Tracks of the Week (002)
Author: Aidan TullochYo peopledem… hope everyone has had a blessed week. Remember, work isn’t real.
Anyway, deya.
Ben Hauke - ‘Love This'
Groovemaster, Ben. Well, I got two Groovemasters I like to call Ben, shout out Ben M though. But Ben Hauke, hailing from South London too, has been active for a minute. He has collabed in the past with the likes of Oscar Jerome, Katy B, Jadasea and Joe Armon-Jones, all varied collaborators, showing the breadth of Hauke's musical boundaries - limitless within his own sound. 'Love This' is a reflection of his own sound, Hauke's distinctive drums and grooves, starts this tune off. There’s something unique about his intros. I’ll be real, I'm still yet to see Ben Hauke live, but will need to catch a set.
Score: 9/10
Kofi Stone - 'No Way'
Kofi Stone, underrated and always consistent with his output. His cadence, diction and phrasing in 'No Way' shows the level Kofi has got to now. A typical Kofi Stone beat, but really pushing his creativity with the hook, coming in two parts, reflecting his versatility. With part 2 of the hook, "Ooooo, they wanna break my soul, why they wanna break my soul, they wanna break my soul…" Kofi showing the creative levels he has unlocked.
Cold.
Score: 9.5/10
Bloc Party - 'Lagoon Blue'
Bloc Party, my favourite band, where do I start? Could start with the lineup changes like everyone does, but that's irrelevant. With 'Alpha Games' out four years ago and 'Anatomy of a Brief Romance' out today, Friday 11th September 2026, for Bloc Party fans the wait couldn't have come quicker.
Dropping an EP in between called 'The High Life EP', which included a song called 'Blue', sounded all so familiar when listening to 'Lagoon Blue' for the first time. 'Lagoon Blue' is a rerecorded and reproduced version of 'Blue'. 'Blue' has been in my top songs for the past three years. So some could say this is a cheat entry, I don't agree. As a musician, it's very tricky to touch a tune that's already gone through "the process," but Kele, bro, you got this one right.
Starting off with his beautifully delicate vocals, describing the journey (or many journeys) of getting romantically close to someone, and taking that next leap. When the storytelling is directly proportional to the instrumentation, this is what makes a timeless song. "When the time it takes for two ticks to go blue, it seems I'm smitten, it seems I am into you," real. A scenario we can all relate to, one way or another. Leading the pre-chorus into the chorus, Louise is going heavy on those snare rolls, giving a sense of anticipation and revelation, which then leads to the interchangeable chorus. Fucking hell, Bloc Party, what are you doing to me? I don't know if the choruses were written like this on purpose initially, but the build-up of it throughout, from "I choose to reveal, day after day... it was blue" to the last chorus, "I choose you with love, I choose you with hunger in my heart, I choose you today and all of the days," really reveals what one must choose to notice these feelings in a relationship, not push back, allowing yourself to feel. But of course, Kele touches on this too, the anxiety one feels when disclosing feelings, real, again. "And if you feel overwhelmed, if you're prone to doubt, to apprehend, take my hand, run with me, let's feel the blood in our cheeks."
The inner critique wants you to feel this, but what if they felt the same way anyway? Perhaps we could all learn something from the songs we listen to, ones that make us feel vulnerable. The way we connect our feelings with songs, perhaps we should do that constantly in a relationship, or when building towards one. We must communicate our feelings, but that can only be done by accepting to feel them.
There are many times I feel at peace with my feelings more, compared to other times. Note to our future selves: listen to them, feel and communicate.
Score: 10/10 (no bias ;))
