NME Radio Roundup 12 December 2022: The 1975, Oliver Sim, Soulwax and more

12 December, 2022

The 1975

As 2022 draws to a close and we look back at the year’s best music, we can’t deny that The 1975’s ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ is still on heavy rotation for us. The quartet’s stellar fifth full-length not only spawned certified jams including the ebullient ‘Happiness’ and ‘I’m In Love With You’, but also gorgeous slow-burners including this week’s leading NME Radio inclusion, the beautifully heartbreaking ‘About You’.

In our album review, El Hunt spotlighted the record’s refreshing concision, noting: “‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ feels like the right next step after pushing experimental excess to its logical conclusion, and is comparatively lean with just 11 tracks to its name.” Joining ‘About You’ on this week’s additions to NME Radio are Soulwax‘s remix of Oliver Sim, Caroline Polachek’s latest belter and more.

Check out the newest additions to NME Radio 1 and 2 below.

On the A List:

The 1975

‘About You’

The 1975 get misty-eyed on the devastating ‘About You’, taken from their latest studio album ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’. Setting the scene with drums and bass locked into an unhurried motorik beat, it’s a slow dance for a couple at the end of their tether. Bad Seed Warren Ellis amps up the drama with the shoegaze squall of his violin, as Matty Healy delivers downtrodden, reverb-soaked vocals, his phrases sandwiched by pregnant silences. His simple, cathartic hook conveys everything the track has to say: “Do you think I have forgotten about you?” – Eli Ordonez

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Oliver Sim

‘Sensitive Child’ – Soulwax Remix

Soulwax deliver a euphoric dose of simmering rage on their remix of Oliver Sim’s ‘Sensitive Child’, taken from The xx member’s debut record ‘Hideous Bastard’. The Belgian duo transform the track into a bona-fide dance blazer while retaining the serrated edge of Sim’s original. In place of the smoky, ominous production, Soulwax employ thumping beats and distorted bass for a cathartic mix of disco ecstasy and earthy grit, enhancing the caustic snarl of Sim’s vocals. – EO

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

On the B List:

Caroline Polachek

‘Welcome To My Island’

Indie pop auteur Caroline Polachek breaks free on ‘Welcome To My Island’, the fourth preview of her recently announced second full-length ‘Desire, I Want To Turn Into You’. With unrestrained, wordless vocals, the New Yorker makes clear from the onset that this track was meant as a gateway to utopia: her “island” where trees “wave in the wind” and desire consumes all. – EO

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

RM

‘Still Life (with Anderson .Paak)’

RM taps Anderson .Paak to celebrate the unstoppable present on ‘Still Life’, a standout from the former’s debut solo record ‘Indigo’. Atop a groovy beat, the rapper showcases his charming delivery by proclaiming his ability to roll with the punches (“I’m still life, but I’m moving / Just live now, goin’ forward”) while .Paak drives home the point with a succinct hook: “You can’t lock me in a frame, I’m moving.” – EO

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Wolf Alice

‘In The Bleak Midwinter’

Wolf Alice herald the holidays with their spellbinding rendition of ‘In The Bleak Midwinter’. Abandoning the tired tropes of Christmas music – even the sleigh bells – the alternative rock quartet transforms the song into a soundscape both dreamy and propulsive, inhabited by glistening acoustic guitars, pulsating synths and a simple drum machine beat. Serving the hymn’s subdued tone, Ellie Rowsell trades in her snarl for a whisper: “Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone”. – EO

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

On the C List:

Wallice

‘Japan’

Los Angeles singer-songwriter Wallice comes to grips with her heritage on introspective new single, ‘Japan’. In a far cry from the grunge-fueled angst of her May EP ‘‘90s American Superstar’, the NME 100 alum offers a subdued meditation on her Japanese roots, grappling with her inability to truly find home: “Tokyo’s so loud, I wish I knew how to drown it out / Home’s so hard to find”. – EO

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

PNAU and Troye Sivan

‘You Know What I Need’

Australian pop stalwarts PNAU and Troye Sivan team up for a boogie on their freshest release, ‘You Know What I Need’. PNAU showcase their sparkling production chops on the mid-tempo disco cut, even throwing in acidic, Daft Punk-approved synthesisers for extra bounce. Sivan also flexes his sultry falsetto on the track’s indelible hook: “You’re all that I want / You’re all that I need / And if it hurts me / Then I don’t want it”. – EO

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

The Church

‘C’est La Vie’

Australian indie veterans The Church return with ‘C’est La Vie’, the glimmering second preview of their 26th studio record ‘The Hypnagogue’. The jangly cut showcases the quintet’s penchant for effervescent textures, as multi-tracked acoustic guitars lead the way against a hypnotic motorik beat. The track’s psychedelic undertones shine through Steve Kilbey’s meditations on the present: “Hey they say / C’est la vie / Here comes the future / According to me.” – EO

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Lana Del Rey

‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard?’

Lana Del Rey ponders her own relevance with ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard?’, the crushing first preview of her upcoming album of the same name. The track’s bass-heavy, delicate arrangement spotlights Del Rey’s haunting vocals against a cloudy mix of pianos, synthesisers and strings as she observes existential fears with signature candidness complete with references to The Eagles, Harry Nilsson and John Lennon. – EO

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Orbital

‘Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)’

Orbital deliver another dance floor anthem with ‘Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)’, the second preview of their upcoming 10th studio album ‘Optical Delusion’. The ’90s icons sound rejuvenated, with modern production and mixing lending a heavier punch and depth to their breakbeats. If this track is any indication, the duo may see their new record making endless rounds around the club circuit next year. – EO