New FM4 Releases This Week

Who should top the FM4 charts next week? This week's picks are: Charli XCX, Joey Valence & Brae, Manu Chao, and Verified.

By Gerald Hollier

Charli XCX – “Talk Talk”

Maybe this is what the Charli-Ultra inside of me is talking about, but “BRAT” is really the album of 2024! A nostalgic trip to the late 2000s and early 2010s — on a 3D-printed horse controlled by AI. “Future nostalgia,” Dua Lipa would probably say. Charli is anything goes and can be fun without feeling guilty. It’s also fitting that the internet is now declaring Brat Girl Summer: Chow down on perfection, charm and pressure / Hello to spontaneity, fun, anti-style, authenticity and vulnerability. “Brat” is best summed up in those five keywords. There’s not much else to say about the single “talk talk” except that it’s a sweet love song about wishing for better communication between two people. Isn’t that what we all want?

Joey Valens & Bray – “Alright”

When a Pennsylvania hip-hop duo cites the Beastie Boys as a major source of inspiration, one has to go through the underscore. “Du … (17, I even counted them exactly.) But rather than simply imitating New York legends, Joey Valence & Bray are giving early-’90s hip-hop a 2024 update. Here, old-school flows meet greasy productions that sometimes sound housey, sometimes electro, or, as in the case of “OK,” like contemporary boom bap. At most, when the ’80s beat turns into an uptempo Miami bass line at the end, you’re probably not the only one who’s freaking out. If you want to see the two live—which probably won’t happen anytime soon—you should go on August 15. FM4 Frequency Festival Coming. The two play alongside RAYE, Artemas, Yungblud, The Offspring, Ski Aggu, Apache 207 and many more. on the big stage at Green Park St. Pölten.

Manu Chao – “Sao Paulo Motoboy”

After a 17-year hiatus from the studio, Manu Chao is currently working on his new album. The current single “Sao Paulo Motoboy” sounds, well, how can you put it, like Manu Chao 17 years ago. Evil tongues even claim that he worked with the band Cantina. But enough of the sarcasm, after all, we love Manu Chao for his music. That’s why it’s perfectly acceptable to interpolate the hit song “Bongo Bong”. After all, reworking hits from the 90s is not uncommon in the music world these days. However, it’s still questionable whether “Sao Paulo Motoboy” will achieve a similar huge success. The FM4 charts won’t change much about that. But you can at least help the song achieve a respectable success and vote for it now.

Verified – “Never Ended”

What for 2023 Wine in Vienna By Eli Preiss “Never Ends” 2024 by Verified: A love song for an endless summer—but with a gentle breeze of melancholy. After all, every summer comes to an end. But there’s no reason to be sad, because Ferry will be bailing us out during the cold, dark months with her music (produced by Florida Juicy, among others) and a tour in February/March 2025. Until then, we still firmly believe that at least this summer “never ends.”