Flatbush Zombies - "U&I" ft. Dia

Yesterday, Brooklyn rap trio Flatbush Zombies released a new single titled “U&I." It's taken from their sophomore album, Vacation in Hell, which is set to be released on April 6 via the Zombies' Glorious Dead imprint. The group's studio debut, 3001: A Laced Odyssey, came out in 2016 after they made a stir with the mixtapes D.R.U.G.S. and BetterOffDEAD in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

The tone of this latest single is set by a short a capella intro sung by Dia before the instrumental comes in and the Zombies start trading off verses. The beat here isn’t quite as hard hitting or direct as the one on previous single “Headstone,” but the vocal and guitar samples - not to mention Meechy's tour de force reflection on mental health and addiction - make the track a powerful listen.

Flatbush Zombies will be kicking off a North American Tour on April 6 in Brooklyn and will follow it up with performances at Coachella on April 14 and 21.

-Owen Murray

Q-Tip - "Don’t Go Breaking My Heart" ft. Demi Lovato (Elton John Cover)

As a part of the upcoming Elton John tribute album, Revamp, Q-Tip and Demi Lovato have released a cover of John’s 1976 duet with Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” Revamp will feature various pop and rock stars reimagining the music of Elton John, while the concurrently released Restoration will find country singers offering their interpretations. Chris Stapleton’s cover of “I Want Love” coincided with this new version of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”

The Q-Tip and Demi Lovato cover is significantly funkier than the original and replaces the straightforward rock beat with a hip hop flair. The song was released with a music video that complements the cover’s moodier tone.

Q-Tip has described his reinterpretation of the song as returning a favor for Elton John’s appearance on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Solid Wall of Sound,” which appears on We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service.

Revamp and Restoration will be released on April 6 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s creative partnership.

-Owen Murray
 

N.E.R.D - "Lemon" (Drake Remix) ft. Rihanna

Today Pharrell Williams debuted a new remix of N.E.R.D and Rihanna’s “Lemon” on Drake’s OVO Sound Radio. The original version of the track appeared on N.E.R.D’s album NO_ONE EVER REALLY DIES, which came out late last year.

Drake’s cocky and playful verse kicks off the song, replacing Pharrell’s opening verse. Rihanna’s stellar appearance remains unchanged, as does Pharrell’s outro. The changes to the instrumental are subtle, but succeed in making “Lemon” sound more like a Drake song.

Back in January, Drake released two new singles, “God’s Plan” and “Diplomatic Immunity.” He also had a significant feature on BlocBoy JB’s hit “Look Alive.” For the music video of “God’s Plan,” Drake went around Miami and gave away nearly $1M to those in need. Drake told fans at a Raptors game on March 9 that he is “working on this new album for the city [of Toronto].” Details about the album have not been released yet.

-Owen Murray

Leon Bridges - “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” / “Bad Bad News”

“Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” and “Bad Bad News” are the first singles leading up to soul singer Leon Bridges’ sophomore album, Good Thing. It's dropping May 4 via Columbia and follows his 2015 debut, Coming Home.

With these new singles, Bridges shifts slightly towards a more modern sound than what was on his last album while still clearly retaining elements of classic soul. “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” is a ballad that features a beautiful harp and string arrangement, as well as falsetto vocals from Bridges. On the other hand, “Bad Bad News” is a funky cut centered around a simple beat and bassline, with Bridges delivering some call and response vocals.

-Owen Murray

Flying Lotus - Blade Runner 2022 / Perfect Soundtrack Cuts

Experimental hip hop producer Flying Lotus surprised his fans on Wednesday with seven new tracks uploaded to his SoundCloud. Flying Lotus has not released a full-length musical project since his acclaimed 2014 album You’re Dead. His horror movie Kuso, which he directed, wrote and contributed music to, premiered at Sundance in 2017 and has become infamous for being one of the most disgusting movies ever made.

Six of these latest tracks are taken from his soundtrack for the short film Blade Runner Black Out 2022. The last one, “Choo Choo,” is an outtake from the recently released thriller Perfect. Listening to these tracks it’s easy to tell that they were written as a part of a film score, but there are hints of Flying Lotus’ signature style interspersed throughout.

-Owen Murray

The Damned - “Look Left” / “Devil in Disguise”

Legendary English punk outfit The Damned has released two new singles titled “Look Left” and “Devil in Disguise.” These songs will be featured on Evil Spirits, the band's comeback album following 2008's So, Who’s Paranoid. “Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow” was the first single to be released from the project.

The new songs may not have the same visceral energy of The Damned’s early work, but they have stuck to their punk roots with the themes of protest and sticking it to the man in their lyrics. Evil Spirits is set to be released on April 13; the band will kick off a European tour in support of the LP on May 17 in Frankfurt.

-Owen Murray

Grouper - "Parking Lot"

“Parking Lot” is the first single from Grouper’s upcoming album Grid of Points, which will be released on April 27 via Kranky. This will be her first album in four years, following up 2014’s Ruins.

The minimalist song is sonically similar to what appeared on Ruins and creates a hypnotizing atmosphere with its echoing vocals and piano. The song is practically formless and the lyrics are almost indiscernible, but the emphasis is certainly on the aesthetic.

Grouper has also announced a tour that will kick off in Berlin on April 20. There will be a number of European dates as well as a show in Calgary and Arcosanti, Arizona.

-Owen Murray

Vince Staples - "Get the Fuck Off My Dick"

Earlier this week Vince Staples launched a GoFundMe campaign called “GTFOMD” with a goal of two million dollars to fund his early retirement. In the campaign's video, Staples himself responded to fans complaining about his energy at shows and the production choices on his latest album, Big Fish Theory, by saying he’ll go away forever if the campaign reaches its goal. “Get off my dick, or fund my lifestyle,” he concluded.

The other day, Staples took the joke/statement a step further by releasing a song titled after his crowdfunding campaign. In the song, Staples reaffirms that he isn’t out to please anyone and goes into more detail about his issues with the hip hop industry. The song’s instrumental is of the same electronic sound that fans have taken issue with, but it is not nearly as high energy as cuts from Staples’ last album like “BagBak” or “Yeah Right.”

Big Fish Theory came out in 2017 and it doesn't seem as though this single indicates that a follow up is imminent. However, Staples has featured on a few projects since then, including Billie Eilish’s debut EP don’t smile at me and the Black Panther OST.

-Owen Murray