Essential Listening: The best new music releases in August 2023 (week 4)
The best new music of August 2023 with playlists for house & techno, DnB & jungle, hip-hop & jazz, and indie & alternative.
Date published: 29th Aug 2023
And so goes the last bank holiday of the year (except Christmas, of course.)
But it’s not so bad because it's nearly September, which will bring us new albums from Jorja Smith, James Blake, Romy, Olivia Rodrigo, Roisin Murphy, and Mitski. So it’s looking good!
But until then, we’ve got loads of new tracks to get us through the hangover!
This week, we’ve added names including Mathematik, Danger Mouse, Earl Sweatshirt, The Chemical Brothers, Mitski, Hemlocke Springs, James Blake, Shy FX, Hybrid Minds (read our recent interview here), Sven Vath, and more.
Essential Listening: House and Techno
Party All The Time - Hannah Laing and HVRR
Hannah Laing is back with another euphoric, bouncy techno cut with some hints of trance inspiration in there.
Filling the 80s banger by Eddie Murphy of the same name with raw rave energy, we reckon Hannah’s done it again here. Sure to emulate her unwavering recent success she’s had with tracks like Good Love and Be The One, the Scottish star seems only a handful of hits away from headline slots at the biggest festivals.
Perfect for tiny underground clubs, huge warehouses, and sets on massive stages in fields across the world, any raver is sure to hear this one popping up at events for the next year or so.
Get tickets to see Hannah Laing live here:
Essential Listening: Indie and Alternative
Skipping Like A Stone - The Chemical Brothers ft. Beck
Uber-experimental, Grammy-winning legend Beck offered his voice to The Chemical Brothers again (as he did a few years back on the track Wide Open), providing some heavenly vocals over an instrumental that fuses ambient sounds with sirens.
The track really comes alive at the build followed by the beat and bass coming in at around the 1:45 mark. At this point in their career, it’s incredible the duo are still putting out enticing and different new tracks, having been on the scene since the late 80s/early 90s.
Cardiff fans are in luck as the duo, alongside Hot Chip, Erol Alkan, and more, are set to play Alexandra Head very soon. Grab one of the last few tickets below!
Get tickets to see The Chemical Brothers live here:
The Chemical Brothers | Alexandra Head in Cardiff | Saturday 9th September 2023
Essential Listening: Drum & Bass and Jungle
If Love Could Have Saved You - Hybrid Minds ft Venbee
Described by Matthew of Hybrid Minds as, “definitely my favourite song we’ve ever made,” If Love Could Have Saved You is, on the surface, a warm, piano-led drum and bass track with some touching vocals.
But when you take a moment to pay attention to the lyrics, it’s actually a gut-wrenching track about suicide. Beautiful and personal, it’s no wonder Hybrid Minds and the crowds they’ve played it to absolutely adore it.
Surely eager to play it to huge crowds, you can catch Hybrid Minds performing all over the UK in the next few months. Have a look at just a few of their upcoming shows below.
Get tickets to see Hybrid Minds live here:
Hybrid Minds | Forum in Birmingham | Saturday 7th October 2023
Hybrid Minds | NX in Newcastle | Saturday 21st October 2023
Hybrid Minds | O2 Academy in Leeds | Friday 27th October 2023
Essential Listening: Hip-Hop and Jazz
Mountains - Gotts Street Park ft. ENNY
Leeds-based trio Gotts Street Park has produced and penned tunes for a variety of artists including Kali Uchis. Their debut album, On The Inside, will arrive in October, and Mountains offers a little taste of what it might be like.
ENNY, who you might know from her track Peng Black Girls, is a London rapper with a variety of influences including jazz and gospel. To this gentle, neo-soul track, she brings some silky smooth vocals and thoughtful, melancholy-tinged lyrics.
If you love smooth, comforting sounds with lyrics that get you in your feelings, save the date for Gotts Street Park's debut on the 13th of October.
Get tickets to see Gotts Street Park live here:
Gotts Street Park | Hare And Hounds Kings Heath in Birmingham | Tuesday 7th November 2023
Gotts Street Park | YES Pink Room in Manchester | Friday 10th November 2023
Follow our Essential Listening playlists featured above to discover the best new tracks released each week, as curated by the Skiddle team.
Check out our What's On Guide to discover more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.
Header image credit: The Chemical Brothers / Facebook.com