MUSIC
REVIEWS BY MARC ANDREWS
YEARS & YEARS – NIGHT CALL
There’s a lot riding on the third album from Years & Years, now reduced to just Olly Alexander. Their 2015 debut, Communion, was an immaculate confection with hits King and Desire announcing a big new pop act. Sadly, 2018’s follow-up Palo Santo, was a not-so-hot mess and the then-trio parted ways, leaving Olly to create a third album on his own. You may have already heard Star Struck, which is a decent enough pop bop, but the good news is that this is a return to the superlative form of their debut. The title track sounds like an instant hit, Sweet Talker (“you’re the man of my dreams”) is the big gay pop hit we’ve been hoping for, while bittersweet See You Again gives Troye Sivan a run for his money. If you’re after Y&Ys’ recent Kylie collabs they’ll both on the deluxe edition.
This is a return to the superlative form of their debut… DONATACHI – DONATCHI.COM
ANTHONY HUGHES – DON’T TRY
Non-binary Sydney producer Donatachi is one of the leading lights of “hyperpop” and on their new seven-track EP, cutely titled Donatchi.com, they certainly deliver on all that hype(r). Leading off with Cry, best described as Tones And I stuck in a bubblegum-flavoured techno time machine, this is perfect for your next high impact cardio workout, long distance road trip, or next kitchen disco between Netflix binges. The EP’s first single, Pisces Rising, featuring Chymes, has a more languid paced pop bop that sounds like the coolest beach tune you’ll hear all Southern Hemisphere summer. “I’ve put more of myself into this than anything I’ve ever done before,” they declared to DNA.
This 29-year-old gay singer/ songwriter from London is looking to make a splash in 2022. After featuring on CYRS’s track Zone he independently released My Thing and Out The Other Side, both of which garnered acclaim and attention, even in the middle of a pandemic. Now, with Don’t Try, Ant is ready to break out big with the meaty, beaty tale of starcrossed lovers in collaboration with producer Fhalla. That he also has one of the sexiest voices you’re likely to hear in LGBTQIA+ pop is a bonus. Check out the video for Don’t Try, too, in which he truly smoulders for the camera. Just try and take your eyes off him!
SHELDON RILEY – AGAIN
JONSI – OBSIDIAN
If you prefer your pop music with a dark, almost sinister edge, then 22-year-old Sheldon Riley might be the artist you need in your life. Again – which travels somewhere between Sia and FKA Twigs – is a confessional about self-sabotage and personal torment, but with Sheldon’s powerhouse voice it becomes dramatic, affecting and instantly memorable. “I’m an artist who writes music about resolving pain, finding strength and confessing heartache,” Sheldon tells DNA. “I wrote this song at a time where everything was going so great. I was working on myself, putting hurt behind me and found myself on a supported path where, for the first time in a long time, I felt a sense of control.”
Jónsi’s last album, Shiver, was only released last year, so he’s certainly been putting his lockdown time to good use up in Iceland. Obsidian comes almost exactly a year later and already previewed by the genre-defying Salt Licorice featuring Robyn. Its haunting follow-up single, with the gloriously damp title of Mold, comes complete with one of the most beautiful and esoteric gay videos we’ve ever seen. Because Jónsi is not your everyday Scandi pop star, he’s also created a whole visual Obsidian album (all very cinematic, windswept and eery) which you can watch for free and at your leisure on YouTube. FYI: obsidian is a type of glasslike volcanic rock as seen on the album’s cover. Now you know!
20 DNA
