Welcome to the September edition of Beats Per Minute’s monthly playlist BPM Curates.
We’re into autumn – surely the most evocative season on our annual trip around the sun. As the light changes, richer colours emerge and new smells arise. The best way to accentuate this sensory overload is a selection of carefully picked new tunes to pair with it – which is exactly what we’ve got for you here.
Check out and share our playlist of picks below.
Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
A$AP ROCKY – “Ruby Rosary” (feat. J. Cole) / A$AP FERG – “Off White Rozay”
We highlighted his previous single, “HIGHJACK”, in this space last month but it’s “Ruby Rosary” that underscores the A$AP Rocky narrative that has trailed him since his second album. Where the former sported collaborations that seemed drawn up in a boardroom high off its tits, the latter drops him right back at his purple drank, psychedelic beginnings. The hook is a woozy, word-association game/nursery rhyme over a slowed, Alchemist sample. Even an ice-cold verse from J. Cole can’t stem the tide.
Despite the slightly similar title, “Off White Rozay” by Rocky’s A$AP bete noire Ferg is all energy. Rocky pines for the halcyon days of Houston chopped-n-screwed, Ferg aims for Atlanta and imagines what “Yeah” would have been like with DMX on Lil Jon’s shoulders. – Steve Forstneger
Bloom Dream – “Violence”
The debut album from Florida’s Bloom Dream burns white-hot with righteous indignation, railing against American imperialism and the military-industrial complex whilst the band rages and bludgeons with precision-engineered chaos. The closer, “Violence”, whilst tackling police brutality, takes a turn towards the intensely personal. It feels like a kindred spirit to the manic terror of Chat Pile, minus the humour. It’s a tortured scream from the dark recesses of human experience; grief & regret incarnate: “I wish someone could have been there for you / I wish it would have been different.” The repeated refrain of “bury me in God’s country” set to cacophonous bedlam might be one of the musical moments of the year. – Andy Johnston
The Cure – “Alone”
“This is the end of every song that we sing,” reflects Robert Smith on “Alone”, his withered wail as soft yet resounding as it was 16 years ago when we last heard him on a proper Cure track. The Cure’s long-awaited return feels like a meta-statement of sorts—delivered like an epitaph—a reckoning of presence and place that lingers just long enough to pull you into your own existential state. A haunting piece of dream pop, glowing with spellbinding melancholy, “Alone” envelops listeners in a profound sense of longing that paradoxically feels like home for fans. With just one song, they remind us why we craved their return so fiercely—it never feels as long as it is, yet stretches into a welcome eternity, leaving us utterly entranced, as only The Cure can. – Kyle Kohner
Divorce – “All My Freaks”
Not every band pulls the transition from frayed indie rock idiosyncrasy to widescreen indie pop as effortlessly. Nottingham’s Divorce are clearly not every band: “All My Freaks” retains the undeniably winsome dynamic between frontduo Tiger Cohen-Towell and Felix Mackenzie Barrow. Not to mention that it continues the trend of Divorce penning songs from novel and fresh vantage points. This time they’re singing about the toils of the modern ‘up-and-coming’ artist with a knowing wink. Charmingly enough, “All My Freaks” sounds like Divorce’s own spin on those early 2010s blog era bands (any fans of The Naked and Famous, Cults and Passion Pit in the house??), and make it sound incredibly cool. A funny, heartfelt and a fantastic first introduction to their upcoming debut album Drive to Goldenhammer – Jasper Willems
Famous – “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life”
Under-loved London act Famous have found the quarter-life crisis to be a deep well of inspiration and “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life” is one of the most gut-punching songs to be drawn from it yet. Against neon alien synths and chugging guitars Jack Merrett reaches out to a former friend, someone who went their own somewhere along the road, on to bigger and better things. From his down-and-out vantage point, Merrett yelps through regrets and wishes, trying to appear respectable while his desperation reeks. It’s a vivid missive from that period of early adulthood where you feel you’ll never escape. – Rob Hakimian
FKA Twigs – “Eusexua”
After being hacked and having her first album since 2019’s Magdalene posted prematurely, FKA Twigs started from scratch. “Eusexua” is the title track for the forthcoming January release and once again she dares her audience to immerse into a world known only to her. Named for a sort of higher-plane pleasure experience, the song is surprisingly timid and vulnerable. Her sense of being exposed yields a whisper/falsetto; if there’s auto-tune, it’s used very sparingly. Instead, the tension is provided by a heartbeat rhythm and 16th-note synth pattern as the curtains are raised on this fragile paradise. – Steve Forstneger
Halsey – “Ego”
With “Ego”, from her upcoming album, The Great Impersonator, Halsey dives fully into the pop domain, offering a bouncy, perhaps tongue-in-cheek take on the way in which our personalities, petty drives, and consuming compulsions compromise our potential, thwarting our ascension into true self. She’s a romantic, employing a bubblegum format to ponder what transcendence might look like (and what it certainly doesn’t look like). When she sings, “I think that I should try to kill my ego / ’cause if I don’t my ego might kill me”, she takes on the perennial query, all while sharing an effervescent vocal and hooky melody that wouldn’t be out of place on TikTok Radio or a tween’s after-school playlist. – John Amen
Jax Hollow – “Fallout”
This Nashville artist is on a one-person crusade to breathe new life into both rock and Americana. Jax is a gifted songwriter and vocalist, plus a genuine guitar ace (both electric and acoustic). She’s on the John Mayer path to stardom. – Larry McClain
Jessie Goldsmith – “Good Run”
Swiss artist Jessie Goldsmith splits time between Zurich, Nashville and LA. Her latest single “Good Run” has the multi-format appeal of artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Carly Pearce. That’s not surprising because the track was produced by Jordan Lehning, who has worked with Kacey Musgraves and Rodney Crowell. – Larry McClain
Katie Gavin – “Inconsolable”
With MUNA, Katie Gavin has become one of the foremost purveyors of bright and unapologetic self expression – using that bold pop outfit to remind us that “life’s so fun”. On “Inconsolable”, from her upcoming solo album, she goes a different way with a classic country tune full of fiddle and heartbreak. She reflects on the assholes that life serves up, but still finds rays of sunshine where she looks – here, perhaps quite randomly, using the image of baby lizards running in rivers in the refrain. We already knew she was a great singer, but in this more emotive space we can hear just how rich her vocal talent really is. – Rob Hakimian
Lollise – “Blue Skies”
Lollise’s music is a indubitable hotpot of influences, a blending of the music of her youth (including, but not limited to Setswana and Kalanga folk songs, 80s and 90s South African electronic bubblegum and kwaito, Congolese soukous, and Zimbabwean sungura) and the genres she’s been exposed to since moving from Botswana to Brooklyn (Afrobeat, new wave, and art-pop). This makes for vibrant music that is bustling with character, life, and energy. “Blue Skies” is a cut from her debut album I hit the water that swirls these inspirations together. It’s almost trance-like with its repetition, inviting with it colourful synths, and invigorating with its effervescent and lively percussion. “Rise from your disguise,” goes the song’s refrain, as Lollise ushers you from your seat to your feet. – Ray Finlayson
Mount Eerie – “I Walk”
Phil Elverum has often made his surroundings in rural Washington a large part of his music, and on “I Walk” we genuinely feel like we’re walking with him in Anacortes, wind whispering alongside him as “towns dissolve”. Despite the quietness, his poetic mind never stops pontificating, drawing associations and dragging up memories both welcome and unwanted until they meld into a cataclysm of guitar noise. “I Walk” is yet another invitation to drift into the mist alongside Mount Eerie, and it’s hard to resist. – Rob Hakimian
Neighbours Burning Neighbours – “Cotton Brain”
By the time you’re done listening to the almost seven-minute long “Cotton Brain”, it feels as if you’ve been to Mt. Doom and back several times. This is the type of rock song where you don’t feel there are enough superlatives to match its sheer spirit and exuberance. It’s a chariot ride from space on the cusp of re-entry. It mutates and collapses. It shakes its fist out to the heavens and reflects in stillness. Melodies and undertones snake like roots bursting through solid asphalt, climaxes mount over each other like dying stars, a maelstrom of oxytocin and adrenaline. “Cotton Brain” is a song that hits my neurodivergent cranium in such a heavy way, especially the moment where the guitars become almost indistinguishable from Alicia Breton Ferrer and Daanie van den IJssel’s dual vocal attack; like a bird mimicking human speech. It’s truly an unbelievable moment in a song gushing with them. – Jasper Willems
Nilüfer Yanya – “Faith’s Late”
Any song that reminds you of Frou Frou’s “It’s Good To Be In Love” and Björk’s “Isobel” at various points completely warms my weary 41-year-old ticker. But make no mistake, Nilüfer Yanya owns her own spectral lane when it comes to self-possessed, horizon peering pop music. “Faith’s Late” strikes as a prolonging of what Yanya already did well. But at the same time, it’s a progression of her acumen as a songwriter especially.
Three albums in, Yanya has been so good at expressing the minutiae of sensations and feelings almost as they happen real time, you sort of raise an eyebrow when she promptly drops this amazing hook. “And I feel shame the modern way / And I fear fate is bound to break / And I feel caged and far away / And I fear faith is born too late,” she sings in the chorus. It’s such a beautiful, altruistic lyric, as Yanya steps up to bat for her own sense of spirituality. It feels important to note her dad is Muslim and her mom Catholic; they made it work, which I reckon this gave Yanya a broader perspective of the more redeeming qualities of religion.
Where there’s romance, there’s also mourning in equal measure, especially considering how divided the world is concerning pious belief systems. The sadness of “Faith’s Late” comes from its inevitable disappointment, yet its hook and its gorgeous melodies still help masquerade that sadness as some sort of affirmation. And boy, when those lush strings come in, it’s impossible to keep a dry eye. It’s easy to become cynical and dissociate from the rot of existence – something Yanya expressed so effortlessly cool on “stabilise”. But on “Faith’s Late”, she chooses to feel and fall apart a little bit, and allow the currents of the song’s deft arrangements to buoy her back up to the surface. – Jasper Willems
Peel Dream Magazine – “Recital”
Peel Dream Magazine’s music has always been pleasant, but their new album Rose Main Reading Room was unexpectedly delightful. Each of its 15 tracks feels like a small highlight, a minor standout. That the band capture the delicate softness of early Sufjan Stevens combined with some perky Belle & Sebastian vim definitely helped. Any song on the album could be here, but I chose “Recital” because there’s something evocative about it. The fingerpicked guitar, pillow soft flute flutters, hushed vocals, and restful organ-like synths are gold to anyone wanting a hit of some prime mid 2000s indie folk. Remembering piano recitals of years past, feelings of shame and growth unfurl gently across the song – but just resting into it’s dreamy sound is enough of a delight. – Ray Finlayson
Ships Have Sailed – “Invisible Ink”
This California duo continues to amaze with exceptional songcraft and touching lyrics. “Invisible Ink” is a gorgeous ballad that unexpectedly soars midway through. You’re in for a musical treat when you set sail with this group. – Larry McClain
Tindersticks – “Turned My Back”
As one of those bands that keep managing to surprise and find new worlds to inhabit, Tindersticks forge new paths in directions that seem like obvious directions when you hear them. “Turned My Back” captures a magic that emanates from their most recent record and gives you six minutes to swim about in it. Downbeat but intoxicating; mellow but solid; defeated but triumphant. Brass arrangements gradually seep in, soulful backing vocals from Gina Foster carries the bobbing rhythm, and Stuart Staples sings intermittently over top with a velvety croon. I never expected this from Tindersticks, but it feels so right to be here. – Ray Finlayson
Listen to our BPM Curates: September 2024 playlist here.
