July 9, 2019 |
Latest in Ten Towers news, Phoebe’s baby Beau just celebrated his first birthday. In a fabulously decorated Leyton garden over this past weekend, an army of happy babies came together to party, joined by their parents and a few of us child-less, prosecco-chugging solos. And that’s how the season of summer parties began – no, not with the Serpentine gallery opening. Soft-play, a sensory class and buckets of booze – it’s safe to say Beau will grow up to become a party animal. But in case you can’t hire an army of babies as your next party’s entertainment, we’ve got you covered. Looking back at the past few months, we handpicked 10 of our favourite albums that can serve as the building grounds to your next summer party soundtrack. From soft and acoustic to punk and hardcore electro – we’ve got it all covered.
DJ-Kicks by Peggy Gou
Fashion’s darling Peggy Gou is your best summer party trick. Right at 3am when most of your attendees leave and the room’s energy reaches a slump, you can blast Gou’s new electro mixes which layer a history class of dance music into rhythms begging for you to move. Not even your drunk friend sat in the corner of the room trying not to fall asleep will be able to resist swaying from left to right to what DJ-Kicks has to offer. And there’s plenty there. Some straight-forward techno tracks hailing from the dark dancefloors of Berghain, others a bit more in the realms of melodic house. Our top pick? The deep, entrancing quality of Gou’s take on The World According to Sly and Lovechild is the best pick for a transition tune from nighttime and into the morning.
Drink to match the tunes: vodka soda with a dash of lime
Endorphins by Octavian
According to music critics, Octavian can do no wrong. The French-born South Londoner is part of a wave of musicians shaping a new rap sensibility. Taking influences from a variety of genres before creating his own, he’s got something for everyone. His second mixtape Endorphins provides pop dancefloor tracks (Feel it featuring Theophilus London) as well as his true grime-y roots with the help of Skepta on Bet. The biggest crow pleaser though is the Octavian’s cover of SBTRKT’s Walking Alone which, thanks to the soft vocals of Jessie Ware, transforms into a rich symphony as it goes on. Despite being labelled a mixtape, this compilation will surprise even the snarkiest partygoers who will spend the night shazaming away.
Drink to match the tunes: a champagne fountain
Clarity by Kim Petras
“I want all my clothes designer,” the pop princess Kim Petras sang on I Don’t Want it At All, her first ever single back in 2017. Now, two years later, we’re finally gifted with a full album of soft fantasy pop bops. One dancefloor filler after another, Clarity serves you the ultimate pool gathering playlist. Scrunchie in the hair, enrobed in a wafty see-through pink throw and dropping it down in a pair of feathered slippers. If Mean Girls had a reboot, this would be the soundtrack. On the title song she sings about Gucci and Prada, while on the cover of the album, Petras rocks a rhinestone-embellished white lace number from Christopher Kane’s SS19 collection. Glitz and glam aside, this isn’t just another pop album. It’s the beginning of something much bigger.
Drink to match the tunes: Malibu cola
A Bath Full of Ecstasy by Hot Chip
The sweet retrofuturism of Hot Chip is back for another round. With their new, seventh album, the English synthpop band are taking us all the way to their early days, their rainbow-hued happy beats flying in technicolour. Psychedelia fused with disco, high-tempo intertwined with some more downbeat tracks. Your casual Sunday soirée has got its first set sorted. The anthemic opener Melody of Love could equally work for a kids party as it does for the adults. That’s the appeal of Hot Chip – their unaggressive approach to melody is timeless, putting them into the category of happy music. It’s both music for when you’re happy, as well as tunes that can cheer you up even if you’re about to cry.
Drink to match the tunes: margarita
Anima by Thom Yorke
You’re a big fan of Radiohead but your high-brow friends might not be amused by Creep being on repeat throughout the night? Anima is here for ya. Thom Yorke’s latest multimedia project is split between an experimental short Netflix film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson starring the musician, as well as his third solo album. Not your typical boogie backdrop, Anima is actually much more easy to listen to than you would imagine. Clean electro beats infused with heavy bass and enchanting melodies – an unexpected crowd-pleaser of an album will make sure the stoners in the group will feel like home. And when the sh*t really hits the fan, make sure to put on Runwayaway, the majestic but creepy finale which will send those who have had enough home packing.
Drink to match the tunes: one of those vapourised cocktails that taste like BBQ juice
Tears in my Hennessy by Joey Labeija
If you were one of those emo kids who grew up realising that being miserable is totally okay, then this one is for you. The NYC queer scene fixture Joey LaBeija is bringing the hottest, most emotional break-up record since Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. Tears in my Hennessy embodies anger and sadness with hyper-produced electronic beats and a voice modified to a point of abstraction. However, don’t think you’ll be crying while you listen to this record. Instead of just sulking, Labeija shows middle finger to the world (and his ex boyfriend) with these fiery hits. Dial up affection is about claiming all that you’re worth, while he finally comes to terms with being solo in the album’s final song Animosity. If you’re suffering or just want to bring a bit of angst into play, do drop some tears in your Hennessy.
Drink to match the tunes: Hennessy on the rocks (duh)
Sinner by Moodymann
The mystery veiling the work of Detroit producer Kenny Dixon Jr. aka Moodymann is what makes his sound even more enticing. Using the tradition of house music as his base and building on top of it with intense richness – there has never been enough of these beats in the world. That’s until now. After years of silence, the Mann is back with Sinner, a soulful seven-track wonder which will turn the mood all the way up in the matter of seconds. Elements of gospel come into play in I Think of Saturday, a track which feels like people have been dancing to it for decades. Old but very new, these are sounds you can’t hear anywhere else but at your garden party. 3am or 3pm – it doesn’t matter. Moody
mann will make you go wild.
Drink to match the tunes: whiskey sour
Pony by Orville Peck
Who is that gay cowboy with fringe covering their face? He goes by Orville Peck and that’s just about all we know. Breaking boundaries in arguably one of the most heteronormative music genres, Orville Peck has been making sound with his punk take on country. The fringe mask and cowboy hat are just a decoy for an emotional sound which speaks in unapologetically gay storylines, like a queer take on Johnny Cash’s rich opus. Despite his hot, rhinestone looks, it’s important to say style doesn’t trump substance with Orville – even without looking at his Instagram feed, you can understand what this person stands for. And when Sunday afternoon blues hits hard, the soft-natured Winds Change will be your comedown’s best friend.
Drink to match the tunes: sex on the beach
California Son by Morrissey
Who knew the world needed a cover album by Morrissey? We surely didn’t. But now that it’s here, there’s no other oldies cover album we’d want to listen to. Reframing 1960s and 1970s classics with his eternally saddened baritone, the controversial musician is much more appealing when singing than he is while sharing his conservative opinions. Joni Mitchell’s Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow and Only a Pawn in Their Game by Bob Dylan are the highlights of the track listing, both equally paying homage to the original artists and bring something new to the table. While we wait for that much-needed The Smiths reunion (which will probably never happen), California Son will do the parents-friendly (party) trick.
Drink to match the tunes: Virgin bloody Mary
Amyl and The Sniffers by Amyl and the Sniffers
In their first release since the frontwoman became the face of Gucci and Gucci Beauty, Amyl and the Sniffers are emulating the same energy as Alessandro Michele’s work. Referential of the past, but fully aware of the world around them, the Aussie band are at their most refined with the eponymous new album. Fronting the next generation of punks, they are angry and have something to say. “I’m working off my ass, every single day, For the minimum wage and I don’t get paid, I don’t have a house, I can’t pay the rent, I’m sleeping on the floor, in a car, in a tent,” Amyl sings, embodying all of the feels we dug down deep inside out. Honest is just so rock’n’roll, especially when served with a plastic cup of lukewarm lager.
Drink to match the tunes: a keg of lager
