Just like everything, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the way we listened to music. With few live performances and many artists having to delay releasing new songs, many of us reverted to old music that got us through previous years or discovered musicians we had never heard of, who were hiding behind big names and award winners. However, as we adapt to new conditions, musicians have been getting back in the studio, meaning we have a lot of new music to appreciate and look forward to in the coming year.
self-titled
First off, Wet Leg. Wet Leg is a very new indie band from the Isle of Wight, consisting of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. They rose to fame suddenly after signing to Domino Records and releasing their first single Chaise Longue which has racked up 7 and a half million streams on Spotify since its release in 2021. Their lyrics are humorous and intensely catchy such as the line “Is your mother worried?/ Would you like us to assign someone to worry your mother?” and the minute and a half at the end of the song dedicated to the repeated line “On the chaise longue, on the chaise longue, on the chaise longue, all day long on the chaise longue”. Although they do not have many songs out at the moment, their debut, self-titled album will be released on the 8th of April.
Mitski
The next album, Laurel Hell, is one of the most anticipated albums of 2022, coming from singer-songwriter Mitski Miyawaki, more commonly known as Mitski. Unlike Wet Leg, Mitski is not new to the music scene, having already released four albums with the song Washing Machine Heart having over 188 million streams on Spotify. After releasing her last album Be the Cowboy in 2018, she seemingly disappeared from the music industry entirely, deactivating all of her social media platforms and not releasing any new music. This led a lot of her fans to think she was done for good until she reappeared on social media, announcing a live stream for the music video to the song Working for the Knife. This song explores her experience with working in the music industry and how she struggles to be authentic with her songwriting as she is forced to keep releasing music so as to not lose relevancy. Her clean instrumentation and steady percussion line accompany dejecting lyrics such as ‘I used to think I’d be done by twenty/ Now at twenty-nine the road ahead appears the same”. Mitski has since released three other singles as we wait for the new album coming on the 4th of February.
Big Thief
Also coming in February is Dragon New Mountain I Believe In You from the band Big Thief. Big Thief is a Grammy-nominated indie folk/rock band based in New York and has already released eight tracks from their upcoming album. One of those is No Reason, a chilled folk song with the chorus almost reminiscent of a Sufjan Stevens song. The layered guitar tracks and harmonies give the song an atmospheric and satisfying feeling, while the lyrics ‘There is no reason to believe…Come together for a moment/ Look around and dissolve/ Like a feeling, like a flash,’ makes the song feel melancholic and brooding. The singer and guitarist Adrienne Lenker is well known for her album ‘Songs’ released in 2020 and follows a similar method, one with uplifting guitar riffs and melodies, accompanied by brooding lyrics, often producing pleasant and endearing tracks. The album will be released on the 11th of February with sixteen songs alongside the eight that have already come out.
FKA Twigs
Very different from Big Thief’s soft indie-folk sound is the pop-electronic-alternative sound of FKA Twigs’ second album Caprisongs. This album was released on the 14th of January of this year and features artists such as Jorja Smith, The Weeknd, and Unknown T. The first single she released was Tears in the Club featuring The Weeknd in which Twigs sings, “I wanna get you out of my hips, my thighs/ My hair, my eyes, my late-night cries”. The lyrics are sung on top of a loud bassline and electronic instrumentals, creating an electronic, club-like sound. The catchy chorus combined with the dance beat creates a rhythm that stays in your head for days. If you like Tears In the Club, my highlights for this album are Honda (feat Pa Salieu), Jealousy (feat Rema), and papi bones (feat shygirl).
2022 has already seen the release of several excellent albums and it is clear that we have many more to look forward to. From Big Thief’s relaxing folk music to FKA Twigs’ dance and electronic music, it is evident that we have many genres and new artists to explore.