Here we are, right at the end of the week and it is time to party! Gigantic is ready with all the big new releases and creates the soundtrack to your weekend with the #NewMusicFriday playlist! Get to know all the hottest fresh tracks and the story behind them, plus we have tickets to see all your favourite acts too.
Keep scrolling to discover the new music you need in your life!
Singles
HIGHASAKITE – ‘Mexico’
Norwegian indie pop band channel their icy environment in to their complexed indie pop, attracting a devoted cult following. In recent years, they have begun to breakthrough into the mainstream after their third album ‘Camp Echo’ was shortlisted for the IMPLA Album Of The Year Award 2016 and they started 2017 off with the release of the single ‘5 Million Miles’ which has been streamed well over 85,000 times on YouTube alone. They now announce new album ‘Uranium Heart’, set to be brought out on Friday February 1st, with the release of grandiose single ‘Mexico’.
“We started to record 'Uranium Heart' early in 2017. The songwriting is a continuous process with some old songs and some brand new. It has been a long process of trying to find songs I am truly happy with, and to write them without trying to fulfil every criteria on how to make a good pop record. The aim was to be able to write without other people’s wishes in the back of my mind and daring to follow your own vision and taste. It’s a hard process when so many people are relating to music as some sort of a commission.”
Excitement for their new material is rising to fever pitch and we have already sold out of our tickets for their gig at Omeara in London next week. But they return to the capital in February to play Heaven and then Manchester’s Band On The Wall during Spring 2019 where you can hear new songs from ‘Uranium Heart’ plus their previous stunning material.
HIGHASAKITE tickets are currently available.
Balthazar – ‘Entertainment’
Having hit #1 with their second album ‘Rats’ in their homeland in 2012 and narrowly missing out on the top spot with follow up LP ‘Thin Walls’ three years later, everyone is excited to hear what Belgium indie pop group Balthazar do next.
‘Entertainment’ is the second song taken from their upcoming ‘Fever’ album which is expected to be released on Friday 25th of January next year and has totted up over 32 thousand views since its release on Monday!
Entertainment’ was written at the end of the album recordings as one of the last songs, functioning as the loose uplifting tune celebrating a carefree take in an entertainment business. We wrote an ambitious album but tried not to take ourselves too seriously, sure it’s an outspoken singalong chorus, but there’s a rambling playfulness to it which we love.”
Balthazar tickets are currently available.
Noah Kahan – ‘False Confidence’
Aged only 21 years old, pop inflected folk singer Noah Kahan is the bright young songwriter from Stafford, Vermont who is causing a massive stir worldwide. Signed to Republic Records, last year saw him channel his penchant for condensing his wanderlust and optimistic sense of adventure into a string of incredible singles including his debut song ‘Young Blood’ and his breakthrough release ‘Hurt Somebody’ which featured contributions from Grammy Award nominee Julia Michaels and has been certified twice Platinum as well as being the title track for his EP released earlier this year.
Kahan continues his meteoric rise with his new single ‘False Confidence’ which is about “believing in yourself but also not taking yourself too seriously in the process". The single is promoted with a video directed by Jess De Florio which takes a satirical look at the music industries obsession with image, seeing Kahan return to the stage under the guise of many prominent stars of today;
"Making this video was a blast, I've never had the opportunity to act in any way and playing these different characters was almost therapeutic. Personifying the self-doubt that creeps into your thought process from time to time and then stepping back and having a good laugh while making it felt good.”
Noah Kahan tickets are currently available.
EP
I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME – ‘1981’
I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME is the work of former Falling In Reverse drummer Ryan Seaman and Panic! at the Disco’s previous bassist Dallon Weekes who takes on lead vocals in a bid to resurrect the electroclash revolution of the mid-00s whilst also drawing heavy influence from 80’s synthpop.
Long term friends, the pair formed iDKHOW in secret as far back as nine years ago but only began performing live to audiences in 2016. They have since self-released the singles ‘Modern Day Cain’ and ‘Choke’, signed to Fearless Records and now they bring out their new EP ‘1981’.
“The hard-working people at iDKHOW are pleased to align with Fearless to unearth and uncover the rare and forgotten recordings of I Dont Know How But They Found Me. We look forward to rediscovering this long-forgotten music together and giving iDKHOW a second chance. For the first time.”
Next month sees the pair play support for Norfolk’s premier post-hardcore band Deaf Havana when they take over O2 Academy Brixton in London with the second slot taken by rising London based stars Stereo Honey.
I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME tickets are currently available.
Albums
Mariah Carey – ‘Caution’
The secret behind longevity is the ability to understand the contemporary musical landscape and adapt, but without sacrificing the core identity of your sound and losing what made you capture the public’s attention. Mariah Carey’s new album ‘Caution’ certainly takes influence from the EDM phenomenon sweeping across the States and the rise of Chillwave rap but doesn’t allow these genres to hide her unmistakable vocals. Looking to her own past of rocky relationships, ‘Caution’ is both a warning to anyone who may mess with her in the future whilst also reaching out to her listeners; “telling someone to make sure they treat you right”.
While the upbeat pop and power ballads of her previous work are put well behind her on this record, Carey’s current attitude laden forays into deeper and darker sounds certainly don’t feel out of place, perhaps making her more relevant and vital than ever before.
All we want for Christmas is tickets to see Mariah Carey and with tickets on sale for her December arena tour on sale right now, why not treat yourself and your loved ones to see the starlet perform on a stage near you!