The Grubby Mitts - Home at Last
The Grubby Mitts' Andy Holden is an accomplished visual artist and, it turns out, a maddeningly eccentric wordsmith. Each verse of Home at Last begins with a simile so crow-barred onto the lyric sheet it's almost impossible for the listener not to second-guess what the following line might be. "Baby, your love is like a rumble strip" he offers at one point. "You keep me on the straight and narrow"? "It's always a bumpy ride"? "I keep running over you at motorway rest stops"? Wait, wait, I've got this . . . NO CLUES!
MIA - Swords
This is MIA's first new single since 2013 and the first taster from her forthcoming fifth studio album, Matadatah. On Swords, the firebrand rapper eviscerates a scattershot of deserving targets, including sexism, racism, global inequality and the Pavilions Shopping Centre. Okay, I may have made one of those up.
Nervo - The Other Boys
Italian-Australian sisters Miriam and Olivia Nervo have teamed up with Kylie, Jake Shears and Nile Rogers on this ultra-camp, ultra-catchy ode to unrequited lust. Their debut album, Collateral, is out now.
Jacuzzi Boys - Happy Damage
In the black-and-white footage that opens this video, a bunch of unkempt ne'er-do-wells wander into a roadside truck stop. The old lady inside asks who they are. They say they're a rock'n'roll band. Instead of quaking in fear, the old lady appears genuinely charmed. "Rock'n'roll!" she enthuses. Clearly, it's been a while since long hair and loud guitars were synonymous with danger or menace. But this Miami garage rock trio embody something almost as worthwhile: fun. The six track Happy Damage EP is the debut offering on their own Mag Mag Records.
