Tuesday Tracks: New music discovery – Aug. 9

Sports Team

Sports Team, courtesy.

Stoner/skater rockers Eyedress, Virginia synth-dance pop band Heartracer, Aqua’s ’90s infectious bubblegum pop, the electrifying lads of London’s Sports Team, and hip-hop rhymes by SixSaidIt and Lil Eazzyy make up our favorite tracks of the week.



Eyedress, “In The Dog House” – Manila-born, L.A.-based artist Eyedress is bringing the darkwave vocals of Paul Banks to life. The song starts crunchy and dark with a bit of a new-wave sound. Then the stoner-rock song slows down with guitars getting a bit fuzzy. The video is fun and quite tongue-in-cheek. It puts the word “papers” into a whole new light. Pro skateboarder Franky Villani also makes his first appearance in a music video here.

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Aqua, “Barbie Girl” – It’s ridiculously hard to believe that ’90s Danish band Aqua released its debut album, Aquarium, 25 years ago. “Barbie Girl” is one of those songs that you probably wish you never heard. It will never leave your head and the lyrics stick with you forever (editor’s note: this is true). An earworm of a musical gem, this bubblegum pop song is pure fun. Not sure how this song has withstood the test of time, but it has. The rerelease comes out this September. So, “C’mon Barbie, let’s go party.”



Heartracer, “Edge Of My Heart” – If you’re a fan of St. Lucia, there’s no denying you will like Heartracer. The Richmond, Virginia band is bringing the synths and creating a dance party with this song. It begins with a big ballad sound, and once the vocals kick in, there’s no stopping the head-bopping. “Edge Of My Heart” is an infectiously sweet pop song. Brothers Chris and Chip Cosby wrote about a good relationship rather than all the toxic relationship songs these days. You’ll be singing along.

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Sports Team, “The Drop” – Bring on the Brits! If you’ve been missing real British music, these guys have got it all. Take the post-punk crispness of Franz Ferdinand, the spoken-sing-song vocals of Eddie Argos of Art Brut and add a splash of Pulp in the lyrics, and you get Sports Team. The band spices up the song with some angular guitars, a singalong chorus and a weird frenetic energy. It’s catchy, it’s oh so British, and it’s a song that should be on repeat. As the band says, “Let it drop.”



Lil Eazzyy, “Up There” – The era of Chicago drill is in full swing with Lil Eazzyy on the mic, spitting with a staccato flow with clean and smooth delivery. Eazzyy emphasizes his lethality lyrically while taking the time to pay homage to one of his friends who passed away. Eazzyy isn’t playing around, though, as he is out to make an impact with this new generation of MCs.

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SixSaidIt, “Choosey” – Hopping across the pond, we have a new single from SixSaidIt, who raps over this hypnotic clarinet-led instrumental. Six explores her ability to have a wide array of options to choose from among men in the dating pool. She emphasizes her influence over them. When you have that kind of pull, it only makes sense for one to be choosey.



Rachel’s Pick: Upon opening notes, I was sure FFS was back! Sports Team is as quirky and weird as Sparks, with the angular rock and pop danceability of Franz Ferdinand. This band is ridiculously good and “The Drop” is so catchy—a band that clearly wears its influences on its sleeves. Sports Team offers guitar riffs for days and lyrics that are nearly as cool as Jarvis Cocker (Pulp). That’s hard to pull off! I’ve been listening to this song on repeat. Now, please come tour across the pond. I’m waiting.

Hip-hop critic Tim Hoffman contributed to this story.

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