OOPS! 50 of 2022: #50 – 46 / New South Music, A Broken Heart and a Gorilla

Every year I miss new releases…I can’t stay on top of everything fam. So, I put out the “OOPS” series to capture the tracks I missed, forgot or just missed out on the top 50 list. At the end of this series you will have 100 tracks to check out, so you will be set for new music. Numbers don’t really mean anything for this list, but people like numerical lists…so here you go:

50. Little Simz: Gorilla

This release was kind of under the radar and I missed it completely. Little Simz made the top 50 last year with Woman, but has yet to really break through in the American market. Much like Stormzy and Dave, Little Simz falls into the group of excellent UK rappers who have yet to break through into America. On this track the horns in the beginning announce the comping of something epic as Little Simz blasts fake industry heads and asserts her voice. This is Little Simz going back to basics and it’s a great track.

49. These New South Whales: Rotten Sun

As Australian punk moves more towards a late 80s / 90s pop punk aesthetic, These New South Whales clings to a more traditional Ramones / Iggy Pop style guitar driven punk. The raspy vocals and Joy Division – esque bass and guitar firmly places this track within an old school punk structure. This is classic punk with very little bells and whistles. Just turn it up to 11 and throw a middle finger up towards the system.

48. Brockhampton: Take it Back

The rumoured final record for the hip hop collective Brockhampton looks back at the band’s success and their bonds together. Take it Back maps the band’s rise as they fondly look back at the years together and look towards the future as they continue to be family and love each other. It is interesting to have a band sing / rap fondly about their ultimate break – up, as opposed to the band imploding. There is a great energy to the track and we’ll see if this is the final record…it sounds like there is still energy for one more.

47. AViVA: The Saint and the Sinner

What do you get when you cross pop, synth metal and demons? I don’t know either, but AViVA sure does. This is one of the most interesting tracks I have heard in 2022 with the mix of genres being less of a melting pot than thrown together in some devilish cauldron. There is a lot going on in this track, but it has a great energy and pace to it, which can work both on the dance floor and in some emo YA movie. An interesting track worth a listen.

46. BATTS ft. Sharon Van Etton: Blue

BATTS is a Melbourne based artist who is part of a growing movement of women artists who are not defined by genre and produce music to suit their own likes and dislikes. On Blue she straddles the line between indie rock and country, which creates an easy going track that has soul as BATTS’ vocals rise and fall with the slide guitar and lush synth in the background. This is a great track I wish I heard before making the list and I will have to look for BATTS in the future.