This past week in music offered a stellar collaboration between Gallant and 6LACK, a debut solo single from Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan, and an entire album and IMAX film from Kanye West. West premiered his album Jesus Is King and film of the same name in Los Angeles earlier this week. The film shows a Sunday Service performance from inside James Turrell’s Roden Crater in Arizona, and features West in a more tender light than we’ve seen him before. West’s album was slated for a midnight release but was delayed due to late night mixing of a few tracks. The album is dominated by choir-heavy gospel music.
With new music from Coldplay, and the announcement of an upcoming double album from the band, plus two new bangers from pop rockers The Driver Era, our weekly Sound Bite is pretty stacked with tunes.
Listen to all five songs below.
1. “Sweet Insomnia” by Gallant feat. 6LACK
This soulful slow jam is punctuated by verses from rapper 6LACK and is the featured music for Kendall + Kylie’s fall/winter collection. The song is the title track of Gallant’s latest album and showcases the artist’s spectrum of talents, ranging from romantic lyrics to a falsetto chorus. Crooning the words, sweet insomnia, you make it for for me to sleep by myself, Gallant is captivating on “Sweet Insomnia.”
2. “Orphans” by Coldplay
Chris Martin of Coldplay has announced the band’s upcoming double album, Everyday Life, is set to arrive on November 22. Ahead of the album, the band released two singles: “Orphans” and “Arabesque.” The sound on “Orphans” is bold and dark, with an accompanying music video to support the song. “It’s all about just being human,” Martin said to Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 about the upcoming album. “Every day is great and every day is terrible…It just feels kind of free. There’s so much life bursting out on the planet.”
3. “Rare Thing” by Frances Quinlan
The first solo single released from indie band Hop Along’s frontwoman Frances Quinlan is a hybrid of indie punk vibes and sweet sentiments of longing. Quinlan’s words on “Rare Thing” explore the layers of loving someone while also giving yourself the respect you deserve. The song is the first single from Quinlan’s upcoming debut solo project, Likewise, due out January 31. Quinlan worked with Hop Along bandmate Joe Reinhart on the upcoming album.
4. “A Kiss” by The Driver Era
The latest track from the boys of The Driver Era is bouncey and energized. “A Kiss” features vocals from Ross Lynch with some serious 80’s-inspired musicality. While the pulsating beat is captivating and powerful, the quirky spoken words heard throughout the track offer a playful attitude that keeps the song bright and youthful. The Driver Era also released a new single “Forever Always” today.
5. “Water” by Kanye West feat. Ant Clemons
Despite a bit of a delay, Kanye West not only released his ninth studio album Jesus Is King, but also his IMAX film of the same name. The album and film was premiered on October 23 at a special listening and screening event at the Forum in Los Angeles. The politically-charged and apparently spiritual artist created Jesus Is King as his foray into gospel music, and the song “Water” is the pinnacle of that introduction. Today, West and an entire gospel choir infiltrated the Oculus in lower Manhattan near One World Trade Center for an impromptu performance.
