Hello world,
Sorry for the lack of FP Picks last week but flu arrived at Futureproof Towers! Making up for it this week with lots of great new tunes inc trx from The Coral, David Byrne, Dove Ellis & more. If you like what you hear please follow and share this playlist, it helps us keep doing our thing by getting the algorithms on our side. Also please support the artists featured in any way you can!
Until next week
Helen (Futureproof) x
Gorillaz – The God of Lying (ft. IDLES)
Gorillaz have shared their reflective new single The God of Lying, featuring IDLES frontman Joe Talbot and taken from their forthcoming album The Mountain. As with the rest of the album, the track explores motifs of grief, political division, and whether there is a wider meaning to life. The track gradually and effortlessly builds, leading to the withdrawn chorus: “Running to the exit, with a huge grin on my face / Screaming, hope is behind, and I want to get high.” In a statement, Gorillaz’ fictional frontman, 2D, said, “Can I tell you a secret? Doubt is very tiring but questioning things is really good for you.”
The Coral – She Died On Christmas Day
Merseyside’s The Coral have shared their first ever Christmas single & the band’s Nick Power states:“We love fifties and early sixties rock n’roll, especially the British stuff. To us, it’s the sound of where we grew up: New Brighton and the fair, the lost piers, the thrill and danger of towns at the end of existence. If there’s an opening where we get to explore that side of us, we’re always up for it.” It’s not about twinkling lights, roaring fires or seasonal goodwill – She Died On Christmas Day arrives as a gently morbid tale about a woman who haunts every festive season like the world’s most committed holiday spirit. There are fuzzed vocals that sound like they wandered out of a haunted funfair, a dusty ballroom organ, and lyrics that politely remind you that death really can take the shine off your tinsel.
james K – On God
james K has shared the new single On God and it might be the purest pop she has ever made. The New York artist strips away some of her usual ambient textures, revealing icy guitar lines that recall The Cure sitting against chilled background swirls. Her voice carries the aching quality of Elizabeth Fraser, acting as an instrument that pierces through the mix with brief moments of clarity. james K states: “Spirituality is a choice, and I will choose to believe in something larger than myself over and over again. Trust the process is always happening around you. Always be ready to be taught. Faith is not knowledge.”
Mount Palomar – Little Fractures (ft. Pip Blom)
Belfast’s Mount Palomar is back, and his new single Little Fractures might be his most deliriously fun curveball yet. Teaming up with Amsterdam indie darling Pip Blom, Palomar smashes his widescreen electronics into Pip’s sugar-sharp melodic instincts, landing somewhere between a club epiphany and a coming-of-age confession scribbled at 3 AM. The track continues his ascent as one of the UK and Ireland’s most daring and inventive voices with an ear for cross-genre sound sculpting and an exhilarating unique, modular synth driven live act, complete with live drummer. The self-directed video doubles down on the weird-beautiful energy, throwing masculinity and femininity into a surreal Belfast bingo-hall fever dream. Classic Palomar: theatrical, tongue-in-cheek, and just a bit unhinged.
David Byrne – T Shirt
Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne has dropped the catchy new single T Shirt, co-written by Eno and a staple of Byrne’s North American tour. It’s a bright electropop track about the importance of helping others amid the current political climate. “I believe in helping others / I will sing my freedom song / I donate to worthy causes / I go along and get along,” sings Byrne on the track’s first verse, before the chorus of, “See my t-shirt, take it off / Dance these shoes off ‘till we drop.” The cover art features a slightly creased T-shirt with the quote “Well-behaved women seldom make history,” first written by historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich in a 1976 article, and the video features a series of T-shirts sporting various slogans.
Avalon Emerson – Eden
Eden is the DJ and producer’s first release under her Avalon Emerson & the Charm moniker since her 2023 album of the same name. “Eden is the voyage along the endless river carved between mountains of joy and loss, of experience and exhaustion. We glide over a teeming riverbed of relationships and love, revealing the path itself is the point,” Emerson said in a press release. “Eden came from the first studio session I had with Bullion after the last ‘& the Charm’ live tour in late 2023. That day in London made me realize that making this kind of music is not just a detour from DJing and dance music, but the entrance to a deep cave, full of passages to wander.”
Florence Road – Storm Warnings
Bray band Florence Road recently shared their new single Storm Warnings following a year that saw them support Olivia Rodrigo, sombr, Wallows, Royel Otis, Wolf Alice and The Last Dinner Party. The band’s debut mixtape Fall Back arrived in June to critical acclaim and true to the spirit of Irish creativity, the mixtape feels fresh and modern, fusing grunge haze with slick indie riffs into a sound that’s both timeless and forward-looking; rooted in rock tradition yet unafraid to push boundaries. Florence Road spent their teens perfecting their craft in vocalist Lily Aron’s garden shed in Wicklow, Ireland, refining a sound that is as influenced by icons like The Cranberries as it is contemporary peers such as Wolf Alice and Phoebe Bridgers.
Melanie Baker – Sad Clown
Newcastle songwriter Melanie Baker has shared honest new single Sad Clown. Baker states: “I wrote this song because I felt like I was becoming a caricature of myself. I was constantly trying to be a better version of myself and ironically, lost myself in the process. I don’t want to hide behind complicated metaphors and flowery words. I want to say exactly how I feel. It’s the only way I know how to work through my shit, it’s the only way I can understand myself and keep moving forward. I am a sad clown. I write songs about being depressed and make bad dad jokes in between. I like making people laugh AND cry. I like being an emotional rollercoaster. It makes me feel human, and whole. I used to think I had to choose what kind of person I should be and then I realised I can show up exactly as I am.”
Dove Ellis – Heaven Has No Wings
Irish artist Dove Ellis has shared his highly anticipated debut album Blizzard with impact single Heaven Has No Wings, a soft-rock piano track with shades of the 70s which captures the emotional depth, clarity and cinematic ambition that sit at the heart of his world. Blizzard has all the DNA of a DIY album: funky instrumentation, a clear, independent voice guiding its entire design, and ambitious lyrical structure that put poetry to song rather than search for something hooky. Yet, the mixing smooths over potential snags, the blending of all the instruments sounds like a light breeze, and overall, the record has a glossy, professional finish. Dove Ellis crafted a stunning debut, exemplifying the promise of his rare vocal, lyrical, and musical talent.
MOULD – Float
Bristol’s noise-punks MOULD have dropped their latest single Float and frontman Joe Sherrin states: “Humans star as disgraceful, monstrous morons, glued to distraction – pathetically powerless against the shiny and vapid. Feel hopeless, embarrassed and mind-numbed this winter with FLOAT! Constantly coming to screens near you November 12th!” The track brings the volume that the band usually bring down a touch to bring a slow burner that hits hard. The song does still contain the heavy hits you’d normally receive from a MOULD song, but it tones down to let you process the lyrics you’re being told. These lyrics deliver a bleak, but unfortunately accurate, outlook on humanity, forcing listeners to delve deep into some neglected parts of the brain. Every beat accompanies the lyrics and enforces the hard-hitting feeling of it to the point that you can’t avoid it.
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