April Best
Graphics by: Daija (@freshed__squeezed)
Welcome to your newest music fix! This is Ashamed’s April Best, our new monthly music favourites column. In this space, I’ll give you a small overview of the previous month and recommend to you a few of its best albums, songs, music videos and mixes by women and non-binary people of colour. These will usually be those which have been released in the column’s preceding month, while a few of these gems will be those which I have luckily stumbled upon during that time!
April was a busy one for music, and less so for many of us! I would like to take this opportunity to thank the incredible essential workers, who are allowing us this time to stay safe right now. But for those of you at home, I wish to provide some comfort in the stress. As BAME (Black, Asian, Minority, Ethnic) people are hit by the virus at a disproportionate rate, with new, rather unhelpful guidelines, it could not be more important that we stay inside and protect our communities. If you can, blast these songs out loud in your home, dance your bleeding heart out and think about how we can tackle the inequalities against our communities! But most importantly, enjoy the music and be kind to yourself!
Let this column be a place to give back some love to yourself. Music is a space for many of us to decamp to during this confusing and manic time, yet the music industry could not be more uncertain. With limited access to creating content to the best of its ability and tour and festival cancellations, artists are doing incredibly well to be presenting us with the amazing content we have received in the difficult month of April. I’m celebrating that in the genesis of Ashamed’s Best, with an extended cut. Here’s your April Best:
ALBUMS/EP’s
Image: Pitchfork
Yes, this one was released in March, but I won’t let you sleep on it! At 19 years old, Hawa’s talent and classical music training are heavily reflected in her intricate debut EP, The ONE. This release is a refreshingly smooth navigation of the movements of rap, R&B and bad bitches.
Lido Pimenta’s latest album is stressing the importance of listening to brown women, in spaces where they are often unheard. Miss Colombia is a passionate anthem against misogyny and racism built upon the politicisation of Pimenta’s identity. As an Afro-Colombian queer woman, Pimienta utilises her experience to speak out against the bigotry and language of colorism which is rife in far too many conversations.
KeiyaA’s Forever, Ya Girl effortlessly blends her vocal and production skills into a sultry R&B and funk textured sound. KeiyaA is spitting the confidence and realness we all need in this lockdown!
Image: OnesToWatch
Orion Sun’s debut album’s poeticism mixed in with an energetic rap gives space for a new kind of intimacy with our emotions. Incredibly raw and romanticised, Hold Space For Me creates a vivid nostalgia for our childhoods, past loves and mistakes.
Half Waif’s latest album follows on from her previous themes of struggling with independence in identity and self-doubt as in Lavender. In The Caretaker, she grandiosely recollects stories of her grandmother’s life during Indian partition and then as a refugee and places her emotions into rich and triumphant sounds.
Image: Pitchfork
Originally recorded in 2015, Ana Roxanne’s pensive lo-fi EP is the perfect sound for a serene moment within the madness. With soft vocals and meditative, synthesised sounds of anonymous environments, ~~~ is an intense experience of relaxation.
The gospel-like vocal layering in this EP against the stripped-down pianos and synths creates a realm of deepness within the bedroom-pop ambiance. Working with star producer Daniel Aged, Zsela’s ballads have a refinement and fluidity to them despite being the singer-songwriter’s debut.
Savage - Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyonce
Do you expect me to introduce Miss Stallion and Bey? I mean, do I have to? This song alone caused a spike in Only Fans traffic and I mean, of course. The power they hold…
Baby Bye Bye - Kablito
If you were thinking of texting your ex during quarantine and haven’t done it yet…listen to this break-up anthem, learn a Tik Tok dance and DON’T TEXT THEM.
Photo ID - Remi Wolf
‘Photo ID’ embodies the funky and carefree strangeness that embodies the artist’s work. This track has the aura of walking down a wacky rainbow street in the sunshine when we can reenter the world safely again!
Glue - Lil Halima
Multi-disciplinary artist Lil Halima’s new high energy track is ironically about wanting time to be alone. Despite this, ‘Glue’ is a vibrant, thumping pop hit which will make your feet move.
Like it Like That - Pip Millett
From her new EP, ‘Like it Like That’ is a simple warm track, perfect for a sunny day. With buttery falsettos and plinking guitar, this track flourishes as a spacious gentle song.
Give Me Another Chance - Empress Of
The bubbly bass in the lead single to Empress Of’s new album is a rich dance tune shaped in airy synths and electric pop. Mixed up within pulsing beats and echoing vocals, this is proof a new chapter is coming for the artist.
Videos/Mixes
‘NRI’ - Raja Kumari
This music video has blown up since its release in late April. Non-resident Indian tackles the issues of alienation in the diaspora and feelings of not being Desi enough. Incorporating saris, nath rings and samosa lyrics - Raja has got it all down.
‘XS’ - Rina Sawayama
I’m sure many of you are shocked that I didn’t include SAWAYAMA in my album list. Though it was my favourite album from April, I had to bite my tongue until this section! This video hilariously pokes fun at our obsession with hyperconsumerism and capitalism with Rina dolled up as a telesales woman/Stepford wife of sorts. Mixed up in the music of nu-metal and 2000’s R&B percussion, the song and video together create a chaotic and animated overtone.
Manara International Presents: The Ultimate Spice Mix on bandcamp
Originally compiled in August 2019, this mix (though a little too male, but highly) could not be more important right now. Not only because it’s the best mix to dance around in your room to, or its zestful Desi sampled goodness, but for supporting those in need. All proceeds from this compilation go to Restless Beings, an international human rights organisation supporting marginalised communities and providing COVID-19 relief.
Brown Up Your Feed Radio Hour w/ Mandy Harris Williams on NTS Radio
Dissecting online behaviours and our societal ills mixed in with some soulful R&B, this is the best musical radio fix I have listened to in some time.
In naming these POC artists, I wish to highlight the use of ‘POC’ as a term that should be referred to with its caveats. It is important to acknowledge minority ethnic groups’ solidarity in being underrepresented in various walks of life but it can be a lazy term, often erasing more marginalised voices. Of course, this is context-dependent, as in this space we wish to highlight ALL marginalised artists who come to our attention and specify their identity but even then, its use should be criticised.
By Seeham Rahman (@rseeham)
(she/her)
Edited: Paola Duran (@wintrytokyo)