Giggs, Good Vibrations, and Van Morrison's 'sensational return to adequacy'

00:02 |

Friday 13 June 2025

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Bonjour, hello and happy Friday...

The latest Good Vibrations episode is out starring UK rap legend Giggs. We chatted about his new single "Gorgeous", his thoughts about the current British rap scene (it's all happening up north, apparently), reflecting on his breakthrough album Landlord and that triumphant Kentish Town Forum show, and his extravagant dating habits (apparently I'm being whisked off to Norway). Tune in and enjoy!

You've probably guessed that the name of my podcast was very much inspired by my love of the Beach Boys. So it was hard to hear the news of Brian Wilson's death this week, although that was tempered by the number of beautifully written tributes that flooded in. One of my favourites is the one Fiona Sturges wrote for us about "the visionary who changed music forever". Quite right. Thank you, Brian Wilson, there was no one else like you and there never will be.

Reviews-wise, all our critics have been pretty uninspired by what's on offer this week, it seems. Helen Brown writes that Neil Young's album with The Chrome Hearts will make longtime fans smile, but not much else. "A sensational return to adequacy" is how Louis Chilton describes Van Morrison's new album, Remembering Now. Ouch. He had a better time with Waxahatchee at her Eventim Apollo gig in London, "a night of musical brilliance with no room for chaos".

This weekend, keep an eye out for Stevie Chick's fantastic interview with Cypress Hill, as well as a chat with newcomer Jensen McRae by Ellie Muir, AND Jim Farber's feature on the forgotten genius of The Band's Richard Manuel.

New music I love: Ludovico Einaudi's son Leo has remixed his latest album, The Summer Portraits, ahead of the Italian composer's six-night residency at the Royal Albert Hall this summer. Then there's Sturle Dagsland, a Norwegian artist creating a fascinating melting pot of folk, industrial metal and experimental music. His new track "Galdring" is taken from his upcoming second album, Dreams and Conjurations, which is scheduled for release in October. Manchester newcomers Moss Side Sauna Club also have a new single out, "My Weird Appetite", which I'm enjoying for its weird glitchy playfulness. I'm keen on the debut EP from Sons of Guns and the track "It's Getting Better".

More new music: AJ Tracey's "West Life" is a mood, as is, I'm surprised to say, the new one from Biffy Clyro?! Haven't checked in with them for a while but "A Little Love" is big and suspenseful and suitably thrashy. I'm really loving what Nxdia is doing right now: the Egyptian-Sudanese alt-pop singer (they/them pronouns) just released the peppy "Body on Me", giving me an alternative from having "She Likes a Boy" on a loop. Catch them at Latitude, Bludfest, Brighton Pride and Reading & Leeds this summer. Kehlani on "Folded", yes please; King Isis on "BAD 4 ME" with the crunchy guitars! AND Cardinals on "Big Empty Heart", one of their best ones yet, smashing.

Finally, "Suzanne", ooooooh that new one from Mark Ronson and RAYE is such a summer vibe - we're talking that driving with the top down, cocktails at sunset, waves on the shore kind of feeling. It's put me in the perfect mood for my holiday, yes, that's right, I'm away next week having a rest before Glastonbury, the Oasis reunion, the farewell Black Sabbath show...

Out of Office is now ON, byeeeeeee x

Now Read This

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The Lottery Winners: 'Robbie Williams said my biggest talent is bravery'

Written by Roisin O'Connor

More features...

Brian Wilson: the Beach Boys visionary who changed music forever

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Written by Mark Beaumont

ON THE RECORD

I'm trying to get better at trusting intuition and embracing the intangible and not needing to be so hard and critical of myself because I think that can be a never-ending cycle if you do that

Turnstile's Brendan Yates to The Independent. Read the full interview.

I won my first Oscar, then Howard Ashman told me he was dying

Alan Menken to The Independent. Read the full interview.

Robbie Williams told me what my biggest talent was

Lottery Winners' Thom Rylance to The Independent. Read the full interview.

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Tracks of the week

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1. "Body on Me" - Nxdia

2. "Big Empty Heart" - Cardinals

3. "BAD 4 ME" - King Isis

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Q&A

Spotlight on... Olivia Lunny

Hello! Tell me about yourself

Hi! My names Olivia Lunny. I'm from Winnipeg MB Canada and I've been writing songs since I was 11 years old. My music lives somewhere between catchy pop melodies and cinematic, emotional storytelling. I've always seen music as a form of deep self-expression, and I'm drawn to exploring contrast. Things like softness vs. strength, joy and heartbreak, velvet and denim, if you will.

What are your inspirations and influences?

My inspirations pull from a mix of strong female artists I admire! Think Stevie Nicks, Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Ray, and just from life itself. Moving to LA in my early 20s and going through intense change, was the catalyst that inspired this upcoming album Velvet & Denim. Love, heartbreak, duality, healing… all of that shaped the poems and stories woven through this record. I'm very inspired by the highs and lows of being human, and I try to reflect that in everything I write.

What else do you have lined up for 2025?

The rest of 2025 is looking exciting. My second album Velvet & Denim just came out and I'm building a full world around it. I've just played Gov Ball in NY and I'm playing LIDO Festival in London on June 15th as well as some tour dates with Justin Timberlake. Expect lots of live shows, new visuals and merch. There are some very special performances on the horizon, and my biggest goal this year is to connect with more listeners who see themselves in these songs. It feels like a breakthrough year... and I'm truly just getting started!

Catch Olivia Lunny @ Lido Festival on 15 June.