DOWN WITH BORING
ISSUE 50 · DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 · READDORK.COM
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Index Issue 50 | December 2020 / January 2021 | readdork.com | Down With Boring
Hello, ‘Dear Reader’ Contents Apparently, fifty is the new forty. And traditionally, Dear Reader, they say life begins at forty. So, doing some complex science, maybe life actually now begins at fifty? That's what we're counting on, as this month your favourite music magazine (that's us - shut up, it is) reaches its milestone fiftieth issue. While most of you may shrug and wonder why that's such a big deal, we're pretty proud, so forgive us a moment of self-indulgence, yeah? No, the cake is all ours. You can't have any. Still, we've found a way to celebrate in style with two fabulous cover stars and a double end of year issue packed to the bursting seems. On one cover, we've got YUNGBLUD. When he first crossed our office stereo in Dork's early days, we'd have struggled to predict precisely where Dom would end up just a few years later. Now a superstar leading the way for a whole generational movement, he's done well. New album 'weird!' drops this month, and it's every bit the strange, remarkable pop odyssey you'd hope. For our second cover, we're focusing in on our
Ø4 Intro 12 Best of 2020 16 Features 34 Hype List 2021 70 Incoming
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Ø7. Rostam
The Vampire Weekend founding member and pop impressario is 'in the studio'. We checked in to find out what he's up to.
16. YUNGBLUD annual celebration of new music; the Hype List. Led by the brilliant Baby Queen - an artist who pretty much encapsulates everything we're about - you'll find hundreds of names we think you'll have in your ears over the next twelve months. This isn't one of those tip lists which attempts to predict 'success' on some arbitrary, commercial level. Instead, we're just throwing out some names we like, who we think will play a big part in our year to come. Some of them may well become massive, some probably won't - but all of them are worth checking out. There's a
vast Spotify playlist you can load up to make the task simple. We think of everything. As we come to the end of the weirdest, most challenging year in recent memory, it's testament to the passion and commitment music inspires that we've still got things to be excited about. That's something to be thankful for. Here's to the next fifty issues.
Stephen ‘Editor’ @stephenackroyd
As new album 'weird!' prepares to drop on a year worthy of the title, we meet one of the most exciting pop stars on the planet.
28. Joe Keery
An actor-slash-musician for whom the latter is far from an afterthought, Stranger Things star Joe Keery's is an artist in the truest sense.
3Ø. BENEE
A bright point in a year of boredom and mundanity, BENEE's alt-pop bops are an oasis in a sandy desert of dull.
34. Baby Queen Leading off our 2021 Hype List, Bella is a bright, brash and unrelenting voice intent on making pop real exactly our kinda gal.
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Editor Stephen Ackroyd Deputy Editor Victoria Sinden
Associate Editor Ali Shutler Contributing Editors Jamie Muir, Martyn Young Design Lot 105 Scribblers Abigail Firth, Aleksandra Brzezicka, Beth Lindsay, Blaise Radley, Chloe Johnson, Connor Fenton, Dan Harrison, Edie McQueen, Finlay Holden, Jake Hawkes, Jamie MacMillan, Jay Singh, Jessica Goodman, Melissa Darragh, Neive McCarthy, Phoebe De Angelis, Steven Loftin Snappers Chico Fernandez, Fil Mawi, Harry Were, Holly Whitaker, Lewis Khan, Lewis Vorn, Lyndsey Byrne, Melanie Hyams, Meredith Traux, Phoebe Fox, Pooneh Ghana, Sarah Louise Bennett, Sophia Wilson PUBLISHED FROM WELCOMETOTHEBUNKER. COM UNIT 10, 23 GRANGE ROAD, HASTINGS, TN34 2RL All material copyright (c). All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of The Bunker Publishing Ltd. Disclaimer: While every effort is made to ensure the information in this magazine is correct, changes can occur which affect the accuracy of copy, for which The Bunker Publishing Ltd holds no responsibility. The opinions of the contributors do not necessarily bear a relation to those of Dork or its staff and we disclaim liability for those impressions. Distributed nationally.
Subscribe to Dork. Get every issue direct to your door, anywhere on the planet. readdork.com readdork.com 3.
Intro **
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FYI
STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH...
Barn on the Farm (1st-4th July 2021) has announced a bunch of up-and-coming acts for 2021’s festival. The list of new and emerging artists features the likes of Baby Queen, Alfie Templeman, Holly Humberstone, KennyHoopla, Olivia Dean, Bow Anderson, and Griff.
James Blake has announced a brand new covers EP, helpfully titled… ‘Covers EP’. Recorded during lockdown and following on from his string of fanrequested covers over on the ‘ol social media, the EP includes a recent version of Frank Ocean’s ‘Godspeed’.
THE B IG STORY
2020 has been weird. Very, very weird. Every cloud has a silver lining, though. After months of enforced downtime, musicians have had loads of time to prepare new ‘stuff’ for 2021. Over the next few pages, we’ll speculate, investigate and generally ‘suggest’ some of the albums you could be getting excited about next year.
Quite probably the most anticipated pop record of 2021, chances are something is imminent. Yes, the world is a mess - but if there's one thing that just might save it, it's a third album from Lorde, right? Right. Well, Dear Reader, hope is a dangerous thing to have, but it's also something we an all cherish close as the year draws to a close. Though in late 2019 she told us the record would be delayed as she grieved the death of her dog, Pearl, by May of this year she told us that she started going back into the studio in December, and "good things came out. Happy, playful things." The album apparently has "its own colours now", which is pretty significant news, and is "so fucking good". "I am truly jazzed for you to hear it," she exclaimed. We expect it won't be all that long now.
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This has been the weirdest and most challenging of years. Not much in the way of live music, basically no festivals - an entire music scene forced to reinvent itself to fit a new reality. And yet, in spite of all that, it's been kind of brilliant. New names have pushed through to the fore, some exceptional records have been released, and Alex Rice hasn't accidentally shaded us in The Guardian once in 2020. We think. Result.
Sports Team BAND OF THE YEAR
Yes, it's actually happened. As a magazine determined to further the cause of pop nonsense at every given opportunity, could there be any other band capable of taking the crown in 2020? Despite thriving in the live arena, an enforced lockdown was no match for the most divisive pop gang since... well... you know who. Taking to a world without rules like a gracious swan - gliding on the surface, while kicking like mad beneath - their debut album 'Deep Down Happy' created a genuine moment. If it wasn't for someone at Big Pop HQ throwing a wobbly (what do you mean you can't sell albums for 99p? A sale is a sale!), there's every chance they'd have had a Number 1 album on their hands. But in losing out gracefully to Lady Gaga, Sports Team showed there's also a touch of class to a band unafraid to ruffle a few feathers along the way. Love them or hate them, very few sit in between. Really, there's no higher compliment we can pay. Down with boring indeed.
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of 2020 12. DORK
THE BEST OF 2020
Reader's Poll 2020 THE RESULTS
Last issue, we asked you to tell us the bands, artists, albums, songs and 'stuff' that have dominated this weirdest of years. You did so, in your thousands. We've had out our big pop science kit and compiled the results. This is your fault, not ours. BAND OF THE YEAR
Sports Team
Yep, we have a brand new Band of the Year. After a winning run which dates back to the first ever Dork Reader's Poll, The 1975 have finally been knocked off their perch by Sports Team. We're never going to hear the end of this, are we? 2. THE 1975 3. IDLES 4. BLOSSOMS 5. HAIM
SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Declan McKenna
Our Dec has had quite the year. It's easy to forget just how great a progression second album 'Zeros' is. Fast becoming a legit A Lister. We're really very proud.
No, there's no debate over this one. The return of one of our most favourite bands is as urgent as ever. Yeah, we'd like a Lorde album too, but this is Wolf Alice. Hurry up, guys.
Declan McKenna
Wolf Alice
BEST BREAKTHROUGH
Rina Sawayama Yes, Sports Team are our band of the year. Yes, we're giving Rina best breakthrough. Why? Well - she's released our Album of the Year, and we set the rules. Shut up.
2. RINA SAWAYAMA 3. WORKING MEN'S CLUB 4. BEABADOOBEE 5. SORRY
MUSICIAN YOU'D LIKE ON YOUR ZOOM QUIZ TEAM
Declan McKenna
We're not sure why Dec is so popular in this category - Henry Young of Sports Team would have been our pick too, what with his past life as a sports journo meaning he'd ace those rounds.
2. PHOEBE BRIDGERS 3. ALFIE TEMPLEMAN 4. RINA SAWAYAMA 5. TAYLOR SWIFT
2. MATTY HEALY 3. LADY GAGA 4. HENRY YOUNG 5. SAM FENDER
ACT THAT NEEDS TO MAKE A COMEBACK RIGHT NOW PLEASE
POP STAR YOU'D MOST WANT TO BE STUCK INSIDE WITH DURING LOCKDOWN
Wolf Alice
ACT THAT NEEDS TO MAKE A COMEBACK RIGHT NOW PLEASE
They're the Band of the Year, so it only makes sense that Sports Team also take through the Best Breakthrough prize. you'd have to be nuts to award it to anyone else, right? Right?! Shut up.
Our Dec is a worthy winner in a very, very strong field which also proves - undeniably - Alfie Templeman is bigger than Taylor Swift. Well done, kidda.
If you lot hadn't have said Wolf Alice, we'd have been having words. Thankfully, we'd expect we'd see over half this list deliver in 2021. Fingers crossed.
SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR
BEST BREAKTHROUGH
Sports Team
2. OASIS 3. ARCTIC MONKEYS 4. ARCADE FIRE 5. CHVRCHES
MOST EXCITING NEW ACT FOR 2021
Alfie Templeman
Lady Gaga
There are many advantages to being stuck inside with Gaga. Firstly, she seems lovely. Secondly, you'd never run out of bacon for sandwiches. 2. TAYLOR SWIFT 3. HARRY STYLES 4. HALSEY 5. MATTY HEALY
POP STAR YOU'D LEAST WANT TO BE STUCK INSIDE WITH DURING LOCKDOWN
Justin Bieber
The boy wonder takes the prize in a shortlist packed with Hype List staples past and present. Proof indeed that there's an exciting batch of new talent coming through, which start their work in earnest when second placed Arlo Parks drops her debut album right at the start of 2021.
You know, at this point, we start to feel quite sorry for Justin Bieber - though not as sorry as we feel for Matty, who has somehow managed to come above a legitimate COVID denying numpty. Ouch.
2. ARLO PARKS 3. INHALER 4. WALT DISCO 5. COACH PARTY
2. KANYE WEST 3. MATTY HEALY 4. IAN BROWN 5. ALEX RICE
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COVER STORY
Words: Ali Shutler. Photography: Sarah Louise Bennett. Stylist: Davey Sutton. Grooming: Sven Bayerbach @ Carol Hayes Management using NARS. Photographer's Assistant: Dani Willgress. Stylist's Assistant: Steven Huang.
16. DORK
YUNGBLUD
There was once a point where claiming YUNGBLUD could be the voice of a generation would have been enough to inspire more than the odd confused expression. How things have changed. With new album 'weird!' imminent, he's now a champion for the disenfranchised - the leader of a movement that refuses to conform to expectation. Sounds like our kind of scene, eh? We caught up with Dom before the UK's second lockdown to sign up.
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By: Martyn Young. Photos: Harry Were.
30. DORK
A rare bright point in a pretty damn difficult year, BENEE's arrival has been a serotonin shot in the arm. With her debut album finally here, the future looks brighter already.
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Scan this code in Spotify to listen to a special Hype List 2021 playlist, featuring over 100 new acts! 34. DORK
THIS IS NOT A TIPS LIST. You'll hear a lot about lists at this time of year. Lists predicting what acts will be huge in the year ahead. This isn't one of them. Don't get us wrong, we think the artists that appear over the next few pages are brilliant. We think some of them will be massive, release amazing albums and tour the globe - if touring is a thing in 2021, anyway. But we're not picking them because of the size of their record contract or if we believe they're a sure thing for a big debut album in q3. Instead, we've hand-picked a group of new, exciting acts that we think best represent what Dork's 2021 will look and sound like. A collection of characters that raise our pulses, we've surrounded them with dozens more names - all fresh, engaging and fizzing with potential. 2020 may have seen music forced to go slow, but with a future so bright, the next twelve months could be very special indeed.
HYPE LIST 2021
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Stylist: Riya Hollings. Make-up: Francesca Brazzo at The Wall Group. Hair stylist: Rohmarra Kerr. Photographers Assistant: Dani Willgress.
On a mission to make pop music that's big, brash and without the bullshit, Baby Queen has arrived. Prepare the throne.
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Incom ALL THE NEW RELEASES YOU NEED TO KNOW (AND SOME YOU DEFINITELY DON’T)
Yungblud weird!
eeeef Gigantic, rebellious pop from an artist determined to make a statement on the widest stage possible. It's safe to say that YUNGBLUD's ascent to crown prince of weirdo pop hasn't always been expected. Arriving as what appeared to be a frustrated indie kid, not quite sure who he wanted to be or what his potential could lead to, those days are long, long behind us. Second album 'weird!' is poprock on the grandest, widest of stages. An inclusive carrion call to a disenfranchised generation, striding proud in the footsteps of era-defining bands who came before. Brash, inventive, confident pop music that stands proud and speaks true, every inch drips with pure theatre. 'super dead friends' sounds like the Beastie Boys snotty punk projected through a prism of 'Danger Days'-era My Chemical Romance, while 'cotton candy' is every inch the radio-friendly pop gem. In the quieter moments - the heartfelt, more introspective 'love song' - the deeply personal becomes a resonating force; identifiable desires laid bare. Crossing the lanes at will, it's a genre-free journey that manages to span both counter and mainstream cultures with ease. In 2020, YUNGBLUD is less a confused newcomer and more a ringleader to the greatest show in town. A circus where he performs every act and the final, showstopping number, it's less about individual sounds and more about the emotion contained within. 'weird!' is an album which inspires one of the strongest of all - true belief. Stephen Ackroyd
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70. DORK
ming Nilüfer Yanya
PVA
FLOHIO
Riding high off her excellent full-length debut, 2019's 'Miss Universe', Nilüfer Yanya returns with a smaller, more focused EP that's no less accomplished. What makes her such a talent, and this EP such a strong reminder of her songwriting ability is that each of the three songs here feels ambitious, without ever sacrificing the charm of a catchy hook. Whether harmonising effortlessly with herself, or contrasting her high-pitched vocals with a sharp-toothed guitar riff, Yanya always feels effortlessly in control. Blaise Radley
PVA have packed their dance-punk ala LCD Soundsystem-on-MDMA formula into an easy to swallow yet hard-hitting, two-sided EP. 'Talks' is a back-and-forth dialogue about the fear of getting hurt. Accompanied by two remixes, Lynks' reworking dares to drag you to the dancefloor, while Mura Masa's is a climatic mix. 'Sleek Form' meanwhile encapsulates the ethereal alien rave experience, and 'Exhaust/Surroundings' consumes what's left of the night with dopey, worn-out beats. London's best new-wave dance formation has emerged. Aleksandra Brzezicka
Explosive is the name of the game when it comes to FLOHIO, and her new mixtape, 'No Panic No Pain' is no exception; it sees the rapper virtually aflame. The sound is constantly evolving and expanding in different directions, and it's hard not to feel caught up in each twist and turn. The titular track sees FLOHIO insist on the need for "more hype, more rage" - but her mixtape provides exactly that. It's a mission in unfiltered, turbulent energy, and one that cements FLOHIO as one of the most exciting names in music right now. Neive McCarthy
Feeling Lucky? eeeef
Laura Groves A Private Road eeeef
Five years since the release of her last project, and Laura Groves has returned with her best work yet. Largely selfproduced, 'A Private Road' is a glittering expanse of celestial soundscapes; each song she conjures is a heavenly entity. The songwriting is subtle yet effective as she retraces memories and pinpoints the sharpest emotions, smoothing their edges into something gentler. While the production is up in space, her lyrics are firmly rooted in the ground; explicitly human and beautifully sincere, tender enough to heal all wounds. Jay Singh
Toner eeeee
QuarterLife Crisis
Quarter-Life Crisis
eeeef
Quarter-Life Crisis feels like one big reflection on love, life, and everything in between. With his debut EP, Ryan Hemsworth collaborates with a handful of brilliant and budding talents to create something that transports listeners to a dreamlike world filled with the most human of feelings. It opens with the nostalgic ‘Waterfall’, which sounds like it was pulled straight from an early 2000s coming of age movie and perfectly sets the tone for what lies ahead. Every song pulls on a different heartstring, with the bittersweet voice of Frances Quinlan, the childhood sweetheart-like innocence of Claud’s lyrics and the serene melody of 'Stars', featuring Yohuna, combining to make something that feels very much of this moment, while embodying the universal feeling of yearning that will exist forever. It's a refreshing and unique EP, with the personality of each artist seeping through to create something personal and intimate for a vulnerable, accomplished journey. Beth Lindsay
Yore
Yore eeeef Emerging from trendy East London space Vicious Collective, Callum Brown AKA Yore brings us a slick self-titled debut with collaboration at its core - including turns with Mellah, Nuha Ruby Ra, and Rakel from Dream Wife. Co-produced by fellow Ulrika Spacek veteran Syd Kemp, the pair have created an impressively cohesive album. Dreamy, almost psychedelic feelings feature alongside grungy tones, the real hook though is in the detail, with chordal riffs cutting through dreamy vocals and lo-fi ambiance to create something truly special. Melissa Darragh
No Panic No Pain eeeef
Rosehip Teahouse Fine eeeef
Dream pop newcomers Rosehip Teahouse arrived onto the Cardiff scene like Glinda the Good Witch in her sparkling pink bubble, bringing with them perfect twinkling lullaby pop to calm the psyche. 'Fine' is packed full of twee, cinematic landscapes to match their name, their music just as redolent of gingham pinafores and flower gardens. Listening to the EP is like falling down the rabbit hole with Alice, singer Faye Roger's effervescent vocals projected onto layers of sound. This is an EP to float in, maybe even to drown in. Edie McQueen
BENEE
Hey u x eeeef On the surface, New Zealand tends to punch above its population-based weight when it comes to smart, shiny pop music. And while that perception may, in part, be based around the might of Lorde, it's not entirely ridiculous to consider BENEE the next most likely to make that interstellar jump. Crafting smart, bright, bedroom bops, she's already shown a talent for creating megahits. There's much more to debut album 'Hey u x' than TikTok-fueled smash 'Supalonely', though, and BENEE is no social media flash in the pan. From weird but wonderful follow-up 'Snail' to the laconically bewitching 'Kool', there are standout moments aplenty. All-star team-ups too - Grimes-assist 'Sheesh' providing a nod to 90s house which adequately makes up for the fact 'Plain', featuring queen of sardonic pop Lily Allen and Atlanta rapper Flo Milli, is actually - good song as it is - a little mean when you think about it. BENEE's potential is huge, and, as an opening gambit, 'Hey u x' sets the scene perfectly. Stephen Ackroyd
RECOM -MENDED RELEASES MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THESE ALBUMS.
Beabadoobee Fake It Flowers
Potential realised, Beabadoobee's debut is exactly the bubblegrunge masterpiece expected of her.
iDKHOW Razzmatazz
Dallon Weekes is a master showman, and iDKHOW are an alt-pop sensation no-longer in waiting.
Marika Hackman Covers
A record that both breathes new life and provides more than the odd dead-in-your-tracks moment.
Laundromat Green eeeff
Green often symbolises new beginnings, and in a year so full of change yet somehow so mundanely repetitive, new beginnings often bring a refreshing break. In the case of Brighton’s Tony Hayes AKA Laundromat, his new EP does just that. Following on from previous EP ‘Blue’ earlier in the year, ‘Green’ brings a similar bedroom-recording-esque charm, coupled with selfdeprecating lyrics and resolving basslines to create an everyman album with a bit of edge. This is an EP that can really hit home without taking itself too seriously. Melissa Darragh
Grand Pax Wavey eeeef
Grand Pax is following up her debut EP with another genre-fluid success story that utilises understated production and an untraditional vocal performance to provide 9 minutes and 31 seconds of bliss that would be a perfect soundtrack for a quiet sunset. Thematically exploring movement, ‘Wavey’ embraces this fully through vivid yet warped synths and production that mean the soundscape never stays still quite long enough for you to focus on it. It's almost like a dream, simultaneously providing both euphoria and intrigue. Finlay Holden
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DOWN WITH BORING
ISSUE 50 · DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 · READDORK.COM