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Sputnikmusic Staff’s Q1 Playlist 2021

Welcome to the first installment of our 2021 quarterly playlist/mixtape! Feel free to jam the playlist below while reading what our writers had to say about each selection. Tell us what your favorites are in the comments, as well as any new artists you may have discovered here – or, alternatively, tell us what we missed! Thanks for reading/listening.

Revisit our complete 100+ song 2020 staff playlist here!

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Tracklist:

As Days Get Dark

Arab Strap – Sleeper
In over a decade backing and forthing across the Scottish border, I never once had the notoriously grimy pleasure of taking the overnight ‘sleeper’ train, but Arab Strap’s stunning account matches up to every testimony I’ve heard. The restlessness, cheapness and discomfort are all there, but there’s an edge to it, an eeriness drawn out almost to the point of magical realism by some of the most riveting storytelling you’ll hear from anyone this year. Goodness there’s more where that came from on their knockout of a comeback record. — Johnnyofthewell

A Crime (by Big Red Machine)
Big Red Machine – A Crime
The return of indie darling duo Justin Vernon and Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine is something to celebrate, with “A Crime” marking their first release since the debut barring


hellrduk album art

I want to talk about Isgherurd Morth foremost and specifically. Mostly, the naming of the band, because I’m not a Siberian national, nor am I French. How does a group of musicians dream up a name like this, especially after forming groups like “Stench Price” which would make slightly more sense to those more English only readers? 

The more bizarre and weirder the name is, the more true black metal it will be! I’m kidding, of course! My idea was to indicate our origins in the possibly strangest way. Considering the large amount of new and existing black metal bands with names difficult to pronounce, I got an idea to play with the native language and found a solution in the Tatar language. Our native Russian language is replete with many words from Tatar dialects. So, ISGHERURD MORTH pronounces as |<Iz-ge-rur Mort>|.

We, the Siberians are descendants of ancient tribes also in our veins is the blood of Tatar Hordes. So we have the real Tatar name “Iske-ur”, which is the olden name of our hometown – “Krasnoyarsk” and re-arranged in a distinctive way with authentic linguistic hissing consonants. “Morth” is “dead”. Thus, the literal name of the project is “Krasnoyarsk is Dead”. The title of the album – “Hellrduk” means “Hell” with the same twist in Tatar-like pronunciation. Therefore the same vibe connects to the song titles.

Stench Pride is definitely a different animal to Isgherurd Morth. What drove the change from the more grinding ferocity, into the


blindfolded and led to the woods

First up, what’s the weather like in New Zealand at the moment? You guys had a bit of an earthquake/tsunami incident a couple weeks back, how did you and your fellow Christchurch-ian’s hold up?

The weather is fine, thank you. Christchurch is the most southern large city in New Zealand and subsequently we managed to avoid the tsunami warning that the northern island was given. That said, we are no stranger to earth quakes and tsunami warnings. 

Tell us how New Zealanders, particularly the music scene is holding up. The world has seen its share of adversity lately (there’s some virus floating around apparently – it’s been just over a year now) Are live shows coming back? Any talk of touring – maybe an East Coast of Australia “across the ditch” list of dates?

The music scene, and specifically the metal scene, in New Zealand is healthy and thriving. The Pandemic brought a stand still to live music last year, but due to New Zealand’s approach to lockdowns and border security, we currently have no community cases of Covid, and so live shows and festivals can continue without restriction. We feel very fortunate for this and are not taking it for granted, so we are in the process of piecing together our national tour. If the borders open to Australia and beyond, that will be our our focus for touring next year.

We’re a little over a week away from the release of your third album. How has the


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of April 2nd, 2021.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: April 2, 2021 –

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Amulets: Blooming

Genre: Electronic / Experimental
Label: The Flenser

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Bryce Dessner, Australian String Quartet, Sydney Dance Company: Impermanence/Disintegration

Genre: Classical/Dance
Label: 37d03d

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Cactus: Tightrope

Genre: Jazz/Blues/Rock
Label: Cleopatra Records

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Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil. . .  The Art of Starting Over

Genre: Pop
Label: Island Records

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Dry Cleaning: New Long Leg

Genre: Post Punk
Label: 4AD

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Du Blonde: Homecoming

Genre: Indie Rock
Label: Independent

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Facta: Blush

Genre: Electronic/House
Label: Wisdom Teeth

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Flock of Dimes: Head Of Roses

Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Sub Pop Records

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Foxes: Friends in the Corner

Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Label: PIAS Recordings

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Fuoco Fatuo: Obsidian Katabasis

Genre: Doom Metal
Label: Profound Lore

         

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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 26th, 2021.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: March 26, 2021 –

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’68: Give One Take One

Genre: Punk / Noise Rock
Label: Chariot Music/Cooking Vinyl

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As Everything Unfolds: Within Each Lies the Other

Genre: Post Hardcore / Alternative Metal
Label: Long Branch

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Band Of Spice: By The Corner Of Tomorrow

Genre: Stoner Rock / Heavy Metal
Label: Scarlet Records

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Ben Howard: Collections From the Whiteout

Genre: Singer Songwriter
Label: Island

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Blindfolded and Led To The Woods: Nightmare Withdrawals

Genre: Technical Death Metal
Label: Earsplit

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Carrie Underwood: My Saviour

Genre: Gospel
Label: Capitol Records

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Citizen: Life in Your Glass World

Genre: Pop Punk
Label: Run For Cover Records

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Clark: Playground In A Lake

Genre: Electronic / Experimental
Label: Warp

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Cryptosis: Bionic Swarm

Genre: Thrash Metal
Label: Century Media

     

‘Homines non nascuntur, sed finguntur’

Some heroes are born. Some are made. Some are found by the investigative talents of vigilante detectives to whom the internet secretly owes the world.

Let’s take a glimpse into the journal of Sputnik user ArsMoriendi…

Each song is something I’ve been digging from each month within the past 5 months. While writing this I decided that the first four songs easily relate to the four temperaments of humorism (choleric, melancholy, sanguine, and phlegmatic respectively.) It feels pretentious to point that out, but it’s true. So check these out anyway:

digbox

[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021]

 

November 2020: “Don’t Call Her No Tramp” by Betty Davis

Much of classic funk has the same energy as rock, but with the bass in the forefront. This often makes early funk incredibly fun and danceable, while retaining the earthiness of hard-rock. Betty Davis is one impressive lady within this already fantastic genre. Not only was she the person to influence her husband Miles (you know that trumpet guy, maybe you’ve heard of him) to incorporate funk and rock into his jazz (yep, she’s why Bitches Brew exists,) but she also made a hell of her own frontwoman. “Don’t Call Her No Tramp” marks itself as They Say I’m Different’s centerpiece as it oozes with confident sex-positive feminism. It’s backed by, roaring bass, shuffling keys, and Betty’s purposefully gruff voice. Everything about this song…


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 19th, 2021.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: March 19, 2021 –


 

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A.A. Williams: Songs From Isolation

Genre: Singer Songwriter / Post Rock
Label: Bella Union

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Alice Phoebe Lou: Glow

Genre: Singer Songwriter / Indie Pop Rock
Label: Independent

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Bell Orchestre: House Music

Genre: Contemporary Classical / Experimental
Label: Erased Tapes

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Black Honey: Written & Directed

Genre: Alternative Rock
Label: The Orchard

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Chad VanGaalen: World’s Most Stressed Out Gardener

Genre: Indie Pop
Label: Sub Pop

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Crypts: Coven of the Dead

Genre: Death Metal
Label: This Charming Man Records

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Devin Townsend: Acoustically Inclined, Live In Leeds

Genre: Singer Songwriter
Label: InsideOut Music

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Depths of Hatred: Inheritance

Genre: Deathcore
Label: Prosthetic Records

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Dvne: Etemen Aenka

Genre: Stoner / Sludge
Label: Metal Blade

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Erra: Erra

Genre: Progressive Metal
Label: UFND

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Fuath: II

Genre: Black Metal
Label: Season of Mist

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Gazelle Twin & NYX: Deep England

Genre: Experimental / Drone
Label: NYX Collective…


Garas is the grumpiest contributor on Sputnikmusic and one of the nicest people on the internet. Today, he digs!

Hello, welcome to the Grumpy-Digbox, where you may experience a short and madly niche list containing some of my favourite picks from the very recent times. I’m usually more of an “album-type” instead of a “song-type”, but from time to time my obsession with certain songs breaks my limits. Chances are you might hate these songs, but I really hope at least some of you might enjoy blasting them (with me)!

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[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021]

 

Slayer – South Of Heaven 

According to last.fm, thrash metal claimed the crown of being the my most listened genre at the end of February – I’m sure you can guess which one is my top listened genre otherwise. And pretty much South Of Heaven had the biggest role in this historical event. The song is not just the perfect choice of being the album’s opener, but this also the greatest Slayer song as well, I daresay. Most sinister mid tempo tunes and neck-breaking heaviness: perfection.

 

Craft – Again

“Awakening. World Suffering

Twisted things empathise with nothing.”

There is no better way facing daily stress than strangling it with a good amount of black metal, I’d say. Craft’s “anti-everything” philosophy is not easy to digest, but one thing is for sure: these…


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Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 12th, 2021.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.

– List of Releases: March 12, 2021 –


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Allie Crow Buckley: Moonlit and Devious

Genre: Americana/Folk
Label: Night Bloom Records

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The Anchoress: The Art of Losing

Genre: Pop Rock
Label: Kscope

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The Crown: Royal Destroyer

Genre: Death Metal
Label: Metal Blade

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DJ Muggs: Dies Occidendum

Genre: Hip Hop (Beats)
Label: Sacred Bones

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Enforced: Kill Grid

Genre: Crossover Thrash
Label: Century Media

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Eyehategod: A History of Nomadic Behavior

Genre: Sludge
Label: Century Media

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Lovebites: Glory, Glory, To The World

Genre: Symphonic Metal
Label: JVCKenwood Victor Entertainment

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Lydmor: Capacity

Genre: Indie Pop
Label: hfn

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Marianas Rest: Fata Morgana

Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Napalm

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Nick Jonas: Spaceman

Genre: Singer songwriter
Label: Island

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Nubiyan Twist: Freedom Fables

Genre: Afro-Jazz
Label: Strut

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The Paper Kites: Roses

Genre: Indie Folk
Label:  Wonderlick Entertainment / Sony

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Rob Zombie: The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy

Genre: Industrial Rock
Label: Nuclear Blast

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Saga: Symmetry

Genre: Progressive Rock
Label: earMUSIC

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Secret Sphere: Lifeblood

Genre: Power Metal
Label: Frontiers

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Selena Gomez: Revelación

Genre: Pop
Label: Interscope Records

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Sepulcros: Vazio

Genre: Death/Doom Metal
Label: Transcending Obscurity

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Stortregn: Impermanence

Genre: Death/Black Metal
Label: The Artisan Era

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The Underground Youth: The Falling

Genre: Psychedelic Rock
Label: Fuzz Club

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Valerie June: The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers

Genre: R&B/Soul
Label: Fantasy Records


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Happy New Year GIF by Matthew Butler - Find & Share on GIPHY

2020:  Q1   |   Q2  |   Q3   |   Q4|   2022  |   2021

Sputnikmusic Staff’s 2020 Playlist

It’s been a long year. A long, long year. As we usher out one of the most challenging times in recent memory with the hope that 2021 will bring along better things, this playlist will serve as a time capsule of sorts. These are the sounds of 2020 – the ugly, the bewildering, and the beautiful. Compiled from all four quarters of the year (for each individual installment, see the hyperlinks in the header), this combined playlist affords you the opportunity to jam many of our staff’s favorite tracks all in one place. It’s often through the most difficult times in human history that some of the best art has emerged, and 2020 surely saw its share of amazing music. Press play and sink into this labor of love: 100+ songs born out of adversity, perseverance, and hope. I proudly present to you: the Sputnikmusic Staff’s 2020 Playlist ~

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*protip: Our list contains 107 songs but Spotify only shows 100 songs. For the remaining 7, either click the “next arrow” after the 100th track, or navigate to Q4 and jam them there!*

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Ad Nauseam – Imperative Imperceptible Impulse


 

If Sputnikmusic’s “Album Of The Month” series has taught us anything over the course of last year it’s that not all records are created equal. Fairly, a statement like that could easily be considered hyperbolic if not for the sheer vastness which Imperative Imperceptible Impulse commands, surging out of the realms of disso-death and into the hearts of those fed a full serving of Ulcerate, Gorguts, Deathspell Omega and early 90s Demilich. Yet, Ad Nauseam’s sophomore is a beast, a behemoth of ingenuity – taking the very sequencing that made those groups named above what they are and defining their own individual take. Imperative Imperceptible Impulse crashes through the simple boundaries of what traditional music is, crafting devastating compositions with unique experimentation, something mostly credited to the band’s ‘do it yourself’ approach. It’s this meticulous design that articulates the very essence of Ad Nauseam’s central make-up. 

 
By itself, Imperative Imperceptible Impulse is not an easy listen by any means. In fact, these tracks ‘demand’ attention, repeats and introspection. Whether it’s the tempo breaks, jarred rhythms, breakneck shifts in dissonance…there’s something to enjoy for all fans of extreme music. The unpacking of such a record comes with great reward, you just have to take a deep breath and fall in face first. – Robert Garland


SandwichBubble is one of Sputnik’s soundest denizens and a longstanding hero of the Digbox. Today, he comes to conquer!

How very conceited of me to think anyone wants to hear my lame digs, amiright? Yeah, I know, I’m well aware. But, I actually have a few reasons for wanting to do this. For one, I helped make the new logo for this series, so I feel like I have a small stake in its success. But the main reason was because I wanted to check if some of my recent Bandcamp finds were on Spotify. See, I’ve barely used my Spotify account the last 2-3 years, and I know people that prefer streaming their music, so I thought this would be a good way to introduce you all to some good tunes and finally give me a reason to use my Spotify account. Seriously though, Bandcamp is way better and all of you should be using it to find music. Anyways, strap in, because here we go:

digbox

[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021]

 

Cold Meat – Nice Girls

You just can’t beat some good hardcore/garage punk. You just can’t, alright? I recently found this Australian band on one of my Bandcamp digging sessions and was immediately hooked by Cold Meat. Their particular brand of raw punk rock gets me going. I wouldn’t go so far as to call “Nice Girls” anarcho-punk or something, but there’s definitely some 80s influence to the…


Here’s a list of major new releases for the week of March 5, 2021.  Please feel free to request reviews for any of the following albums from staff and/or contributors.


– List of Releases: March 5, 2021 –


A Day To Remember: You’re Welcome
Genre: Alternative
Label: Fueled by Ramen


Alex Bleeker: Heaven On The Faultline
Genre: Country/Folk
Label: Night Bloom Records


Arab Strap: As Days Get Dark
Genre: Indie Rock/Indie Pop
Label: Rough Trade


Barbarossa: Love Here Listen
Genre: Alternative/Electronic
Label: Memphis Industries


Bernice: Eau De Bonjourno
Genre: Experimental/Pop
Label: Telephone Explosion


Chevelle: Niratias
Genre: Alt Metal
Label: Epic


Dreamshade: A Pale Blue Dot
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Horang Music


Elizabeth and the Catapult: sincerely, e
Genre: Indie Pop/Folk
Label: Compass Records


Fruit Bats: The Pet Parade
Genre: Indie Pop/Indie Rock
Label: Merge Records


Guy Blakeslee: Double Vision
Genre: Experimental/Ambient
Label: Entrance Records & Tapes


The Hyena Kill: A Disconnect
Genre: Alt Metal/Progressive
Label: APF Records


Ian Sweet: Show Me How You Disappear
Genre: Indie Rock/Lo-Fi
Label: Polyvinyl Records


Jane Weaver: Flock
Genre: Electronic/Indie Pop
Label: Fire Records


Jay Gonzalez: Back to the Hive
Genre: Power Pop
Label: Independent


Katy Shea: Sorry Ain’t Working
Genre: Country
Label: Red Stitch / Max Bourbon


Kings of Leon: When You See Yourself
Genre: Alternative
Label: RCA Records Label


Leon III: Antlers in Velvet
Genre: Psychedelic/Americana
Label: Monosonic


POSTDATA: Twin Flames
Genre: Alternative
Label: Paper Bag Records


Witherfall: Curse of Autumn
Genre: Progressive Metal/Power Metal
Label: Century Media


Wolfheart: Skull Soldiers
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Label: Napalm Records


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Today we welcome Sputveteran Josh D. to the Digbox. Boy, can he dig!

Over to you, Josh D.. Good luck!

It’s me, the user that’s been on this site for almost half his life. And still, somehow, I can’t seem to remember any site features that really jingled my dingle. But when I saw the birth of Digbox, I thought “cool”. Every other user-posted list is for recs or current digs, so a short but more curated version in blog form is a welcome variation. Especially for me since I write a review every 4 years or so. As for the songs below, I tried to choose things that might be vaguely familiar at best to maximize the amount of unheard music for everyone. This is also the reason I chose people from different eras, surroundings, and styles. Gotta show how eclectic we are while we’re at it. And we’re off:

digbox

[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021]

Susumu Yokota – “Purple Rose Minuet”

I hype this album every chance I get to obtain that cool “I love this album you’ve never heard of, check it out” cred, assuming the person likes it after listening. Symbol consists of Susumu’s electronic stylings mixed with samples of classical music, and “Purple Rose Minuet” draws in the piano from Debussy’s “Clair De Lune” to underscore the most dreamy orchestral offering from the album. It’s a blend that almost feels out of place here due…


Today we welcome dedex to the Digbox. Hello, dedex! Off you go!

 

Hello, welcome to the Digbox. This is a [now confirmed] blog(!) series where a person throws down a few epic jams and talks about them a little bit, or a lot. List is digs, and all that. The only rules set by local resident JohnnyoftheW**b are 1) no more than nine songs (what a random choice btw), to keep this succinct for the readergang, 2) this is primarily about songs, not albums or other things(?), and 3) at least most of the songs have to be really, really good for reasons that aren’t ironic. Cool? Cool. Digbox: begin:

digbox

[“Digbox” – reimagined by SandwichBubble, 2021] 

 

Disclosure – “Watch Your Step”

The biggest mystery of 2020: where were y’all when the last Disclosure album dropped? With an, erm, impressive amount of 46 ratings, it was less hyped than some obscure metalcore album. I get that some specific genres attract many peepz here, but the lack of ass-shaking praise makes me sad. What makes it even sadder is that the average is painfully low, the record being unashamedly tackled for its “genericness”. “Watch Your Step” ain’t no generic mainstream fodder, no! It’s a dangerously infectious banger that bleeds for us all to go tear the clubs up, its catchy refrain only waiting for hundreds of voices to join in unison while dancing feet swaggily stomp the floor. Maybe y’all just weren’t…


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