Not a bad week for the old aural senses, this one. While the big hitters wind down in time for the end-of-year lists, it's the smaller left-field artistes (and, er, will.i.am) that are coming forward with some lush winter tunes. We've already spoken about Memory Tapes, MØ, and Faunts this week, but here's what else we've been spinning at PressPLAY towers:
Get People - Back to Dust
We've been a little enamoured with dark electronic dance-pop crew Get People since they popped up on our radar with Macaw. New single Back to Dust has a more ambient approach, lurching on until a sweeping chorus. We're excited for their 2013.
will.i.am and Britney Spears - Scream & Shout
So we've all clocked the will.i.am/BEP formula - get a catchy hook, repeat it ad nauseam till it's lodged in your brain like a tomahawk, then every so often add the proverbial donk on it. This time that almighty donk comes in the form of Britney Spears, whose lobotomised new persona is a perfect fit for the auto-tune autocrat. We're not going to lie, it's dynamite - foul-mouthed Britney with an English accent, a middle-8 influenced by 3 Words... and of course, the immortal words that should land on Spears' epitaph if there's any justice in the world: "It's Britney, bitch".
Dungeonesse - Drive You Crazy
How do you go from folk-pop Wye Oak to dancefloor Dungeonesse? Who gives a flying toss, but it works for their common denominator Jenn Wasner. Drive You Crazy is a hearty slab of electropop goodness: textbook, but barnstorming. We approve.
Wild Swim - Echo
If you like your Foals mixed with a Wild Beasts vocal, then Wild Swim is your bag. Echo comes along as a perfectly-formed indie cut, eccentric in just the right way to grab our attention. We'll doff our cap to anyone who risks a complete track and tempo change in the final minute.
MS MR - Hurricane
Purely because we enjoyed their live performance so much this week. One of the finest debuts of the year, and as devastating as its title.