Now Hear This: New music from Mac Miller, Ella Eyre, Tia Carys, and spotlight artist Diana DeMuth

Guess who's back (reader, it's me).

The best album out this week is Mac Miller’s posthumous record Circles. The late rapper was working on it before he died, and it was intended as a companion album to the brilliant Swimming. You can read the full review here.

Apparently Eminem isn’t a fan of other, younger rappers getting attention, even when they’re not around to promote themselves, so he’s gone and dropped another surprise album. Compared to the thoughtful, ambitious songs on Miller’s Circles, everything on Music to be Murdered By is relatively dull – just another hate-fest from a rapper who still has serious issues with women.

Thundercat is back with “Black Qualls”, a groove-laden collaboration with The Internet’s Steve Lacy and g-funk pioneer Steve Arrington. Thundercat says the song is a meditation on what it is to be a young black America: “What it feels like to be in this position right now… the weird ins and outs, we’re talking about those feelings.” A different version of the track will appear on Thundercat’s album It is What it Is, due out on 3 April via Brainfeeder.

You should check out Rina Sawayama’s brilliant and empowering dancefloor-filler “Comme des Garcons (Like the Boys)”, and Gregory Porter’s jam “Revival”. Also, the new single “Figure Me Out” by rapper Tia Carys, one of the artists we’ve tipped as one to watch in 2020.

Ella Eyre is back with the assertive “New Me”, marking a bolder and more R&B-influenced sound in comparison to the radio-friendly pop of her 2015 album Feline. Then there’s the thrashing rock of Porridge Radio’s “Sweet”, a song the Brighton band’s frontwoman Dana Margolin says is about “learning how to have fun and letting go of an old version of yourself”. Country music-wise, there’s an uplifting number from The Shires, “Lightning Strikes”, with some truly gorgeous harmonies and a foot-stomping chorus.

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Mahmood, possibly the only Eurovision contestant I’ve kept tabs on after the competition (he represented Italy (and was robbed) in the 2019 contest. “Rapide” is entirely different to his hit “Soldi”; a heartfelt ballad performed over stuttery beats and a soaring strings section. Charlotte Lawrence has an excellent contribution to the forthcoming Birds of Prey film, “Joke’s On You”, a kiss-off that feels heavily influenced by Nina Simone’s “I Put a Spell On You”.

My first spotlight artist of 2020 is Diana DeMuth, a singer/songwriter hailing from Concord, Massachusetts. I saw her play a wonderful set at the Slaughtered Lamb earlier this week, and a few technical issues aside, she nailed it. We’re premiering the video for her new single “Rose of Nantucket”, check it out below and read about what she has planned for 2020.

- Hey Diana, how’s your 2020 so far?

Hey! 2020 is off to an amazing start. I rang in the New Year with news of a couple great tours which I’m so excited to announce. Other than that playing live in London this week has been a dream, I love this city.

- Tell me a bit about you and your music, what inspires you, and who are the artists you look up to?

I grew up on the Massachusetts coast, both of my parents are artists so it was a really creative household. I had an intense love for music from an early age and have spent the last five years traveling, writing, and singing. I grew up on Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Dylan and Fleetwood Mac so I like to draw from that era for inspiration.

- How did this new single come about?

“Rose of Nantucket” is a song I wrote with my good friend and producer Simone Felice in the Catskill Mountains. It’s probably my favourite song to perform. It feels very personal and cathartic every time.

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

I’ve got a lot of touring coming up this year which I’m really excited about. Unfortunately I can’t announce anything quite yet but I’m counting down the days. I’ve just finished recording my album and we’re releasing a video with every single throughout the year, so each song has a visual experience. I’m really looking forward to people hearing this music and playing to many new faces.