The Weeknd’s I Feel It Coming: like the 70s never ended

TRACK OF THE WEEK

The Weeknd ft Daft Punk
I Feel It Coming

The world’s two biggest proponents of sounding like the 70s never ended join forces with a song that sounds – shock horror – like Michael Jackson singing over a Shalamar beat. There’s probably not one original idea in here but it doesn’t matter because the execution is so spectacular, the Weeknd’s vocal pained and perfect over a bassline that sounds like it has a soul. Sometimes you don’t need to draw freehand; tracing looks just as good.

Anne-Marie
Peak

Anne-Marie is emblematic of everything that’s going wrong in the music industry at the moment: scores of talented but artistically wanting twentysomethings being signed to major labels that then have no idea what to do with them, putting them out to pasture until they’re dropped a year later. Peak, which appears to be a song about getting dumped, doesn’t make it clear if that’s by a lover or label. “Did I do something wrong? … Sang out my heart for you,” she says, sounding crestfallen. In fact, this is Anne-Marie’s first song that hasn’t faded into background noise, so maybe she’ll be the one who bucks the trend and holds on to her deal.

John Legend ft Chance The Rapper
Penthouse Floor

In which the penthouse is used as a metaphor for the US class struggle, with the great unwashed finally being allowed to ascend to the top level. This is a very rich person’s perspective. Are the great unwashed even going to hotels any more? You can stay in a bouji Airbnb for half the price of a night in a Best Western. Legend’s earnest mewling is only saved by an incisive Chance verse, recognising that those down in the streets don’t want to get into the penthouse, they just want those up there already to jump.

Justice
Fire

When Justice were last around, the productive peacocking felt cluttered and unnecessary. Whereas now, when so much chart dance production sounds as if it were made on a phone in the departures queue at Stansted, hearing this close-knit, finely stitched warm jumper of electroclash comes as sweet relief.

Metallica
Moth Into Flame

Metallica are a rubbish band whose songs all sound the same and this is no different. Sorry, can you not handle that truth bomb? What do you want me to say? “Oh my God, guys: how did you come up with playing one chord really aggressively, the drums going double time, and then having a widdly guitar solo that lasts too long?” Fight me metal fans: I’m just saying what you’re all thinking but have invested too much in T-shirts to admit.