The best new tracks, picked by our staff
Rated by THE FACE: a playlist featuring Central Cee, SOPHIE, Jeshi and Will Lister.
Music
Words: Davy Reed, Jade Wickes, Olive Pometsey
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Central Cee – gen z luv
The savviest rappers know they need bars that work as IG captions. Before I’d even had a chance to press play on gen z luv, I’d read the opening line – “When our children ask us how did we meet, I’m tellin’ them ‘Gen Z Love’” – paraphrased in a loved-up post by producer Kwollem. So Cench might have another viral hit on his hands. Over tranquil ambient synths, he tells a very modern story of falling love through his phone screen: “If it weren’t for the algorithm, I wouldn’t have found my woman.” DR
SamRecks – Embellishments
SamRecks is one of the slickest artists in London’s rap scene. He’s cool, calm, collected, impeccably dressed and glides through soulful beats without breaking a sweat. On Embellishments – taken from his forthcoming EP Balance – Sam zooms in on the dynamics of a new relationship. “I’ve got the style, she got the elegance,” he raps over twinkling keys. DR
Jorja Smith – High
Jorja Smith is arguably at her best when she’s on a dance track – take last year’s Little Things, for example, or her UKG-flavoured anthem On My Mind. New single High rests on soft, minimalistic house chord progressions and a soft but energetic beat. As for Jorja herself, the vocals are typically emphatic as she laments about drifting apart from a friend or lover. “I wanna grow but I don’t wanna trip,” she sings over the chorus. “So where’d you run if you can’t? /Just know one thing /Is that you’re gonna always be high.” OP
Bambii – Spit ft. BEAM & Lady Lykez
Bambii takes dancehall to the underground on her gritty and raucous single Spit, merging it with elements of slightly menacing industrial techno and recruiting rapper BEAM and London’s Lady Lykez for vocal duties. It’s a slam-dunk dance floor heater. OP
Will Lister – Come Get Me ft. Ney Liqa
Taken from his forthcoming on cult label Scenic Route, Will Lister’s collab with Swedish musician Ney Liqa is a proper club heater with loads of attitude and crackling PC Music-esque flourishes. Having worked behind the scenes with the likes of Sampha, Yuné Pinku and Saya Gray, this track feels like a good way for Will to put his own work front and centre for a sec. JW
SOPHIE – Berlin Nightmare ft. Evita Manji
We’ve now heard three tracks from SOPHIE’s self-titled, posthumous and final album, which is dropping 27th September. First single Reason Why was a shimmering example of the surreal pop sound she pioneered alongside the PC Music crew, while One More Time sees her conjure up a dark soundscape with cloudy synths. Berlin Nightmare is the club banger. If you don’t get the opportunity to hear this at a debauched club night in the German capital this year, then you can just marvel at the track’s intricate, grizzly details in your headphones. DR
