NME Radio Roundup 19 December 2022: Paramore, Bree Runway, FLO and more
2022 has been a spectacular year for music. From confessional hip-hop, to stellar experimental pop, dance floor burners, and gorgeous, ’70s-inflected balladry, the year brought us a glorious range of sounds and styles. And looking forward, it seems the music world won’t be slowing down any time soon: last week, alt-rock titans Paramore brought us ‘The News’, the second preview of their highly anticipated seventh album arriving in February 2023.
The agitated rager follows comeback single, ‘This Is Why’, which was named NME’s second-favourite song of the year. Writing about the single’s placement among 2022’s 50 best songs, Erica Campbell wrote: “With its slow crawling synth and cymbals eventually erupting into a full funk fest, ‘This Is Why’ gave us just what we wanted: an innovative pop-punk moment from a band already responsible for so many.”
‘The News’ this week’s additions to NME Radio, joined by a choice cut from Bree Runway’s surprise EP, the latest single from FLO, and more.
Check out the newest additions to NME Radio 1 and 2 below:
On the A List:
Paramore
‘The News’
Paramore are worn out by a bombardment of headlines in ‘The News’, the second single of their upcoming record ‘This Is Why’. Behind angular guitars and an unsettling chord progression, Hayley Williams searingly assesses the state of today’s world: “A war, a war on the far side / On the other side of the planet”. As if sonically replicating the impact of a never-ending news cycle, the band careens along, Zac Farro’s pummelling drums leading the way while Williams barks her imperative refrain: “Turn on, turn off the news”. – Eli Ordonez
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Bree Runway
‘Pick Your Poison ft. Stormzy’
NME 100 alumi Bree Runway teams up with Stormzy for a tender ode to an old flame with ‘Pick Your Poison’, taken off the former’s surprise EP ‘Whoa, What A Blur!’. Stormzy kicks off the track delivering its sentimental hook, deftly using alcohol as a metaphor for the intoxication of love and devastation of heartbreak: “Tequila shots don’t get you wasted no more / So when you pick your poison, I just hope it’s me”. Meanwhile Runway effortlessly sings emotive bars atop a laidback dancehall beat, proving she can move your heart as much as your body. – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Emotional Oranges
‘Petty’
Los Angeles R&B group Emotional Oranges want you to cool down on ‘Petty’, the latest single from their fourth full-length release ‘The Juice: Vol. III’. The enigmatic duo concoct a groovy soundscape by juxtaposing bouncy rhythms and slinky bass against reverb-drenched keyboards. On the cut, “A” takes the lead with vocals, riffing on a Drake-esque hook calling for a lover to calm down (“Don’t get petty with me”), before “V” steps in for a brief sequence of chilled-out bars, and it’s excellent. – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
FLO
‘Losing You’
London R&B trio FLO have moved on from their exes on the triumphant new single ‘Losing You’. Continuing to tap into the ’90s R&B sensibilities they brilliantly demonstrated on September EP ‘The Lead’, the group concoct a glorious, TLC-esque torch song, replete with snappy drums, electric pianos and gospel-tinged harmonies. As expected, the group take advantage of every line to showcase their exceptional vocal abilities, with Stella, Jorja and Renée backing each other up with jaw-dropping ad-libs. – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the B List:
SZA
‘Ghost In The Machine ft. Phoebe Bridgers’
SZA wants to be a real human being on ‘Ghost In The Machine’, a poignant cut off her excellent comeback LP ‘SOS’. The R&B powerhouse once again flexes her penchant for mixing up the genre’s formula, this time combining her signature, undulating melodies with emo and electronic influences. Phoebe Bridgers joins her later on, delivering an appropriately morose verse atop the track’s icy instrumental. – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Little Simz
‘Gorilla’
A standout track from Little Simz new, surprise-dropped album ‘NO THANK YOU’, against Inflo’s jazzy beat, Simz delivers both playful bars (“Big time driller, monkey to gorilla”) and poignant lines (“Rest in peace to Mac Miller”). Another outstanding cut from the Mercury Prize winning artist, it’s clear Simz has only one goal: to “shake the whole shit up”. – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Wizkid
‘2 Sugar ft. Ayra Starr’
Nigerian sensation Wizkid is all about that good energy with ‘2 Sugar’, a stellar cut from his latest record, ‘More Love, Less Ego’. The afrobeat stalwart exudes effortless nonchalance against yet another irresistible rhythm, with P2J’s production striking a balance between punchy beats and delicate ambience. Both Wizkid and Arya Starr deliver complementary, catchy verses about leaving out the bad vibes for a good time. – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
Teezee and Cruel Santino
‘Manhattan’
Nigerian alté up-and-comers Teezee and Cruel Santino fall in love in the Big Apple on their latest collaboration, ‘Manhattan’. The latter delivers the track’s subdued hook, as he pines for a distant lover from the track’s titular city. Later on, Teezee steals the show over the track’s stuttering beat, his husky, auto-tuned voice gleaming under the spotlight. – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
On the C List:
Biig Piig
‘Picking Up ft. Deb Never’
Alt-pop rulebreakers Biig Piig and Deb Never bring us a rollicking new transatlantic collaboration ‘Picking Up’. The restless track jumps between moods, time signatures and sonic textures in chaotic fashion, building towards a manic jungle breakdown. The two take turns delivering verses with a appropriately detached demeanour: “Crashing ‘till I’m numb / Oh my God” – EO
Listen: Spotify
Blondshell
‘Veronica Mars’
Los Angeles singer-songwriter Blondshell takes us back to the mid-aughts on her latest single, ‘Veronica Mars’. Named after the Kristen Bell-starring teen mystery series, the track captures a slice of life lived in the 2000s, referencing minute details including an empty New York apartment, a friend on the loo, and a dickhead stranger – in under two minutes. – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
R. Ring
‘Def Sup’
R. Ring freak out on ‘Def Sup’, the chaotic second second single from their upcoming album ‘War Poems, We Rested’. Featuring members of The Breeders and Ampline, the track showcases the duo’s expertise on texturally-focused indie rock, decking it out with stabs of guitar fuzz, angular guitar solos, synth noise and a lulling, hypnotic bassline. – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
B.Miles
‘One Trick Pony’
New York-based singer-songwriter B.Miles ponders the transient nature of success on her latest single ‘One Trick Pony’. Against a muted backdrop of dreamy guitar chords and a steady backbeat, Brenna Miles sighs with resignation to an industry built on fickle trends (“Tip over / Pour me out / Puppet girl, tired from your sound”) before acknowledging that her ego gets the best of her too (“Tired, ‘cause my ego owns me”) – EO
Listen: Spotify | Apple Music
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