Pollyfromthedirt finds magic in the mundane with Don’t Shoot Now

There’s loads of music out there, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up.

Rather than letting the algorithm dictate your music taste, you can listen to Rated by THE FACE – a playlist that’s lovingly curated and updated by our (human) editorial team every week.

Grace Ives – Stupid Bitches

Grace Ives has released a great string of singles in the run up to her new album, Girlfriend, which is out on 20^th March. The title of Stupid Bitches sets the scene for a song that rejects being a victim of heartbreak in favour of accepting the loss and growing stronger from it. ​“But something about it makes me brave/​Tough enough to see myself replaced/​I just let it be embarrassing,” Grace sings against a backdrop of epic, chopped up synths. Co-produced by Ariel Rechstaid, John DeBold and Grace herself, Stupid Bitches is a step up from the kind of confessional pop from her acclaimed 2022 album, Janky Star. Can’t wait to see what else Girlfriends holds. JW

YT – Lonely

YT has figured out the precise amount of AutoTune and distortion required to make his voice sound incredible. On Lonely, the Ug star rides a dizzying onslaught of gurgling synths and helicopter hi-hats with his pixelated purrs. It’s a surreal sonic expression of hedonism’s queasy thrills. DR

Yeat – Made it on our Own ft. EsDeeKid

EsDeeKid visited Drake’s $100 million mansion in Toronto to shoot the video for this highly-anticipated collab, which is glossier and brighter than fans might have expected. After former FACE cover star Yeat spews his euphoric bars with a clenched jaw like an MDMA-munching Future circa 2012, EsDee takes a moment to toast to his head-spinning success (“I made ten ​‘mil while I’m faceless”). But you can’t accuse the masked scouser of forgetting where he came from. The track was teased in EsDee’s hometown with a billboard proclaiming: ​‘Liverpool, we made it’ and he’s rocking his ​‘Council House Rat’ t‑shirt as he dances on the mansion’s marble floors. If you listen closely, you’ll hear an audio snippet of Liverpool football lore. If you look really closely, you might just spot the homage to scouse rap legend Aystar. DR

deathtoricky – fido

I don’t know much about Celdridge, the town in Ireland where deathtoricky hails from, but my guess is that the climate is strikingly different to the paradise beach image on the artwork for his new single fido. The fantasy is broken by the grey, overcast skies in the music video. But due to the bright backing vocals, Carnival-esque whistles and chirpy melodies, ricky’s sunny disposition remains undefeated. ​“thanks to all the cast for popping out was a great day,” he writes in the YouTube description, ​“shoutout all d fuckin boiz in d joy.” That’s the spirit. DR

Pollyfromthedirt – Don’t Shoot Now

The artwork for Pollyfromthedirt’s releases does a great job of situating his music. Eerily nostalgic and distinctly English, the Darlington-raised musician’s songs are delivered with images of terraced houses, Harvester’s roasts and train station cleaners, often looking like they were taken on an iPod touch. New track Don’t shoot now is represented by an overexposed night shot of a Chinese takeaway in Manchester. Sonically, the tender track is anchored by a throat clearing drum loop and shimmering synths that cushion the artist’s floating vocals.TL