For many of us, I’m sure this month has been quite a weird one. New people to meet (albeit virtually), new deadlines to hit and new restrictions to adhere to (for those of us with brains anyway) so it can be hard sometimes to just pause for a moment and let a song or an album to take the moment. Here are some of Platform’s committee and writing staff’s soundtracks to those fleeting times…
Kanye West – Nah Nah Nah (single)
Love him or hate him, it’s often ‘all eyes on Ye’ whenever Mr. West decides to do, say or create anything. It’s also usually the case that his music requires a bit of perseverance to fully appreciate (case in point: Yeezus or The Life of Pablo), but after spending some time with his new single Nah Nah Nah, I must admit I still feel pretty ambivalent about it.
The beat is good and the flow is robust, but not all that much is jumping out at me lyrically apart from a Revenge of the Sith quote and a pretty cringey reference to Kanye’s ongoing presidential campaign, and production-wise there’s not much innovation either. Still, it’s enough to tide me over until he – fingers crossed – takes things in a more interesting direction with upcoming album Donda, which we could still see drop by the end of 2020.
Rating: 6/10
By Jamie Morris
Will Joseph Cook – Be Around Me (single)
If you have a Tik Tok account, you’ve probably heard this song by now as the ‘Oh my god, did you call me baby?’ part has become a viral sound. But if you haven’t heard it, I highly recommend a listen. The song is infectiously happy, and absolutely perfect for those autumn days where the weather is a bit dreary and you just need an extra pep in your step. The song isn’t just an injection of happiness, it’s also just so nice to listen to. Cook has such a nice voice, and the way he just switches between head voice and chest voice so easily is so pleasing. Seriously, just listen to it.
Rating: 8.5/10
By Robbie Nichols
The Weeknd – Too Late (single)
The Weeknd‘s Too Late is the latest single on his fourth studio album After Hours to get a music video that continues the storyline created by the prior visual representations. This is a fast-paced song that blends Abel’s characteristic R&B and soul with some more upbeat genres like Drum and Bass and UK Garage. Having Illangelo as a co-producer on the track (with whom The Weeknd has been collaborating since the start of his career in 2010), Too Late was bound to be amongst the favourites on the album. Overall, Too Late is a fun song to listen to, that has, like pretty much all the other Weeknd songs, a darker meaning than it may appear.
Rating: 9/10
By Rucsandra Moldoveanu
Tate McRae – You Broke Me First (single)
This month I have been loving Tate McRae’s latest single, which is basically an anthem for all the broken hearts out there. The delicate and ethereal feel to this song makes for easy listening and great background noise for work, which means I’ve had it on repeat for the past month. It’s a hard-hitting ballad which can be hard to perfect, but Tate manages it and in doing so creates a song that I know I’ll keep on coming back to time and time again.
Rating: 10/10
By Faith Pring
Nothing But Thieves – Moral Panic (single)
For me, Nothing But Thieves’ latest album has been on repeat this month. Over and over again. They are one of few contemporary bands (that I know of) that just get better with time. Every new album is even more fulfilling than the last one, but a few things stay the same – Conor Mason’s incredible voice and the flawless instrumental.
Even if it’s a nightmare for me to choose just one song from the album, I’d go with Phobia. I absolutely love the serene tempo playing until 1:49, and then, well, it’s the Nothing But Thieves we already knew – A satisfying fusion between bass, drums and Mason’s crying voice.
Rating: 8/10
By Olimpia Zagnat