Sam has been working incredibly hard over the past decade, which has resulted in (amongst other things), five EPs and one album. We received news this week that album #2 is officially on the way, “AudioLust & HigherLove”, which is set to be released on January 27, 2023.

“Vibe Like This” is one of four tracks we have heard from the double album so far, and it sees him team up again with Lucky Daye (previously part of “Feed the Fire”), and sees a fairly high-profile appearance from Ty Dolla $ign. I’d say this is his most significant US collaboration thus far, but I ain’t gonna besmirch Sir Nile Rodgers. I will take any opportunity to shade Calvin Harris though, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2 could never.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a classic SG album release without a tour, and you can catch him with a full live setup across the US and Canada in October and November.

SG Lewis – “Vibe Like This“

If like us, you’ve been following Orlando’s career since ~2011, you’ll have noticed that his musical talent is ageing like a fine wine. Whether via collaborations, featured appearances, remixes, or behind-the-scenes writing and production credits, the anti-brand of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs has been exceeding all expectations, with the crescendo being the much-anticipated follow-up to his ten-year-old debut album, “Trouble“.

17 tracks make up “When the Lights Go“, some of which have been slowly teased to us over the course of 2022. The majority of those early single releases make up my favourite tracks, but there is still a lot of fresh material to enjoy too.

According to Last.fm, TEED has been my most listened to artist over the past year, and honestly, I wasn’t surprised. His production value alone is spectacular, and once your brain allows for processing beyond that, you realise how much of a talented lyricist and singer he is. Nothing out there at the moment sounds like what Orlando is putting out, and the man is on a five-year untouchable, hot streak at this point.

Of the previously unheard tracks, “Friend” is my absolute favourite. Enjoy the track below, but head over to Bandcamp and download the whole album in FLAC. The release is on his own label, and he totally deserves your support.

Orlando is also on tour later this year across select dates in the UK (+ Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin), USA, and Canada. Don’t be a fucking fool and miss the opportunity to see him live.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – “Friend”

Even with the (SIX YEAR) hiatus on this blog, Tourist was a firm favourite here thanks to his classic LP/EP releases, “Patterns”, and “U”. Of course he has released a consistent set of bangers since, but the onus was on you to keep up with it (excuse the pun).

This week sees the release of “Howl“, his collaboration with the talented Elderbrook, who hasn’t been featured on this blog but you will probably still have heard of thanks to (amongst other things) his monster single “Cola” with CamelPhat, or “Something About You” with Rudimental.

“Howl” is a sensational synthesis of the artists’ two styles, which you will immediately pick up on (in literally less than a second) when the vocal samples kick in. As Tourist himself stated, this is definitely a “big pop dance banger”. Enjoy.

Elderbrook x Tourist – “Howl“

If anything was going to break the self-imposed, unannounced hiatus of this website, then you damn well know that the comeback was always going to involve Russ Chimes.

Obviously, my foot has been off of the proverbial pedal for a while, but I feel like being ~38 weeks late on an album announcement from the man himself deserves some level of flagellation to rival Paul Bettany in the Da Vinci Code.

With that being said, Russ has since been steadily releasing short teaser clips of new album material via Instagram, and it’s no surprise that nearly all of them are absolute belters.

Whether it’s evoking the spirit of Tears for Fears, giving TEED a run for his (Tapes &) Money, composing rapturous crescendos, or giving fair warning to Ibiza club owners that their dancefloors need big fucking structural reinforcements before Summer 2023, each of the seven (six?!) clips suggest we are in for a very special LP.

Arguably my favourite clip thus far is this simple yet stunningly emotive cut, which gives me goosebumps with every listen.

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A post shared by Russ Chimes (@russchimes)

if there’s one critique I’ve had of the man over the years, it’s that he doesn’t give his fans enough of what we all want – brand new music every single week. Now we’re finally here, and for those of us who have been craving an LP for neigh on 12 years now, this feels too good to be true.

We’ve seen Astronomyy flex his production muscles for both Zara Larsson and Billie Elish before but now the object of his attention is “Falling Autumn“, the gorgeous new single from Alayna. This has his trademark flex all but it doesn’t detract from a lyrically and vocally confident performance from the rising starlet.

Stream: alayna – Falling Autumn (prod. by Astronomyy)

If you haven’t already been swept away by the unstoppable force of ALMA then it’s time to brace yourself. The rising Finnish star has already dominated where it counts with an incredibly impressive 3m+ plays on Spotify for her new single which has barely been released for more than a fortnight. Taken from an EP which showcases her innate ability to write catchy songs without sounding forced, we expect you to read her name on many new year lists.

It’s hard to see past Ider ruling 2017 with an iron fist. Their songwriting and production is next level and they’re leaving artists in their wake with every new release. “Million” is their latest single to blow my mind and it’s instantly addictive.

Stream: IDER – Million

Since starting the blog we picked up on the fact that if an artist can smash any remix request thrown their way then they’re a special talent indeed. Mansionair have quickly manoeuvred themselves into this elite category and we’re beyond excited whenever we see new material.

This time they have out-staged Gryffin on his brand new single “Whole Heart” and we expect this to become one of their most listened to tracks on Spotify.

Stream: Gryffin – Whole Heart (Mansionair Remix)

Hailing from LA and putting up very impressive numbers on SoundCloud with his previous two releases, Tepu is back with “darkside” which is undeniably his best work to date. Whilst The Paul Institute continue to be lackadaisical with regards to their music releases, this should definitely tide you over in the meantime.

Stream: Tepu – darkside

We have loved Kero Kero Bonito for the longest time and honestly it’s hard not to considering they are one of the best alternative pop acts around at the moment. Their latest single “Trampoline” is yet another invitation into their unique musical playground, whilst we wait for their highly anticipated debut album “Bonito Generation“, released 10/21.

Make sure you catch them on their first headline US tour in October and November. They are great fun to watch live.

Stream: Kero Kero Bonito – Trampoline