Including records by Yves Tumor, Empress Of, Thundercat, Yaeji, and more
Listening back to Yves Tumor’s breakthrough album, 2016’s Serpent Music, it’s hard to believe that four years later they’d be releasing Heaven to a Tortured Mind. Serpent Music was full of harsh noise and drones, counterbalanced by lush and spiritual beat loops, and while these sounds are definitely in the DNA of Heaven to a Tortured Mind, on this album they reconstruct them into mutant rock music. But while Yves Tumor the rock star is maybe unexpected, it’s a confident and assured transformation that’s resulted in one of the best collections of songs this year.
Elsewhere this week, Yaeji drops her debut mixtape, What We Drew; Empress Of is back with the self-referential I’m Your Empress Of; and Headie One teams up with Fred Again for the GANG mixtape, with help from Jamie xx, Sampha, FKA twigs, and more. Take a listen below.
EMPRESS OF, I’M YOUR EMPRESS OF
EVERYTHING IS RECORDED, FRIDAY FOREVER
HEADIE ONE X FRED AGAIN, GANG
MINOR SCIENCE, SECOND LANGUAGE
PURITY RING, WOMB
THUNDERCAT, IT IS WHAT IT IS
TOPS, I FEEL ALIVE
YAEJI, WHAT WE DREW
YVES TUMOR, HEAVEN TO A TORTURED MIND
