Pictured L-R: Ross From Friends (Fabrice Bourgelle), Angel Olsen (Dana Trippe), VanJess
Each week, The FADER staff rounds up the songs we can't get enough of. Here they are, in no particular order.
“Slow Down” — VanJess feat. Lucky Daye
Adding labelmate Lucky Daye to the mix this time around, the sister duo’s new take on their Homegrown EP single adds some additional sultry energy to an already silky-smooth track.”You got me taking my time / Pressing rewind, just to make the moment longer / Can you slow down the time from 9 to 9,” Daye sings on the song’s new opening verse.— SE
“Brutal Truth” — Chat Pile
If ignorance is bliss, clarity — at least the kind articulated on “Brutal Truth” — can feel like your eyelids being peeled off. The discordant sludge metal track from the Oklahoma City band is a wildfire in a manic search of more accelerant, with every element lighting its own match. Everything comes together perfectly: Randy Heyer, the band’s vocalist, raves with the intensity of a man who saw the face of God and saw that he looked like his worst enemy, while a merciless machine grinds away around him. It may not be constructive, this “Truth,” but it is purifying. — JD
“Dragonfly” — Fauness
A recurring theme in the avant-garde pop music of Fauness is the tumultuous period of adolescence. Her 2018 single “Sixteen” bemoans when she used to be “a little girl in a woman’s body, like a chrysalis” and a lack of agency in a lecherous world. Her new single “Dragonfly” flips the coin, celebrating the transformation — be it physical, psychic, or both — while understanding the sacrifices that must come with it. “Cut the cord for me, set your girl free / My destiny is mine” Fauness sings on the chorus, and we can hear the chains loosening with every note — JD
“Eyes Without A Face” — Angel Olsen
Angel Olsen goes for glamour and high drama on this Billy Idol cover, the undoubted highlight of her new 80s covers EP, Aisles. Where the synth-heavy tracks on All Mirrors leaned dark and dirgey, “Eyes Without A Face” is remarkably bright, like an AM radio tune heard from afar on a sunny day. — SD
“Fly With Me” — Benny the Butcher feat. Conway the Machine
Benny the Butcher says the entirety of his new EP Pyrex Picasso, including this track with longtime collaborator Conway the Machine, was recorded in a single day back in 2018. Thanks to the soulful, chopped sample-infused production, the song stays true to Griselda’s usual nostalgic vibe and offers up more than enough room for the two rappers to lyrically spar in the best way possible. — SE
"Look Both Ways" — Gallipony
The newest offering from Gallipony has the Brooklyn-based DIY provocateur transforming his trauma from a near-death encounter into an oversized, walloping pop smasher. It's a testament to staying alert at any cost, peppered with savage wit and unflinching aggression. — SM
"The Daisy" — Ross From Friends
Ross From Friends spent the better part of the past year teasing a massive track called "The Daisy," first spinning it into his 2020 Boiler Room set and later on Flying Lotus's Grand Theft Auto radio station. At long last, its here in all its two-step glory, heralding the impending arrival of his new album Tread with every bit of ascension we've come to expect from the London producer. — SM
“Talking Dust Bowl Blues” — Waxahatchee
Katie Crutchfield’s loose, delightful cover of Woody Guthrie’s “Talking Dust Bowl Blues” is perfectly unadorned — it plays like Crutchfield just picked up a guitar seconds before recording and decided to bust out a quick cover. Although she’s blessed with a fabulous voice, it feels great to hear Crutchfield in this cheeky, conversational mode, playing a song that connects Americana’s current generation with its most important forebearer. — SD
