New music
Award shows are a funny thing, aren’t they? After all, music isn’t a competition. There’s no real reason to place artists against one another, particularly in the current financial climate. That said, award shows are also a valuable moment of pause, a time for reflection and discovery. The Mercury Prize does this better than most – a habitual platform for the outsider, it celebrates the album format, and hails voices who might otherwise be ignored.
As recent winners Little Simz, Arlo Parks, and Wolf Alice can attest to, the Mercury Prize can push your career to the next level, leaving a remarkable legacy in the process.
Tomorrow – July 27th – the shortlist for this year’s Mercury Prize with FREENOW will be revealed live on 6Music. Host Tom Ravenscroft is tasked with the unveiling, while the event itself takes place on September 7th at London’s eventim Apollo – remember, there can be only one winner.
Ahead of this, the Clash team decided to put our heads together and see if we can forecast who’ll be on the shortlist – 12 albums, a dozen perspectives, and a host of fresh ideas. There’s quite a few favourites who didn’t make the cut – jim legxacy’s excellent ‘homeless n*gga pop music’ is a mixtape, for example, and arguably ineligible. Does the new PJ Harvey album make the cute-off point? She’s a Mercury double winner, so will no doubt rank highly whatever year it is entered.
So, we’ve built a list of albums that will probably be in there, and also some that really should be in there. How close will our choices be? Guess we find out in a few hours.
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Stormzy – ‘This Is What I Mean’
Stormzy’s ability to bend genres at will, all while never losing any of his heart or integrity, is incredibly rare in the current mainstream music climate. ‘This Is What I Mean’ is a low-key affair, downbeat and introspective. The tracks are intimate in theme as well as production, and it might just be Stormzy’s cohesive and coherent project to date. (James Mellen)
Loyle Carner – ‘Hugo’
The vulnerability Loyle Carner presents has always been incredibly complex, on ‘Hugo’ it comes across as even more so. The truth is that in matters of injustice, anger is one of our most powerful tools and with it ‘Hugo’ showcases an essential part of the depth and criticality Loyle Carner possesses as an artist. (Naima Sutton)
Little Simz – ‘NO THANK YOU’
Little Simz has reached the pinnacle of British music, yet it feels as though she’s only just getting started. Winning a BRIT Award – with her mum at her side – Simbi strolled into the record books, becoming the first woman to sell out three nights at London’s O2 Academy Brixton. Her 2021 album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’ spelled it out clearly – Simbi was here to stay, and she picked up our coveted Album Of The Year award in the process.
‘NO THANK YOU’ was a step away from the hype – subtle, nuanced, and downbeat, it was the perfect way for Simz to evade the limelight, and protect her energy.
Oliver Sim – ‘Hideous Bastard’
“It’s that ability to present yourself beautifully, but if you get really close, the Devil’s behind his eyes. I am hugely attracted to that. I have no idea why, I’ll dissect it later with my therapist. But any chance I’ve had on this record, if it’s going to be a love song, how can this love song say more about me than the other person?”
Young Fathers – ‘Heavy Heavy’
‘Heavy Heavy’ sees them fully marry their two sides; is this a very fun album from a very serious band, or a very serious album from a very fun band? Why not both? Young Fathers can have it both ways. ‘Heavy Heavy’ is a stubborn challenge to have fun to despite everything around us; a resolute dance through gritted teeth, an acknowledgement that while the world crumbles, we can stand firm, still love, still dance, still sweat, and still be good to each other. (David Weaver)
Lucinda Chua – ‘YIAN’
A truly absorbing song cycle, ‘YIAN’ feels uniquely entwined with its author. Much more than autobiography, each piece feels like a mirror into Lucinda Yian’s inner realm – all its insecurity, yearning, and growth. An album that leaves you in a different environment than where you entered it, ‘YIAN’ will surely rank as one of 2023’s most impressive British debuts. (Robin Murray)
SBTRKT – ‘The Rat Road’
‘The Rat Road’ is a testament to SBTRKT’s artistic growth and perseverance. It’s an album that invites listeners on a captivating sonic journey, where determination meets hopelessness and introspection merges with the wider social context. SBTRKT’s return is a cause for celebration, and this album will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on the music scene. Notable collaborations worth checking out on the album are with the ever mind-blowing Sampha, legendary D Double E and Little Dragon. (Josh Crowe)
Overmono – ‘Good Lies’
Refining their production without chaotically jumping genre, ‘Good Lies’ is setting aside Overmono from the rest. The epitome of 2023 sound, the album breathes a continuously dynamic aura; a perfect picture of what electronic music is morphing into. Releasing a limited edition vinyl LP alongside a patriotic tea towel that parades their Dobermann icon, the duo are pushing boundaries to release music creatively.
This album is an experience built upon legacy, brought to us through a partnership like no other. ‘Good Lies’ displays the strength of brotherhood, solidifying their position within the scene by cherishing childhood’s sweetness. (Isabel Armitage)
Lankum – ‘False Lankum’
The record swells and retreats at will as the group flex their musical dexterity. The lurching sludge of the titanic, and at times terrifying ‘Go Dig My Grave’ is a formidable eight minute opener. It welcomes you into the quartet’s unique world where gutted mines are as likely to glisten with blood as they are to sparkle with gold. Then on ‘Lord Abore and Mary Flynn’ the band play their exquisite part in keeping the eerily beautiful ballad alive.
‘False Lankum’ will one day too become a historical artefact. But it is one which will brighten the future of those who devote time to its unique majesty. (Craig Howieson)
Everything But The Girl – ‘FUSE’
Closing with the emphatic one-two of ‘Interior Space’ and ‘Karaoke’ this isn’t just a match for former glories, it also stands as one of the best albums Everything But The Girl have put their name against. A rich, atmospheric song cycle, it has the emotional heft of The Blue Nile and the production nous of Massive Attack. In the end, it could only be Everything But The Girl. (Robin Murray)
Jessie Ware – ‘That! Feels Good!’
As the record draws to a close with ‘These Lips’, the track is a fitting encapsulation of the themes and ideas which resonate throughout the new Jessie Ware album; with the light, dark and glamour of a disco ball – revolving with assurance, fun and flair. Nodding back to the beginning of the album with a spoken-word intro, its finale offers a “full circle” ellipsis – of funk, disco and groove. (Maddy Smith)
bar italia – ‘Tracey Denim’
On the 15-track ‘Tracey Denim’, a project more than double the run time of their first two LPs, ‘Quarrel’ and ‘Bedhead’, bar italia unravels the sprawling and playful, yet concerted, development of their sound. Largely abandoning the sketchy, diaristic transitions and abrupt ends so characteristic of their previous sound—and World Music acts, generally—’Tracey Denim’ progresses with relative sonic coherence. However, fitting to form, the album cover still retains the opaque quality of the Microsoft Paint stick figure on ‘Quarrel’ and the graphite bug on ‘Bedhead’ despite portraying the three band members sitting outside a café. The high-contrast, noisy black-and-white image sets the punk-inspired tone for an album that explores genres ranging from British dream pop and post-punk to shoegaze and trip-hop. (Phillip Pyle)
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