Category: Listen

JONES – Moonlight

JONES has been an Alfitude favourite for a good while now, so we’re delighted to see her return this week with a sublime new single called ‘Moonlight.’

As we’ve come to expect from this talent, the production is a masterclass in music making. The track is beautifully simple and treats listeners to a tastefully balanced mix of dreamy synths, soft pop, and R&B.

The song serves as a taster to the artist’s latest EP, ‘In The Moment’, which is out now. JONES has received critical acclaim from outlets such as BBC 1Xtra, as well as Fader and CLASH magazines.

JONES

Joy Crookes – Perfect Crime

Photo / Ewen Spencer

“’Perfect Crime’ is written about that scary bit of time just before you go back into the dating world and you need to just bite the bullet and dive into something. It’s kind of like my version of a mantra or doing positive affirmations in the mirror…this song is basically me giving myself a pep talk.”

Joy Crookes

Joey Valence & Brae – HYPERYOUTH/ LIVE RIGHT

Photo / Connor Phillips

“These songs really encapsulate the tone and themes of the new album, but from different perspectives. Where ‘HYPERYOUTH’ is a frenetic, high energy, and sample-heavy celebration of the music and artists we continue to be inspired by, ‘LIVE RIGHT’ is anthemic and showcases the exciting-but-complicated relationship we have with growing up.”

New album ‘HYPERYOUTH’ is out 15th August. The duo have also just announced the first dates of their HYPERYOUTH WORLD TOUR, which you can check out here.

Joey Valence & Brae

Good Neighbours – Suburbs

Photo / Isaac Lamb

“‘Suburbs’ is a message back to our younger selves. Coming from small towns outside of London, it was hard to dream big without getting shot down. This track is our anthem for breaking free from that mindset and chasing something bigger.”

The band’s highly anticipated debut album, ‘Blue Sky Mentality,’ is out on the 26th of September via Polydor Records.

Good Neighbours

Wolf Alice – The Sofa

Photo / Rachel Fleminger Hudson

“It’s about not trying so hard to figure everything out, reflecting on getting older and trying not to agonise over things that have or haven’t happened in your life. It’s also about trying to get to grips with the polarising aspects of one’s life when you’re in a band. You’ve just played a huge tour – and you come home, and you have your dinner on the sofa. For me, it’s summed up in how I treat TV. I used to never watch the same thing twice because I thought I’ve got so much to discover! And now I’m like, It’s okay if I just want to rewatch Peep Show for the thirteenth time.” – Ellie Rowsell, Wolf Alice

Wolf Alice

Luvcat – Vicious Delicious

Photo / Barnaby Fairley

“’Vicious Delicious’ is a song about a terrible man who tasted like heaven. He was moreish, magnetic, devilishly handsome and danced like Fred Astaire. A true hedonist with a black eye to match. I was thinking a lot about Sid & Nancy at the time.. dangerous, intoxicating love. WARNING: do not fall for a man in band.”

Luvcat

IkeN – Delusional

Rising Kenyan musician IkeN is back today with a beautiful new slice of R&B that really deserves your attention.

‘Delusional’ is simple in its construction—the production is minimal, allowing for a dreamy style of sound, while the lyrics tell of the confusing, contradicting states of mind when we love someone.

In a sign of his ever-growing popularity, IkeN has now amassed more than 300k cumulative streams on Spotify alone, marking him as one of Kenya’s brightest R&B prospects.

IkeN

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist 

Tommy Champion x Mcclendon – Wait For Me

American producer and songwriter Tommy Champion joins forces with musician Mcclendon to create one of the most beautiful releases of the week, ‘Wait For Me.’

Lifted from Champion’s upcoming ‘Phases & Stasis’ album, this gorgeously dreamy ballad sounds unusual and unexpected, while still carrying an enormous sense of emotion and sincerity.

“Written during a retreat to his childhood home in Connecticut with longtime collaborator Mcclendon (who sings lead, alongside Emma Rae), the track is a lush ballad built from bouzoukis, Mellotrons, modular synths, and the widest variety of acoustic & electrics guitars. Embedded in the song is a voice memo from Champion’s late godfather, Norwegian sea captain Reidulf Maalen, recorded during their final visit before his passing.”

Listeners can look forward to the release of ‘Phases & Stasis’ soon. The album itself came to life at a three-week retreat in the Vermont woods and features twelve highly personal songs that each champion the human, handmade craftsmanship of music making.

Mcclendon | Tommy Champion

Jake Knox – Your Love (feat. Alexi Blue)

Jake Knox has been on our radar for quite some time now, so we’re delighted that he’s out with some new material that we can share with you today.

‘Your Love’ is a delightfully eccentric song that effortlessly fuses alternative R&B with pop. Somehow it’s both playful and melancholic, mirroring the song’s lyrics—reminding us that just as life can deal us a heavy hand, it can also bring us joy and hope.

“‘Your Love’ is a song I wrote at one of the higher points of my life. After having been through two near death experiences and a big heart ache, I finally felt that spark again that had been missing for sometime. Every now and then you feel like life has got you on the ropes forever but then an amazing person can change your life in a second. This song is about feeling that as well as being more on the intimate side. – Jake Knox

The track features the talents of fellow artist Alexi Blue, which adds an interesting perspective to the character of the song. If you love this track as much as we do, then you might be pleased to know that today is also the release day of Knox’s new album, which you can stream here.

Jake Knox | Alexi Blue

Imogen Mahdavi – Butter

“I wrote ‘Butter’ in the middle of the night when I was restless shall we say. I had just hung up the phone to somebody I really missed and yearned for them. Whether you’re doing long distance, ending something or meeting someone for the first time…this song is about longing and all the words that are left unsaid. Are they thinking about me as much as I’m thinking about them? It becomes quite consuming and addictive. This one is for the daydreamers.”

Imogen Mahdavi

Sydney Rose – Before & After You

Drawing inspiration from the father-daughter dynamic of Joel and Ellie on the HBO series ‘The Last of Us’, Rose paints a nuanced familial portrait steeped in raw emotion on ‘Before & After You’.

“But I’m just a liar, and that never happened. It’s all my fault, and it’s too late now.”

Sydney Rose

Mathea-Mari – Tired of Fixing A Broken Heart

Norwegian pop artist Mathea-Mari has released a new single this week, called ‘Tired of Fixing A Broken Heart’.

As the title suggests, this is a melancholic pop song with sincere lyrics that was created alongside a stellar team of musicians – Christian Burns, Matt Alvers, and producer Chris Gill.

Mathea-Mari already has an accomplished career within the Scandinavian music scene. Now aged 24 years old, this singer and songwriter first launched her career on Norway’s Got Talent at age 12. She also won the country’s Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2014, which is no mean feat!

Mathea-Mari

🎵 Ones To Watch Playlist 🎵Scandinavia Sound Playlist 

Absolutely – I Just Don’t Know You Yet

Photo / Han Yang

TRACK OF THE WEEK

Absolutely first teased ‘I Just Don’t Know You Yet’ earlier this month on a recent North American tour with BANKS.

The song quickly spread across social media after footage of her performing the then-unreleased track in Arizona caught traction on TikTok, resulting in today’s official release.

Absolutely

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Harvey Brittain – my heart keeps score

For those yet to be acquainted with UK-born singer and songwriter Harvey Brittain, then now might be a good day for an introduction.

This rising 23-year-old artist has been building steady traction in recent months, thanks to his impressive productions that effortlessly fuse indie-pop with rock. Today marks the release of his new single and accompanying mixtape, ‘my heart keeps score’, of which he says:

“‘my heart keeps score’ is the first full body of work I’ve ever released and it’s easily the most personal. These eight tracks tell my story from growing up in Preston, a small town in the north of the UK where not much really goes on in the world, to uprooting everything and chasing my music career halfway across the world in the chaos of LA.” 

The track presents listeners with a distinct blend of Britpop and sad-pop, perfectly encapsulating the song’s lyrics, which talk of loneliness and broken hearts.

Harvey’s music has picked up praise from outlets like BBC Radio 1 and landed spots on huge playlists like Spotify’s New Music Friday UK and Fresh Finds. Keep your radars on this kid – he’s definitely destined for bigger things.

Harvey Brittain

🎵 Discover more new music on the Ones To Watch Playlist

Dylan Dunlap – Sometimes

Indie-pop talent Dylan Dunlap has been a frequent name on Alfitude throughout the years. This artist consistently delivers with his music. The work is always finessed, the lyrics are eloquent yet raw, and the melodies are so easy to connect with.

New single ‘Sometimes’ doesn’t disappoint. This track looks at the toxic dynamics within a dysfunctional relationship – something many of us have found ourselves in.

“You can’t make someone love you.”

Dylan’s music has withstood the test of time. This musician has amassed more than 90 million career streams on Spotify alone, while also commanding over 193k monthly listeners on the platform.

Upcoming album ‘BROOKLYNITE’ is out on the 8th August 2025.

Dylan Dunlap