SINGAPORE – In this weekly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about now.
Stream This Song: Post Malone – Mourning
In September, American singer, rapper and songwriter Post Malone will hold his debut performance in Singapore as one of the headliners of the Formula One Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2023 series of concerts.
If you are not familiar with his work, his new single Mourning is a good place to start.
While Malone – whose real name is Austin Richard Post – is strongly affiliated with hip-hop, his repertoire is rather varied. This song, in particular, expands on the trap-meets-indie pop vibes of previous hit Circles (2019).
Like that earlier track, Mourning is quite the earworm, in which he mulls over fake friends and reflects on the consequences of addiction.
It is also one of the singles from his fifth album Austin (2023), titled after his first name – a release that sees him steer even further from his hip-hop past and delve more into pop territory. – Eddino Abdul Hadi
Ace Album: Travis Scott – Utopia
American rapper Travis Scott has been making headlines for the wrong reasons of late, mostly due to the fatal 2021 Astroworld Festival crowd crush in Texas, United States, that plagued his set and the more recent cancellation of his gig at Egypt’s Giza pyramids after local protests.
The latter was supposed to mark the launch of Utopia, his first solo album since 2018’s Astroworld.
With 19 tracks that span an hour and 13 minutes, it is quite an ambitious and expansive work.
Scott taps his star-studded network for high-profile cameos from the likes of singers Beyonce, Bad Bunny, Drake, The Weeknd and SZA and even comedian Dave Chappelle.
The intriguing production recalls some of American rap star Kanye West’s experimental Yeezus-era work from a decade back, and is full of abrasive, potent beats as well as avant-garde stylings.
Like many contemporary hip-hop offerings, the tracks also flirt with psychedelic and prog rock, sampling music from 1970s and 1980s acts Gentle Giant and New England.
Along with Utopia, the Grammy-nominated rapper also dropped a new film that he wrote and directed. Circus Maximus features visuals set to music from the album. – Eddino Abdul Hadi
Singapore Scene: Disko Biscuit – Ethereal Walk
Long-time followers of the Singapore indie scene might remember Disko Biscuit who, along with outfits like The Pagans, were one of the earliest home-grown shoegaze bands in the early 1990s.
After three decades, they are finally releasing their first full-length album, Ethereal Walk.
In the past, the group released only two demos – the 1993 debut Planet Bong and 2004 release Studios Everywhere.
Disko Biscuit are a supergroup of sorts – drummer Topet is from Flow; bassist-singer San also plays in Flow as well as Bushmen; guitarist Rahman is from Seven Sundays; and singer Eswandi is also the frontman of Bigred.Moment. Rounding up the quintet is long-time guitarist Norman.
Ethereal Walk is quite an absorbing listen, full of kaleidoscopic soundscapes and wistful melodies to daydream to.
At times, the rhythms take a detour with odd-time signatures on tracks such as Apocalyptic Playground, building on the album’s sonic dynamism. – Eddino Abdul Hadi
Must-see MV: Vash Hsu – Distrustful Love
Those familiar with reality singing competition shows may remember Vash Hsu, who appeared on Sing! China in 2018 and became known for being the rocker who belted big numbers.
The Taiwanese singer’s first full-length album was released in July 2023, with the lead promotional song Distrustful Love topping KKBox’s weekly new singles charts.
The melancholic love song, about the frustrating ambiguities of relationships, is accompanied by a star-studded and cinematic music video.
Filmed in South Korea with Taiwanese heart-throb Darren Wang (Our Times, 2015) and South Korean actress Cho Hye-joo (Reborn Rich, 2022) as the leads, the story appears to be a deceptively simple romance at first.
Wang plays a man with a crush on his Korean tutor (Cho). His dream seemingly comes true when she invites him on a date, confesses her love for him and even shares a passionate kiss with him.
But things take a mysterious and sinister turn the next morning. He wakes up to find that all traces of their romantic night have disappeared and realises she has a boyfriend. Flashback scenes reveal that he is dangerously infatuated with her and the time they shared was just a figment of his imagination. – Jan Lee
Chart Champ: Kenshi Yonezu – Spinning Globe
Japanese pop sensation Kenshi Yonezu is no stranger to the charts, but this time, he has Japanese animation powerhouse Studio Ghibli as a boost.
Spinning Globe is the theme song of legendary animation maestro Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy And The Heron (2023), his first film in 10 years. The track is now the No. 1 digital single on Japan’s Oricon charts.
It is a beautiful number powerfully performed by Yonezu, whose emotive voice gives the song the ultimate uplift. – Jan Lee
