Jams of the Week: Hak Baker, Mr Jukes, Hana, Blaenavon, and more
From diamonds in the rough to big tunes from pop seniors, this week is stuffed to bursting with incredible tunes. Dig in.
And don’t forget to check out our UK Fresh List on Spotify, updated weekly with new music by fledging artists we can’t get enough of, and returning stars.
‘7am’ by Hak Baker
Hak Baker, a protégé of Skepta, is a grime MC turned brown-eyed soul man. Get a load of the East End crooner’s self-reflective ‘7am’ and its equally dreamy video.
‘Angels / Your Love (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid)’ by Mr Jukes
If you’re a sucker for jazz-funk, then you’ll adore ‘Angels / Your Love’ by Mr Jukes, the new alias of Jack Steadman. He spent the last 10 years fronting British indie group Bombay Bicycle Club. With the group currently on hiatus, Steadman has dived further into jazz and soul, and the result sounds spectacular. His album, God First, is due on July 16, on Universal-Island Records.
‘Be with U’ by Hana
Hana is the summer crush your never knew you always wanted. The irresistible sun-soaked vibe of the beat and her melon-fresh vocals caught our attention earlier this week, and we keep going back to it. Don’t wait until next summer. You need to hear Hana right now!
‘Lonely Side’ by Blaenavon
Hampshire Indie rockers Blaenavon have a winner in ‘Lonely Side’. It’s catchy stuff in the vein of Vampire Weekend and Foals. Their debut, That’s Your Lot, came out in April on Transgressive Records.
‘Staring Back at Me’ by Kat Deal
We’re really hoping Kat Deal will have more new material to come, because this song – and its accompanying video – is dope. Inspired by the likes of Robert Glasper, Janelle Monáe and Sarah Vaughn, the jazzy pop of this young London singer is sharp.
‘Ussy Ussy’ by MoStack
North London rapper MoStack has had listeners in pieces over his wavy story of a week-long, on-off fling – Craig David’s ‘7 Days’ for the Netflix-and-chill generation? Quite possibly. MoStack’s mixtape, High Street Kid, is out today.
‘Isotach’ by Matthew Bourne
Sometimes you just want to reach for some piano music. And ‘Isotach’ by Matthew Bourne is well on point. Play on, maestro, play on…
‘Fire’ by Beth Ditto
Ex-Gossip singer Beth Ditto channels Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie and Stevie Nicks for this charged, rock ‘n’ roll fight-starter. Ditto’s solo album, Fake Sugar, is out June 16, on Myra’s Child/Virgin Records.
MORE JAMS OF THE WEEK, 02/06/2017
- ‘Imaging My Man’ by Aldous Harding
- ‘Everything Now’ by Arcade Fire
- ‘Beautiful Little Fools’ by Jorja Smith
- ‘Miles’ by Keziah Who
- ‘Juice’ by Lady Leshurr
- ‘This is It’ by Lo Moon
- ‘Finders Keepers (feat. Kojo Funds)’ by Mabel
- ‘Women’s Talk’ by Rae Leviné
- ‘Reborn’ by Rae Morris
- ‘Sugar for the Pill’ by Slowdive
Image: courtesy of Hak Baker