September 27th marks the anniversary date that pop boyband Why Don’t We (Corbyn Besson, Daniel Seavey, Jack Avery, Jonah Marais and Zach Herron) joined forces to become a quintet. As a celebration to their fans the group released a new EP entitled “Invitation”. The five track EP, is their fourth inception but marks the first transition more into R&B but still has a reminisce of the pop flair they’ve previously established. In the midst of their anniversary, Why Don’t We were also able to commemorate another milestone by hitting No. 1 on the iTunes albums chart, sitting atop the likes of big name musicians including Imagine Dragons, Macklemore, The Killers and even Ed Sheeran.
Why Don’t We have continued to steam roll through their music career gathering a momentum of fans since the release of there song “Something Different” which almost became a breakout hit for them, racking up over 15 million spotify streams a massive number. With the rise of new boybands heading into the market like PRETTYMUCH (backed by Simon Cowell) and In Real Life, it’ll be interesting to see who will emerge as the new ‘One Direction’. Whilst this EP isn’t as good as the previous one’s Why Don’t We, still manage to deliver some worth while tracks. If you’re a fan of pop music give it a listen.
“Invitation” tracklist
- Invitation
- M.I.A.
- Boomerang
- Words I Didn’t Say
- Turn It Off
Australian singer Cody Simpson picks up where he left off this week with a follow up to he previously under rated release “Free LP”. This time the singer teams up with The Tide for an EP entitled “Wave One”. This time we hear Cody take a different route to his usual surf rock anthems, dabbling more in psychedelic ’60s pop. It’s hard to pick a song that stands out above the rest, but “Waiting For The Tide” is perfect for a sunny beach afternoon and “Ramona” is delightfully offbeat. After several twists and turns and dabbling in different sounds to find himself a genre, Cody definitely shines with his endeavor into 60’s pop anthems.
So what inspired him to form a band instead of going solo? Well in a recent interview the singer shed some light on the subject “I conceived of a concept, a project, a band, The Tide. The Tide, acting as a sonic exemplar of flow and fluidity. The way of things. The way of nature. Guitars, rock and surf music, psychedelia, transcendence from everyday bourgeois consciousness… a fluidity that the ocean’s tide exemplifies so flawlessly. The way of the tide. The sun and the moon. Zen spontaneity.” Cody went on to explain just how the songwriting process for this album began saying “The majority of the music started with riffs I was writing,” says Cody. “It was different for me. ‘Waiting for The Tide’ began as a poem that I wrote about the sea level rise and humanity’s attitude towards environmental issues. “Tell Me Why” is really the most vulnerable I’ve ever been, and “Ramona” hinges on this really crazy transition. Every song speaks to a different side of who I am.”
I prefer Cody’s more emotionally driven acoustic pop tracks, because I believe it mixes so well with his soulful voice. And while we wait for him and Justin Bieber to bury the hatchet and rerecord their songs, in the meantime we have something to fill the void. “Wave One” by Cody Simpson and The Tide is out now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt9ugjU8FG8
Starrah and Diplo have seemed to pull a joint EP out obscurity called simple “Starrah x Diplo”. The five song EP is a mixture of glossy instrumentals, heavy 808’s and auto tuned melodies delivered from songwriter Starrah. What makes this EP a risk is the fact Diplo has become a household names over recent years, and as for Starrah….well not so much. Although you may not be familiar with her work, it’s actually lingered around for a while. Over the last few years, she’s earned writing credits for everyone from Travis Scott, to Kevin Gates even to Rihanna. Needless to say, she’s got some serious range. It’s no wonder Diplo wanted to work with her.
In an interview with Beats 1 Radio back in June, Diplo had actually announced he had been creating this EP with Starrah saying “I did a whole EP with Starrah, It’s coming out on Mad Decent. I’m really happy with her. Starrah’s a songwriter of course. You probably know who she is. She’s written a lot of amazing records. But she’s one of my favorite voices. Did like five, six songs with her.” This is a different sound for Diplo who’s normally equipped with fast paced pulsating EDM, now he brings forth an EP that’s cut perfectly with low-key tropical R&B. The laid back bass rumble project runs smooth from start to finish. Starrah comes through the auto-tuned mic with smoked-out vocals. The lead singles “Swerve” and “Imperfections” set the mood, as the EP delivers on those seductive vibes.
“Starrah x Diplo” is available now.
