Gold Soundz: December 6, 2024

This week's suggested new music, curated by omg!nyc

We’ve hit December and now that there is less than a month left in the year, this will be my last new music update of 2024. Over the remaining weeks, I’ll be sharing my favorite music of the year and will return to latest drops in 2025 (unless SZA or someone really does have a last minute surprise in store for us). Also, today is the last Bandcamp Friday of the year. If you posted your Spotify Wrapped or top Apple tracks of the year, it would be a great time to purchase some of the music you loved this year and directly support the artist instead of just another corporation.

It feels like we’ve been waiting on this one for a while, but the solo debut album from Chvrches singer Lauren Mayberry is finally here. Featuring a lot of what you’d expect from her main band, there’s glossy synths and strong bass that create her electro-pop sound and give it something that you can sink your teeth into with satisfying returns.

Drone and ambient mastermind Fennesz has shared his latest record, Mosaic, and he’s described it as his most reflective album to date. Using obscure time signatures, influences from ‘80 West African pop, and a slew of other tricks, this album was written in a singular period, from beginning to end, via a very regimented schedule that allowed for complete and total dedication.

Last year, Kenny Segal topped by albums of the year list with billy woods on their phenomenal album Maps. Today, Segal is back with a surprise new album where he provides the beats for rapper K-and-I??? and it’s got features from woods and Euclid as Armand Hammer, Fatboit Shariff, and more.

Earlier this year, Shabaka delighted us with his first album as part of his foray into flute music and he’s wrapping things up with a new EP of similar material that continues to move away from his celebrated time as a saxophonist and allows for more exciting sonic explorations. The collaboration with billy woods is one of the real highlights.

A few years ago, Angel Olsen started her own record imprint so she could release music on her own terms and accords. The imprint’s second release is Cosmic Waves Volume 1 and unique and cool concept that features covers of artists chosen by Olsen, where each artist chose their own song to be included while the rest of the songs are from the same featured artists, but chosen by Olsen and recorded by her.

Two years after her last single, Sky Ferreira really did drop her new tune “Leash” and claims that her much anticipated new album Masochism, is “ready for launch.” Once again taking some unexpected cues from My Bloody Valentine, the guitar here is smoldering and the vocals are buried deeper into the mix than you’d expect for a pop song, perhaps (wishfully) indicating that her shoegaze era could be upon us.

Next year, Sharon Van Etten will return with a new record that was written and recorded with her band The Attachment Theory. This is the first time she’s shared all of the writing with the other members of the group, giving this a full band feel and the latest single “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)” is another rocking, synthed-out tune that bodes well for the direction the group will be exploring on the album.

Albums:

LAUREN MAYBERRY | Vicious Creature
FENNESZ | Mosaic
KENNY SEGAL / K-THE-I??? | Genuine Dexterity
WHITE DENIM | 12
SHABAKA | Possession EP
ANGEL OLSEN | Cosmic Waves Volume 1

Songs:

SKY FERREIRA | “Leash”
SHARON VAN ETTEN | “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like)”
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY | “London May”
SKEPTA | “Alpha Omega” (ft Lex Luger)
DERADOORIAN | “Digital Gravestone”
THE HORRORS | “Lotus Eater”
FATBOI SHARIFF | “Malik” (ft Driveby)
MDOU MOCTAR | “Takoba” [Injustice version]

If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs (and more from 2024) here!