by Phil Scarisbrick

Some big hitters for this week’s New Music Recommendations, as we look at tracks by The National, Vampire Weekend, Frankie Cosmos, Mac De Marco and Slowthai.

First up is a second track from The National’s forthcoming I Am Easy To Find LP. Album Closer, Light Years, is a piano ballad that packs the usual emotional punch that we’ve come to love and expect from these lads. Now we’ve had the record’s bookends – following the earlier release of opener You Had Your Soul With You – we can’t wait to experience the journey between them next month.

Vampire Weekend have once again teased their new record, Father Of The Bride, with the unveiling of two new tracks: This Life and Unbearably White. Featuring vocals from Danielle Haim, the former feels like familiar territory for the group, but with more than a passing resemblance to Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl. The latter is more of a slow jam that despite its cynical-sounding title, is far more gentle than is suggested. Another album out next month, Father Of The Bride drops on the 3rd.

After spending the last month unleashing new tracks, Frankie Cosmos are now bringing their Haunted Items collection to a close with the final four installments. Rings On A Tree is a heart-rending bit of introspection from Greta Kline. Although the majority of the releases have felt incredibly minimal, this track feels the most ‘complete’. Allowed and Today’s Special are another pair of little nuggets that whet your appetite for more Cosmos, but feel more like demos than Rings On A Tree. All three are definitely worth checking out though.

Following last month’s release of Nobody, Mac De Marco has given us another slice of action from new record: Here Comes The Cowboy. All Of Our Yesterdays is described as being De Marco’s attempt at writing an Oasis song, but would fit in quite easily on 2017’s This Old Dog. Playing all the instruments on the song himself, De Marco cited Shakespeare’s Macbeth as being the inspiration for the song’s title.

Finally, Northampton rapper – slowthai – has shared a new song from his debut studio album Nothing Great About Britain. Featuring Skepta, Gorgeous follows on from previous single Peace Of Mind. Both tracks are getting us very excited to hear the full record, with slowthai showing he has the potential to be one of Britain’s most important hip-hop artists.

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