Now Hear This: Headie One, Little Mix, Jordan Adetunji and AC/DC, plus spotlight artist The Lathums

Regardless of what Rishi Sunak thinks, I’m very glad that so many talented musicians are sticking to what they do best. There’s a wealth of new music out this week that we wouldn’t have if Little Mix and Headie One had decided they might be better off working in IT.

Headie One has released his debut album, Edna, which is dedicated to his late mother. It’s absolutely rammed with guest features, including Stormzy, Future, Drake and Skepta, but Headie more than holds his own among such heavyweights. This is a thoughtful, nuanced debut that tussles with an artist caught between his roots and recent fame; a portrayal of a young man who still feels compelled to sleep with one eye open.

Another debut album comes from D-Block Europe, the talented duo who have finally unveiled The Blueprint – Us vs Them. The release follows a massive 2019 that included two sold-out shows at London’s Alexandra Palace. Little Mix, meanwhile, make a big statement with “Not a Pop Song”, which takes a delightfully unsubtle swipe at their former label boss Simon Cowell. The track is the latest single from the group’s forthcoming album, Confetti, out this November.

I love the update on Victoria Monet’s slinky “Touch Me”, now with a guest appearance from Kehlani. Both artists have released superb albums this year – Monet with Jaguar, and Kehlani with It Was Good Until It Wasn’t. French rapper and singer Dadju has two tracks out this week, the gorgeous “Dieu Merci” (“Thank you God”) – a collaboration with Tiakola – and “Dans mes bras” (“In my arms”), a tender ballad of exquisitely layered harmonies with Kendji Girac.

There’s a new French Afrobeats artist, Epoque, that I’m very into – she just released an infectious new track, “Petite”. YUNGBLUD has dropped his latest rock-pop banger, “cotton candy”, which sounds a lot like The 1975 before… anyway, the YUNGBLUD song is really good. Belfast rapper Jordan Adetunji is a surprise, obviously influenced by more of a trap style than many of his peers. It works, I like it. “Wired”, the new collaboration from Ella Eyre and Sonny Fodera, is an absolute mood for the weekend. US R&B duo THEY. are onto a winner with rapper Wale, and their track “Losing Focus”. I love the breathless band cover of Harry Styles song “Adore You”, by Vistas.

AC/DC fans were stoked earlier this week when the band announced a new album, POWER UP, with their original surviving lineup. To cap things off, they released new single “Shot in the Dark”, which suggests they’ve lost none of their good old-fashioned firepower. In case you missed it, there’s a new album from Future Islands out this week, As Long As You Are – you should definitely read my colleague Ellie Harrison’s fantastic interview with frontman Samuel T Herring.

In the country side of things, you absolutely must listen to Brent Cobb’s new album, Keep ‘Em On They Toes, if you didn’t when it dropped last week. It’s a contemplative but also, occasionally, surprisingly political work of art. I’m also a fan of Brothers Osbourne and their new, rowdy offering, Skeletons.

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My spotlight artist this week is The Lathums, who have released a blinder of a new song that is apparently thanks in part to James Skelly of The Coral, who’s been acting as a sort of mentor to the band. It’s a ska-influenced bounce titled “I See Your Ghost”, and it’s a lot of fun.

Check out my Q&A with the band below:

– Hey guys, tell me about this new music – what's the inspiration/influences behind it and did you notice any key themes cropping up?

The EP is very different to the material we’ve previously released, which is what has won so many people over to what we do. So, it’s a risk, I suppose, but a necessary one. It’s slightly darker, but with moments of joy thrown in there for good measure. It’s another side of The Lathums that people haven’t seen before, so we’re moving forward all the time.

– How have you been dealing with the pandemic? Any lockdown survival tips as we head into winter?

The pandemic has obviously been a pain for everyone, and obviously being musicians it’s a real ache not being out on tour playing gigs. Luckily, we’ve been in the studio recording lots of new music so we’ve been kind of distracted from what’s going on.

– What else do you have lined up for the rest of the year?

We’ve got a lot of cool things lined up, obviously the new EP playing the main factor. Few TV shows here and there which is something we’ve not done before so we’re much looking forward to that. And maybe a little bit more but we’ll keep that a secret for now.