This week’s must-listen singles: King Princess, Mark Ronson, LEISURE + more

Every week, we're hammered with tonnes of new music from Australia and afar, so much so that at times, it feels a little overwhelming and you're not quite sure where to begin. Every week, we run down this week's must-listen singles and releases, this week featuring names like LEISURE, KLP, King Princess and more. Check out Pilerats' homepage for more brilliant music and news, or subscribe to our Spotify Office Playlist for easy listening. 

King Princess – Cheap Queen

American talent King Princess still rules the singer/songwriter monarchy that has been standing tall over the past few months and with her latest track, Cheap Queen, she’s making it known that she’s not abdicating at any time soon. Growing up in Brooklyn as Mikaela Strauss, she was constantly immersed in music production and performing and has become known as a “young music prodigy” today. The warmth behind her vocals has become recognized worldwide, especially in hit singles 1950 and Talia and the soulful delivery that follows is what has aided her in breaking through the past year or so. King Princess follows on from this with her latest single, Cheap Queen, a subtle nod to not only how powerful she is as a woman ("I can make grown men cry, I can be good sometimes, I’m a cheap queen") but also as a multitalented musician. It’s the first taste we’ve got of her debut album released under Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records, that is full to the brim with melancholic synths and reflective lyrics. It’s steady but manages to move in a way that projects a sense of contagious pride onto listeners, strengthening Pitchfork’s comment that, “The young singer-producer offers the kind of love songs generations of queer kids craved…” Check out this confidently catchy new track below:

Mark Ronson – Find U Again feat. Camila Cabello

The past year was a massive one for Mark Ronson as he walked away with an Acadamy Award, Golden Globe and GRAMMY for his work on hit Shallow made famous by Lady Gaga on A Star is Born, and is showing no signs of slowing down. World-renowned producer Mark Ronson has released another teaser to his forthcoming fifth studio album with fourth single, Find U Again, featuring Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, Camila Cabello. Late Night Feelings is a giant powerhouse of an album out on 21 June and features a number of collaborations with artists like Alicia Keys, Miley Cyrus, YEBBA, Lyke LI and King Princess just to name a few. Ronson has been in the industry practically from childhood since his mother married Mick Jones, the guitarist from English rock band Foreigner, and his songwriting ability and credits speaks for itself (see here). When talking about his latest project, Late Night Feelings, he has said it is a collection of “sad bangers” with Find U Again reflecting the albums overall theme of being a much more deeper, thought-provoking and emotionally honest project. Find U Again is a classic Ronson track with female vocals from an iconic artist (Cabello) taking the lead while twinkling synths and resonating background beats keeps the track moving, making it a single bound to stick around for some time.

LEISURE – Too Much of a Good Thing

LEISURE have been circulating for a good few years now and are the combination of five talented musicians, each with different musical backgrounds but the same desire to create great tunes. They were each looking to come together and expand and share their abilities to create something bigger and better, with the finished product being, LEISURE. On their latest track, Too Much of a Good Thing, LEISURE have said, “it is one of our favourites from the project, It has an instant strut and knock to the beat; we wanted to make something that made you feel like walking into a party in slow-motion with an entourage in tow.” After selling out shows across Europe, Australia and New Zealand and hitting over 70 million combined streams, their fan base and place on the scene is becoming much more evident.

The New Zealand lads have combined their various backgrounds and styles of 70s funk, 90s rap and R&B and early 2000s dance vibes to create their own works that showcase the sound they have established. Their latest track, Too Much of a Good Thing is a definite example of the sound that their latest album Twister will show off. A track full of reverb and 90s grooves that also allows 80s pop synths to shine through, it’s like 2019’s relaxed version of Modjo’s 2001 dance track, Lady – Hear Me Tonight. Have a listen and let the nostalgia take over:

Rainbow Chan – Pillar

After a successful sellout of her Love Isn’t Easy shows in Sydney and Melbourne, Rainbow Chan has released futuristic track, Pillar. Known as one of the most innovative musicians in Australia, Rainbow Chan uses her vocals and various musical talents to produce tracks that combine her experimental melodies and beats and naturally recorded sounds. Chan is a new type of pop that delves deep into themes of love and loss in most of her tracks through a Grimes-esque sound. Her latest track, Pillar is the latest title track from her forthcoming album due out later this month and according to herself, is “about coming to terms with the fragility of life and the delicate dance between body and mind. Trauma lives on under your skin in numerous ways – Pillar is a personal attempt to summon and expel those troubling memories.” The album will feature ten tracks and will revolve around her unique sounds that tiptoes around the electronic and pop genres, whilst exposing the musician she is and the years of songwriting and producing that helped her get here. Check out the first track from the album below:

KLP – Heater

An icon in the Aussie DJ and house music scene, Kristy Lee Peters has enough credits behind her name; she’s created a reputation as a ‘multi-faceted industry heavyweight.’ She’s been busy producing her own music and even aiding international and local artists in creating their own tracks. On top of this, she was the woman behind triple j’s House Party for five years, sending out up and coming house tracks to listeners while establishing her name in the industry in the process. This year she’s already released Under the Influence and Until I Find You and has now hit us with another powerful tune, Heater. Her latest single is a major mash-up of heavy dance beats and program tracks with almost robotic and repetitive vocals that resonates that iconic KLP sound. On Heater KLP said, "In the middle of Sydney summer I was struggling to get through days in the studio with temperatures closing in on late 30 degrees - I would sit in pretty much swimmers dripping in sweat but one morning the inspiration came in hot and heavy when I started a new project and smashed this out in the day. It’s fun and rowdy and I can’t wait to slam this out in the clubs." It’s a track that fully shows off her nine years of DJ and mixing ability and with her currently on a national tour, 2019 is definitely ready for it.