Most Played | February-March

February and March brought a lot of new music to me; new discoveries, and new releases from favourites.

SAM FENDER

To start with the latter, I was introduced to Tyneside 21-year-old Sam Fender's Play God towards the end of February and was blown away by his voice. And so when I was invited to his gig at Electrowerkz, Islington, there was no hesitation, and the gig truly exceeded my expectations. I found it tricky to describe Fender's music, but the best I can come up is the impactful vocals comparable to Ben Howard, but with a harmonic, indie-rock twang.

On Spotify he currently has 5 singles; Start Again, Friday Fighting, Play God, Millennial, and arguably my favourite, Greasy Spoon (however all have been a favourite at some point over the last 2 months). Fender's vocals are passionate, strong and dynamic and his performance left me mesmerised. Alongside his 5 Spotify singles, him and his band played some unreleased numbers; All Is On My Side - a melodic love song - and Use - a stunning ballad used to close the show, showing Fender exposed with just a keyboard for company - were two stand-out tracks.

At just 21 years of age, his talent has captured so many - the crowd was an interesting mix of millennials, 40-somethings, and just about everyone in-between - and I can't wait for him to release more stuff.

KAYTRANADA - YOU'RE THE ONE

A second new artist I was introduced to in February is DJ and music producing-extraordiaire KAYTRANADA. YOU'RE THE ONE is a tune that really caught my eye ears (?); a funky dance track with a touch of retro. I'd never really explored the dance/funk music-scene that much in the past; on first listen, the only thing I could compare it to was Disclosure's Settle album, which has a similar soulful feel.

Vocals come from The Internet's singer Syd, and they add the right amount of soul, ambience and feel-good to the track. It's definitely one to add to your Summer playlist.

DRAKE - GOD'S PLAN

Another day, another insanely catchy Drake song. God's Plan was released mid-January, and naturally, everyone went mad for it (including me).

Not too much to say about this one, just a catchy chart tune that topped the US and UK upon release and rightly so. I call it One Dance 2.0 - a huge success for the Canadian rapper, and super fun to dance to in your local pub-turned-club on a Friday night.

Honorable mention to Drake for only loving his 'bed' and his 'Momma' (he's sorry).

MALLORY KNOX - BLACK HOLES

Back to familiar ground now, my faves Mallory Knox released Black Holes in late February as a four-piece, after the news that front-man Mikey Chapman had decided to part ways with the band.

While I was gutted by the news, I was optimistic of the bands talents - after all, all of the instrumentation of Knox's stuff was written by Sam Douglas (bass player-turned-new front-man) and the rest of the remaining band members, so I knew that Knox would still have the same raw, rocky sound I love. Douglas had only sung backing vocals up until Black Holes, and so with him taking centre-stage, I knew it'd be different.

However, Black Holes didn't disappoint. It's got the same Knox undertones with the strong percussion, catchy verses and a heavy chorus. I'm excited for what the new era of Mallory Knox has to bring.

DON BROCO - TECHNOLOGY

In my January post, Don Broco's Come Out to LA from new album Technology made the cut, and the following two months have seen me fall in love with the entire album. The production of this heavier Don Broco album is outstanding, with each song with depth and a dynamic, individual sound. 

Stand out songs include Pretty, Tightrope, ¥, and Everybody, but all are incredible, forming a triumphant album full of impressive riffs and clever tongue-and-cheek lyrics from local (to me) four-piece Don Broco. If you loved their previous, lighter album Automatic but love you a heavier catchy rock song, get listening to Technology.

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD - VOID

The Neighbourhood seem to land themselves in all of the music posts on word spill; their sound is incomparable and always seems to draw me in. Void was a pre-release from their new self-titled album, which was released early March, and stood out to me as soon as I wrapped my ears around it.

It's an honest song about personal struggles and paranoia, and how these can can be faced, whether it's a way to grow and overcome, or just a way to 'fill the void'. It's quite a unique tune for the band, with the electric piano throughout giving it a retro sound, beneath Jesse Rutherford's soulful, melodic vocals.

Read January's most played here.