WHITNEY
Golden Days ★★★★
Secretly Canadian
Whitney are a Chicago-based duo, comprising ex-Smith Western member Max Kakacek (guitar) and ex-Unknown Mortal Orchestra man Julian Ehrlich (drums, vocals). This latest single from their forthcoming debut album Light Upon The Lake is a gorgeous slacker anthem guaranteed to have you dreaming of summer. "It's a shame we can't get it together now," drawls Ehrlich, in a wistful falsetto. I, for one, would beg to disagree.
MANGO
Badman ★★★
"If you're not from here, you won't get this..." As a former member of Dublin rap collective The Animators, Mango is not one of the African immigrants currently "legitimising" Irish hip-hop (© the headline to a recent, otherwise fine Pitchfork feature on hip-hop in this country.) But this single from his forthcoming solo debut Casual Work has a take-no-prisoners attitude that might just resonate a little farther afield than he imagines.
PET SHOP BOYS
The Pop Kids ★★★
X2
"Remember those days, the early '90s? / We both applied for places at the same university..." Born in 1954, Neil Tennant is, by my calculations, shaving at least a decade or two off his age in the opening lines to this new single from the band's forthcoming Super album. He's also possibly throwing shade at Irish 1994 Eurovision winners Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan (of Rock n' Roll Kids fame), later in the song, with his bold assertion that "rock is overrated". Expect the pair's response to this sick burn sometime around 2038.
THE SHAKER HYMN
Trophy Child ★★★
Produced by O Emperor's Brendan Fennessy, Trophy Child is the lead single from The Shaker Hymn's second album Do You Think You're Clever? album. It's a polished effort, with (occasionally stodgy) classic rock echoes of everyone from John Lennon to Richard Ashcroft. The record goes on sale tomorrow and the band begin a 10-date Irish tour at Connolly's of Leap in Co Cork on Friday night.
