This week's new tracks: Francis Lung, Dua Lipa, Slowthai

Francis Lung

Bad Hair Day

Back in his Wu Lyf days, we were barely allowed a glimpse of Francis Lung, the band’s press shots resembling a teargas attack on The Masked Singer. These days, though, he’s so laid bare we can even see his frazzled roots. Verse courtesy of Elliott Smith, chorus basically Queen playing Teenage Fanclub’s The Concept, this makes hangovers sound heroic.

Dua Lipa

We’re Good

Are you the “sleeping” in your relationship? Or are you – be honest now – the “cocaine”? For such is the level of incompatibility our Dua cites as she breaks up with some schmuck on this sumptuous slice of pop tropicália, having presumably rejected a selection of other metaphor-based dumpings: “You’re the Morrissey to my lamb shank,” say. Or: “I’m competently managed public funds. You’re Chris Grayling.”

Slowthai ft Skepta

Cancelled

Maintaining his record deal, supported by grime royalty and interviewed media-wide, it’s a bit rich of Slowthai to paint himself as the defiant victim of the cancel culture “cult” following his sexist behaviour at 2020’s NME awards. This unremarkable slasher-flick rap should really be titled Scot Free.

Maxïmo Park

Why Must a Building Burn?

Written after seeing the face of their one-time merch guy Nick Alexander on TV among those who died at the Bataclan in 2015, this song traces parallel threads of public grief to Grenfell; crystallising the inhumanities of government in three minutes of art-geordie canyon rock. A rare, heartening sight of an indie band dissecting Britain’s ills, while one of Britrap’s once outspoken social critics gets lost in the dark end of their Twitter mentions.

Young Thug ft Meek Mill & T-Shyne

That Go!

Thanks to trap, shortness of breath is no longer a barrier to becoming a rap superstar. Young Thug’s latest Meek Mill collab is particularly wheezy, a four-minute attack of dramatic synths and panting raps seemingly delivered using Auto-Tuned inhalers for microphones. Yet it still doesn’t stop them rapping about being phenomenally rich, having brilliant sex with your wife and generally balling like a GameStop exec.