NME Radio Roundup 1 November 2021: Lana Del Rey, Kasabian, Nova Twins and more

Last month Lana Del Rey dropped ‘Blue Banisters’, her second album of the year. The follow up to the magnificent ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’, her eighth record sees her vocals shine brightly in a “defiant and delicate return”. Given the four-star treatment here at NME, we’ve put the gorgeous ‘If You Lie Down With Me’ on the NME Radio A List this week.

Also new to NME Radio we’ve got Kasabian’s return with ‘ALYGATYR’, a cut from The War On Drugs triumphant fifth album ‘I Don’t Live Here Anymore’, and Nova Twins killer new single ‘Antagonist’. Check out what’s new on NME 1 & 2:

Check out what’s new on NME 1 & 2 below.

On the A List

Lana Del Rey

‘If You Lie Down With Me’

Lana Del Rey sings about a romance filled with melancholy and passion on ‘If You Lie Down With Me’, from her equally woozy album, ‘Blue Banisters’. Its sweet brass interlude adds a cinematic touch – with Del Rey’s vivid lyrics, one can easily imagine two lovers spinning around in a drunken slow waltz at an elegant, abandoned hotel: “Dance me all around the room / Spin me like a ballerina, super high / Dance me all around the moon / Light me up like the 4th of July”. – Qistina Bumidin

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Exit Kid

‘This I Know’

Years & Years alumni Emre Türkmen (former synth player) and Dylan Bell (touring drummer) are the band Exit Kid. The duo’s new single ‘This I Know’, from their upcoming sophomore EP ‘Basis’, is a grunge-pop track that’s miles away from the synth-pop days of their former band. Türkmen’s sweet vocals fit perfectly in place even as the track shifts between distorted guitar riffs to crystalline synths, grounded by Bell’s reliable drums. – QB

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

On the B List

Kasabian

‘ALYGATYR’

‘ALYGATYR’ strikes a balance between elements of Kasabian’s synth-driven psychedelic rock and now-frontman Serge Pizzorno’s experimental new wave side project The S.L.P. With a mighty arena-filling chorus, fuzzy guitars, powerful drumming and Pizzorno’s swaggering delivery, ‘ALYGATYR’ is a belter. – QB

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Swedish House Mafia & The Weekend

‘Moth To A Flame’

‘Moth To A Flame’ might just be the new ‘Don’t You Worry Child’. The track is the resurgent EDM supergroup’s third single this year, and a collaboration with superstar The Weeknd. Taken from their forthcoming album ‘Paradise Forever’, ‘Moth To A Flame’ could easily fit into either artists’ discographies, whether it’s the slick, euphoric production of Swedish House Mafia or The Weeknd’s ’80s synth soundscapes. – QB

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Harry Stone

‘Love Gone Cold’

‘Love Gone Cold’ is a striking introduction to London-based newcomer Harry Stone. Shimmering piano melodies and gently propulsive electronics courtesy of producer Kenny Beats (Denzel Curry, slowthai, Rico Nasty) set an icy, bleak atmosphere for Stone’s poignant examination of a crumbling relationship: “But I know you better than you know yourself / You’ve never learned to love what’s getting old”. – QB

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

On the C List

Tove Styrke

‘Start Walking’

Tove Styrke has released a bittersweet new single ‘Start Walking’, her third cut of the year. The Swedish singer-songwriter describes this ’70 synth-pop track as “an upbeat song with sad lyrics, which is my favorite combination. It’s about a person who knows a relationship is over, and how it sucks to actually be the one to leave but you know there is no other way.” – QB

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Nova Twins

‘Antagonist’

Recent NME cover stars Nova Twins have won the approval of guitar legend Tom Morello and fellow British genre-bending rockers (and tour mates) Bring Me The Horizon, so you already know their new single ‘Antagonist’ is nothing short of brilliant. ‘Antagonist’ combines brazen vocals, raucous punk-rock riffs and explosive drums into a defiant self-confidence booster: “I’m not your princess, I run with spear heads / I’m not your princess, no frills, I’m fearless”. – QB

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Lime Garden

‘Clockwork’

Brighton’s rising indie quartet Lime Garden return with alluring new single ‘Clockwork’. In a press statement, vocalist Chloe Howard explains: “We wanted to capture that sense of being caught in a continuous loop where emotions sometimes lead us to a dark and frantic mindset”. Hypnotic drums, fraying guitar riffs and tight basslines parallel Howard’s monotonous delivery that evokes life’s grinding existential dread: “Circles round my head / The ticking time bomb / Keeps me out of bed / It’s like clockwork”. – QB

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Courtney Barnett

‘Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To’

Australian rocker Courtney Barnett continues building up the anticipation for her forthcoming album ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’, with the release of the third single, ‘Write A List Of Things To Look Forward To’. Over deceptively upbeat and warm jangly guitar strums, Barnett reflects on her struggles in persevering through the perils of the world with the help of her loved ones: “As a man lay dying / And so on it goes / I’m looking forward to the next / Letter that I’m gonna get from you”. – QB

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

The War on Drugs

‘Change’

The Americana-tinged ‘Change’ from The War On Drugs’ highly-acclaimed fifth studio album ‘I Don’t Live Here Anymore’ – which got the five-star treatment from NME – is a heartfelt reflection on one of the most necessary but difficult things a human being can do: change. “How can I replace, babe, what can’t be lost? / I don’t wanna change, I’ll rise above it,” vows bandleader Adam Granduciel. Stick around for the grand outro, which lasts more than two minutes and is filled with melancholic piano keys and ceaseless percussion. – QB

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

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