Young Hearts (The Chainsmokers Remix)

The Chainsmokers released their remix of Strange Talk's summer ready single "Young Hearts" and, while the first minute feels like the track is being restrained by beats which are moving far too slowly for a rhythm that only wants to let loose, it all comes together at that one minute mark when the track hits its sweet spot. 

The remix gets far too addictive after that, with pulsating and dance-worthy beats that suck you into the song, then drop away in an instant to a subdued and pretty segue that gives you a taste of the original before leaping back into its heavy beats which so easily convince you to get lost in the track.

"Young Hearts" Strange Talk (The Chainsmokers remix)  

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Harlem

Cathedrals' second single, "Harlem", features fun techno pop beats and a solid guitar riff that eagerly follow those gorgeous vocals around as she croons "baby, don't worry, it's all inside your head, tell me what you want to know and I will give you quite a show".

Check out the new single below, listen to their first single "Unbound", and head to the sites to find out more about the artists.

"Harlem" Cathedrals

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Hard As Hello (Bastille Remix)

Kimberly Anne's lead single off her forthcoming EP, Hard As Hello, set for release March 24, has a steady rhythm and a soft melody that are wonderfully addictive and they're only made better by her amazing lyrics. 

Bastille remixed the track and somehow made sanguine lines like "when I'm watching the tragedy, as you choose her over me, and it's that cinematic walk away scene, where I'll be fine", "so I'll pan out as you zoom in, to the qualities that I'm lacking, and I'll find me some thicker skin, to get me by" and the recurring "feet don't fail me now, I'm feeling stronger than this, I'm as hard as hell" feel haunted, yet more direct than before. The remix features vocals and production from Bastille and that mixture of Anne's honest lyrics and indie pop track mixed with Bastille's heavy beats and techno influences is fantastic. 

Check out the original track here, head to the websites to find out more about Kimberly Anne and her music, and get both the original and the remix on Hard As Hello March 24.

"Hard As Hello" Kimberly Anne (Bastille Remix)

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Midnight

Coldplay released their latest single, à la BEYONCÉ (they did no prior advertising; they released it and let their fans and all of social media do their thing) and, while I like this style of 'non'-advertising and I think it takes a lot of confidence to rely solely on that word of mouth promotion, the new single is lacking.

From a purely musicological viewpoint the track is fantastic. It shares the stark, bare bones recording style from Brothers & Sisters combined with X&Y's tendency to drown out vocals with heavy riffs and emotionally wrought compositions with all of the techno influences that began appearing in heavy force on Mylo Xyloto and you can clearly chart how the band's music got to this point through an easy to follow album timeline; but the track lacks that hummable melody and ineffable charisma which forces you to dance and lose yourself in the music.

This could be the album's opening track, which would explain its slow build and its inability to incite anything other than a general feeling of needing something else to fill the void left by this lackluster single, or it could be a sign that Coldplay has finally evolved so far into the world of techno music that I can no longer really enjoy their music. Regardless of the sound, lyrics which state "millions are lost from home, in the swelling, swelling on, running around and with a thunder, to bleed from thorns, leave a light, a light on" sound like a first round eliminated poem from your local coffee house poetry slam; they remain uninspired and, ultimately, disappointing from a band which has continually brought us great lines like "what if I got it wrong and no poem or song, could put right what I got wrong or make you feel I belong", "questions of science, science and progress, do not speak as loud as my heart, tell me you love me, come back and haunt me, oh and I rush to the start" and, of course, "life goes on, it gets so heavy, the wheel breaks the butterfly".

As much as I like Coldplay, have always liked Coldplay, and think people who say they don't like Coldplay are just afraid to admit that they sang "Yellow" in the shower this morning, I am not a fan of this new sound and I'm hoping the band grows from this new direction, rather than running with it and holding this new sound steady across the rest of the album's tracks.

"Midnight" Coldplay