Chart Review: 15th March 2024
Not a great deal of churn in the charts this week, but some of the new entries are particularly interesting as a bellwether of what people expect from music. “Evergreen” by Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners has broken the Top 40 at (37) after hanging around the charts at large for several months. I’ll assume this has gained a larger following via TikTok because it’s not an obviously commercial number; it’s under two minutes long, rustic folk without the bells and whistles of the modern crop who’ve gone stratospheric with slick rural fetishism.
I actually quite like it. It’s got a homespun warmth and nice flourishes in the form of a guitar made to sound like a harpsichord. Hearing this on the BBC chart show, DJ Jack Saunders was a hair’s breadth away from being openly dismissive of it and a fair few of the comments on YouTube are asking for a “longer version”, which does make one wonder what the modern listener would make of a Wire or a Guided By Voices. It’s a sweet little tune and a version recorded live in the lads’ home studio (apparently, though I’m not entirely convinced) is even better.
I feel Saunders’ derision might be better saved for “Act II - Date At 8” by 4Batz featuring Drake (18). The version in the charts is a remix which clumsily sticks a verse from the Canadian megastar onto the existing song (1:50 long - shock horror). The first part of this with 4Batz is perfectly alright. The lyrics are witless, a digitally raised voice detailing how much money has been spent on his date’s “fucking” hair and “fucking” nails, but the beat’s pleasant, a smooth, Odd Future-lite effort. Then, the track messily slows down and Drake steps up. Slathered in autotune, he delivers some of the worst lyrics I’ve heard in a long time. “I really gotta calm down / ‘fore I end up in jeopardy just like the game show” is a lowlight. Drake’s “feature” is well over half the song but it feels like it’s going to go on forever.
Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” is back at (16) following her Oscar win. It’s not my favourite track from Barbie but obviously it’s a touch of class and the tune you’re most likely to listen to outside of the confines of the film. I can’t rightly say I listen to Eilish a great deal but she seems to me to be one of the smartest artists in the game at the moment - there can’t be many who successfully cross audiences like she does.
Making the biggest impact on this week’s proceedings is Ariana Grande, who has snared the Number 1 album and sent two new tracks high into the charts. At (13) is “Bye”, a sleek disco number in the Kylie mould. It doesn’t have the energy of “Yes, And?” which I like a lot and remains at (6), but she’s got a better collection of catchy hooks than most and knows how to put together memorable lyrics. More importantly, the production on her voice is great. She seldom resorts to belting it out even though she’s more than capable of doing so; instead she’s icily multi tracked, harmonising with herself to great effect.
“We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” is at (3). On first listen I liked this more of the two but I’m not sure now. The darker house track is a bit anonymous, though the chorus is definitely a winner. I think I prefer the more striking melodies on “Bye”, the sudden leaps to high registers and the playfulness of the whole thing. Two decent tracks for sure - the album seems to have been received politely rather than rapturously, but I think I might give it a go.
Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” is again kept at (2) by Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ‘Em”, which has surprised me with its longevity I must say. Boone’s got a new single dropping next week which is something to dread, though on his Instagram announcement (which I played with the sound off) he did do a backflip on rollerblades, so maybe he can win me round yet.
Pick of the week: Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners - “Evergreen”
