Showcasing the hottest tracks from the last few weeks. Some of your favourites, some of ours.
Flume – Smoke & Retribution (Ft. Vince Staples & Kučka)
Set to feature on Australian producer Flume’s upcoming album ‘Skin’, this track is an 
updated version of a song previously known as ‘Lose Control’ or ‘Id’. Flume’s signature bouncing electronica and powerful synths can be heard, despite the beat’s hip-hop-esque hi-hats and Vince Staples’ rapped verses. Fans are anticipating how Flume’s sound will have developed in his new LP, and this merge of hip-hop and house is an exciting signal that experimentation is to be expected. Kučka’s generic vocals may slightly hinder the track, but they do provide a light balance against Vince Staple’s aggressive verses.
Hear it here: Flume – Smoke & Retribution (Ft. Vince Staples & Kučka)
Rihanna – Love On The Brain
Singing sensation Rihanna finally quenched 
fans’ parched ears by dropping her highly anticipated album ‘Anti’. This track takes the tried-and-tested form of a motown ballad that many singers such as Amy Winehouse, Beyoncé and Adele have also capitalized on. On top of a 3/4 rhythm and a swirling organ, Rihanna acrobatically stretches her unstoppable voice in a track which justifies her musical fame. Passionate and dark but elegant and fun, ‘Love On The Brain’ is the album’s stand-out song. Potentially the singer’s next single, this lovesick soul tune is a hidden gem that proves her versatility, vocal ability and heart.
Hear it here: Rihanna – Love On The Brain (Ft. Tidal)
Four. Kingdoms. – apart (demo)
Elegantly simple, Bournemouth producer/singer Four. Kingdoms. has kept fans in
anticipation of his new EP ‘A Ball Of Noise In A Quiet Place’ by dropping a demo for a new track ‘apart’. Chilled out and dreamy, the track’s synth gains and echoed clicks play captivatingly beneath a deep, distorted vocal melody. His characteristic minimalist production and entrancing vocals swell through the track’s progression, soaring and dipping. Ambient yet suspenseful, despite being only a demo, both the track and Four. Kingdom’s potentials are massive.
Hear it here: Four. Kingdoms. – apart (demo)
Harry and Chris – Limousine
Poet, spoken word artist and battle rapper Harry Baker puts his witty lyricism to an 
acoustic track with his accomplice Chris Read. Though production-wise it sounds like a demo, the hilarious wordplay and funky guitar riff make for an upbeat and catchy song. Rapid verses from Baker, with clever puns such as the opening “Life is like a box of chocolates, there’s too many wrappers/rappers”, create an exciting and humourous stream of nonsense consciousness. Combined with the chorus’ harmonies and the middle eight’s conversational interchange, if professionally produced, this culmination of poetry, rap and acoustic music could be that light-hearted tune we all needed.
Hear it here: Harry And Chris – Limousine
Earl Sweatshirt – bary
With another allusive production alias, Earl Sweatshirt important_man464, released 
a set of three tracks out of the blue on his Soundcloud. ‘bary’ is a down-tempo chopped and screwed remix of Kanye West’s classic ‘Barry Bonds (Ft. Lil Wayne)’. With no vocals from Earl, this track has the fewest listens of the three, but don’t let that stop you checking it out. This immersion of trippy percussion (reminiscent of production from Sweatshirt’s recent album), with haunting vocals and eerie cuts, is a moody remix to disturb hip-hop purists. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to hear the likes of Wiki from RATKING or Earl Sweatshirt himself spitting a verse on such a textured and dark instrumental.
Hear it here: important_man464 – bary
Written by: James Wijesinghe
Reverb Music 