn’t have any rules. We just had a vision we wanted to share with our fans.”
“We’re inviting them into our world.“We put all of our problems and stress into what we’re doing,” Jawo added. “We love disguising our heartbreaks and sadness in uplifting songs you can dance to. It was a very emotional process, and it’s all in the music.”
Club Romantech Cover Artwork:
Club Romantech Tracklist:
1. Fall In Love
2. Desire (with Joel Corry)
3. Shit We Do For Love (with Yaeger)
4. Stick Your Tongue Out
5. Make Your Mind Up Babe
6. Stockholm At Night
7. Where Do We Go From Here
8. I Want You (with Galantis)
9. Loving You Ain’t Easy
10. Need You
11. Off Of My Mind
12. Faster
13. You’re Free (with Ultra Naté)
14. Feels In My Body
15. Spa (with SOFI TUCKKER)
