We at TREMG love spotlighting rising and underappreciated talent to give underground creators a platform and the recognition they deserve. But while we love a good monthly roundup, there’s so much great music coming out on a weekly basis that we wanted to share even more. And artists like Nick Bonin and Nina Nesbitt were killing it this week! Here’s what you may have missed over the past few days.
TREMG News
Congratulations to rap royalty Nicki Minaj, who took home the prestigious Video Vanguard Award at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards! In addition to winning one of the biggest prizes of the night, Nicki put on an amazing medley performance including some of her most iconic hits, as well as the currently-viral “Freaky Girl.” Check out our report right here and watch the performance below!
New Singles
What do you get when you bring together two of the most thrilling voices in alternative? An incredible collaboration you won’t be able to get out of your head, of course. That’s exactly what Ezekiel and Siiickbrain have delivered with “cut the cable.” The addictive track opens with a gentle acoustic guitar before delving into a hyperpop-tinged wonderland filled with emotive screams and vulnerable confessions of “I need you.” We need more of this pairing, because “cut the cable” is simply electrifying!
I’ve always really loved Ezekiel’s music and always thought they were super talented. With our previous collaboration we didn’t get a chance to record together in the studio but with “cut the cable” it was super sick to see them really doing their thing.
Siiickbrain
Skofee just earned herself a spot as one of our favorite rising artists with “Wind Up Hero,” a dance-pop banger about supporting those around you when you feel like you’re drowning yourself. It’s a thoughtful, eye-opening look at how we put aside our own needs so often during times of trouble, when we deserve the same energy and empathy that we give to others. The song describes being there for someone as a superpower, and it’s clear that Skofee’s superpower is channeling universal feelings into a mind-blowingly relatable song that sounds like it was made just for you.
[This song] was born out of a note in my phone. I’d misheard something a friend said and [thought] they’d said ‘Wind Up Hero.’ The resulting song is sung through the character of the ‘Wind Up Hero,’ who will never let you down regardless of how much pain she’s in. It addresses my tendency to emotionally drain myself in an effort to make space for someone else’s feelings, which ends up serving neither party. Showing up for someone when you’re not in a good place feels a bit like summoning a superpower, so I felt the metaphor was fitting.
Skofee
If Nick Bonin isn’t already on your radar, “Sad” just might be the song to convince you to keep an eye on him! Having fought through mental health struggles and substance abuse, he has a deeply captivating perspective on the human experience that shines through on alt-pop anthems like “Sad.” It’s a battle cry for anyone who feels like they’re drowning in the chaos of modern life, reminding listeners that they’re never alone in what they go through. There’s someone out there who has felt the exact same way and came out the other side, using that pain to fuel inspiring art that touches lives. It also doesn’t hurt that “Sad” features production from Andrew Migliore, whose catalog boasts credits with the likes of Travis Barker and Juice WRLD.
Jenna Raine reminds her friends they deserve the best from a partner with “Fumbled The Bag,” an empowering track from the perspective of someone who runs into her ex post-breakup and classily calls him out for making the mistake of letting her go. The narrator is reclaiming her narrative and refusing to sulk because of a boy who didn’t appreciate her – we love the message and confidence on this song! If you’ve been through a breakup recently, or know someone who has, “Fumbled The Bag” is a playlist essential you need to hear.
‘Fumbled the Bag’ was inspired by two of my close friends who had breakups before the summer. I wanted to write a song that captures how terribly these guys fumbled the bag. It’s meant to help them realize that their ex is the one who messed up, not them.
Jenna Raine
Sir Jude teams up with Maxim of The Prodigy for the powerful “Preach,” an industrial anthem calling for listeners to acknowledge their own power and refuse to accept anything less than they deserve. If you loved Halsey’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power album, you’ll love this track! It’s part sinister, part dreamy, and entirely refreshing. Sir Jude knows exactly who she is as an artist and plays to her strengths with every release. It’s clearly working, since “Preach” sees her working with someone she grew up admiring!
It was so brilliant working with Maxim. The Prodigy was incredibly influential to me. I remember my dad showing me ‘Firestarter’ as a kid and being completely blown away. They pioneered that sound. As for the song, weeks before I had recorded a sample of my windscreen wipers on a really rainy night. The cadence was so interesting and I was completely drawn to the bouncy rhythm and the aggressive tones. Maxim was intrigued by its dark energy and we both agreed for the song to be tonally cutthroat, ethereal, and aggressive with a message on self-love and independence.
Sir Jude
New Albums
The king of the misfits has returned, and YUNGBLUD just dropped his self-titled third album! YUNGBLUD offers some of Dom’s most introspective, vulnerable work to date, drawing from classic rock and punk while bringing his fresh, forward-thinking attitude to the table. Focus track “Tissues” insists that “everyone wants to feel love” and calls for unity while sampling The Cure’s “Close To Me.” Dom will always march to the beat of his own drum and invites his fans to do the same with every anthemic song he releases! One day, future rockers will be wanting to sample his work and channel his fearlessness.
This is a new era for YUNGBLUD, I wanted to dance, I wanted to move, and I wanted to really personify in the video what this song [‘Tissues’] means. It’s happiness and it’s euphoria and it’s letting the fuck go.
YUNGBLUD
Nina Nesbitt is about to rock your world with her ethereal new album Älskar, which features her signature emotive lyrics and a variety of influences that make every song a mesmerizing whirlwind. As expected, Nina put her own touch on each track, writing or co-writing all twelve songs and pouring her heart into every line. Focus track “I Should Be A Bird” discusses feeling weighed-down and fearful, while songs like “When You Lose Someone” touch on grief with a gentle grace. Every moment is uniquely Nina in a way unlike we’ve heard from her before!
Älskar is about love in all its raw forms, whether that be my relationship, family, friends, or learning to love myself. I really like the dynamics of the album. It has that Swedish feel to it, as I got to work with a lot of my idols from the pop scene there. But it also has a Scottish element too – the storytelling and the folk – which influenced the other half of it.
Nina Nesbitt
Music and Tech
The world and BeyHive have been buzzing ever since Beyoncé dropped RENAISSANCE earlier this summer, but the fun’s not over yet! Bey is teaming up with Tidal to track down one of her biggest fans, with an immersive campaign called Break My Code. Tidal listeners who subscribe to the platform’s HiFi and HiFi Plus tiers will get to answer trivia questions about the project while they listen to it, and as they answer them, they’ll get clues as to what the mysterious code is. Whoever solves the code will get a RENAISSANCE merch prize pack, as well as the ultimate BeyHive bragging rights!
If you’re a HiFi or HiFi Plus subscriber, join the fun while listening to the album right here – you can also join in the fun here if you aren’t a Tidal subscriber yet! You have until September 6th at noon Eastern time to crack the code, so get listening and prove you have the right ‘ENERGY.’
What were your favorite releases this week? Let us know in the comments below or link up with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
