Weekly5

From afrobeat to avant-garde. From the darkest corners into the sunny warmth. Yes, today’s edition stretches quite far. Enjoy our latest, considered picks.

❶ Alina Amuri – Take My Time

The dragging rhythm seems odd at first, but then you get hooked. Alina Amuri’s Take My Time is a hymn to deceleration and the perfect tune to unwind and celebrate the moment surrounded by a captivating fusion of afrobeat and neo-soul.

❷ XHER – Sobriety

Sobriety is the debut single of Zurich-based Polish-Ecuadorian artist XHER. A promising clash of hyper-pop, post-punk energy, and Goth aesthetics symbolising the darkness in a digitised dystopia.

❸ Hathors – Special Bird

Taken for their new album, When The Sun Is Out (When The Skies Are Grey), Switzerland‘s Hathors find the balance between a raw grunge-styled rock anthem and a regretful, heavy-handed ballad in Special Bird. As if the Foo Fighters fell into depression.

❹ Dressed Like Boys – Jaouad

Jaouad is a heartfelt and touching admiration of Muslim LGBTQIA+ icon Jaouad Alloul. Within the song lives hope and strength—for anyone who needs to hear it: «Do you wanna be understood without having to be understandable?»

❺ Minor Conflict – Parallels II

A weird and unique sound is hailing from Bristol. Trio Minor Conflict’s Parallels II brews an unusual yet eclectic cocktail of folk, drone, post-rock, field recordings, and krautrock. An easy-listen? Definitely not! But for the brave and experimental minds: Give it a spin.

❶ Searows – to be seen

Taken from his new EP flush, Searows’ to be seen is an exceptional work of beauty, exploring the urge to be fully recognised by a loved one. Alec Duckart arranges his haunting voice with piano and strings to a profoundly intimate ballad. It’s a touching, even heartbreaking song.

❷ Melicious – Flooding The Bus

How explosive can a track about crying on the bus be? Switzerland’s Melicious says: Yes! Flooding The Bus is the perfect amalgamation of pop music with the driven energy of fun punk. You should check out the new EP Ugly Starts and Promises.

❸ Mary and the Sharks – Prophecy

In her new single, Prophecy, Berlin-based Mary and the Sharks farewells juvenile jauntiness with a pinch of regret and nostalgia but also welcomes the continuous change and grounded moments coming with age. Underlined with an almost post-punky indie-rock.

❹ Albert af Ekenstam – Ghost in Us

After six silent years, ‌the Swedish singer-songwriter Albert af Ekenstam returns with the impressive Ghost In Us. A folk song that escalates ever more into this overwhelming and seemingly infinite composition. An experience that leaves you vulnerable and invigorated.

❺ Moyka – Rear View (Heartbreak Edition)

Moyka’s Rear View is a raving masterpiece of Nordic electropop. The Norwegian artist has released a severely reduced Heartbreak Edition of the track: no beats but vast synths expand, and her raw voice in the most stunning and chilling performance. Wow!

❶ IDER – Know How It Hurts

UK’s duo IDER tease their upcoming album with another single, Know How It Hurts. With an intriguing 80s electropop groove, the song is a feminist anthem that, unfortunately, is more relevant than ever. Despite its depressing theme, Know How It Hurts finds the strength to keep on fighting through empathy.

❷ Welsh Wolf – When You Cry

As a songwriter and musician for big names like James Blunt, Chris Cornell, or Robbie Williams, Paul Freeman has nothing to prove. Now, he kicks off his solo career as Welsh Wolf, and the second single, When You Cry, sounds like a threesome between Springsteen, Rod Steward, and The Killers.

❸ Jack White – You Got Me Searching

The walking anachronism is in a release frenzy. Relentlessly pushing for handmade music, Jack White praises heavy blues rock again in the latest single, You Got Me Searching. The wild guitar sounds misplaced in today’s music landscape, yet refreshing for exactly that reason. Rock’s never dying.

❹ Oh Hazar – Down

Introducing the German-Dutch art-pop band Oh Hazar: Their new track, Down, is a juxtaposition of relaxed verses and an explosive and loud blues rock chorus. The groove is addictive, and if one listens carefully, there are many playful details hidden in the escalating composition.

❺ AVEC – Everywhere

The Austrian artist AVEC has a unique sensibility for emotive pop songs, shaded with folky aesthetics and walking the line between accessibility and complexity. Everywhere again demonstrates her skills impressively. A galloping rhythm meets touching vocals, highlighted with sprinkles of guitar decorations.

Let's forget the world for a while and enjoy new music. We have a hip-hop artist dabbling with new wave, a Swedish duo revisiting a song, and a collective driven by a passion for diversity and excellence.
A boundaries-pushing collaboration and a UK producer await you with surprises. Dig in, the Weekly5 are served.

Dews Pegahorn – Son Of A Gun

German rising star Dews Pegahorn presents his next single, Son Of A Gun. Adolescent urge collides with a smoky, raspy voice—sinking into a bed of 80s wave attitude and contemporary beats. It's a far cry from his hip-hop roots but a promising cry nonetheless.

Friska Viljor – Inbreeds (Revisited)

The Swedish duo Friska Viljor is currently revisiting some of their older songs. Inbreeds, originally released on 2022's Don't Save the Last Dance, transforms from a dense composition to a reduced folk song with a poignant highlight by the nostalgic trumpet. An excellent rework.

yourboykiran – Elixir

UK's yourboykiran has a new EP, Out Of Control, out. Taken from the release, Elixir is a thumping masterpiece of breakbeat, lined with thick basses and an oriental-inspired synth hook. Around every corner, there lures something unexpected.

Yellow Couch Music – Locust Walk (feat. H. Alonzo Jennings & Lars Haake)

Hailing from Brooklyn, Yellow Couch Music is a collaborative project helmed by Layton Weedeman. Locust Walk is a fusion of jazz and spoken word, a tribute to the jazz pioneer Sun Ra. It sounds unusual and might take getting used to, yet you can feel the musicians' passion in every note.

semiotic sakura & fae – tes ailes

The collaboration between semiotic sakura and fae that led to tes ailes pushes the boundaries, meandering between sinister ambient and angelic voices, shattering techno beats, and nocturnal synth sounds. Dark yet somehow of haunting beauty.

My teenage angsty self rejoiced on Friday when The Cure finally dropped new music after more than a decade. But now, it deals with the inevitable progress of time and the impending decay.
But it's not only the legendary band that brought long-anticipated music. You'll find some beautiful finds: soothing, impressive, and unexpected.

The Cure – Endsong

16 long years, fans had to wait for new music by wave legends The Cure. Finally, Songs of a Lost World arrived—a heavy-hearted, dragging thing. Everything but an easy listen, the album's final track, a 10-minute-long epos of melancholic decay, appreciates and celebrates the long winding compositions to their fullest. Wow!

Sjöblom – Tomorrow

Dead of Night, the new album by Swedish duo Sjöblom, features an array of exquisite tracks meandering between indie and electro-pop—with a hint of post-punk and synth wave. Tomorrow is one of these groovy tracks that fuels the dancefloor for the sad. Heavy on the synths, poignant on the guitars.

Obliecht – Coastline

Rave-like composition meets the warmth of indie pop—flavoured by an unexpected instrument: the hammered dulcimer. Usually used in traditional music, the Swiss trio Obliecht showcases the angelic sound in a contemporary context. Coastline is a great taste for this forward-thinking band.

iuri – Colours

It's a heartfelt affair: Colours, the first teaser for iuri's debut album. Slow and playful, the composition allows instruments to twist and whirl. And the artist's voice comforts you with warmth and vulnerability, supported by a subtle choir that adds even more shades to this beautiful song.

Flower Face – Biblical Love

When Goth and folk music meet, it sounds like Flower Face. The Canadian artist just released the bittersweet album Girl Prometheus. And in Biblical Love, the worlds collide spectacularly. Soft and whispering, giving bedroom country, in the verses, the song erupts into a dark and dramatic anthem. Impressive!