NME Radio Roundup 31 May 2021: Twenty One Pilots, Nayana Iz, Lana Del Rey and more

After a year of isolation, Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun just want to lay back and let loose. On ‘Saturday’, the duo urge you to embrace whatever you want to do, whether it be writing a song, or just watching an episode of Friends. “Not a sound on Wednesday / Might get loud on Friday / But on Saturday, we paint the town,” they sing, as they put on their dancing shoes. -JX Soo

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Nayana Iz ruminates on her own identity over lush keys and shuffling beats on the soulful ‘Breaking Point’. As she turns her focus from her relationship to her own heritage as a British-Asian woman, she finds the experience of reconciling with her past self to be an endless struggle. “A thousand years wouldn’t teach you no better / Oh wipe my tears, you ain’t worth no weather,” she croons. -JXS

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Lana’s back. The title track from her upcoming album, ‘Blue Banisters’ offers more romantic musings over haunting, minimal arrangements. “Said he’d come back every May / Said he’d fix my weathervane / Give me children, take away my pain / And paint my banisters blue,” she croons sultrily, accompanied by sparse pianos and ghostly atmospherics. -JXS

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

By embracing emotional abandon, Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen have become two of indie rock’s greatest treasures. They’ve teamed up on ‘Like I Used To’, a poignant ballad with country stylings and orchestral flourishes that rivals any solo highlight of their discographies. “Sleepin’ in late like I used to / Crossing my fingers like I used to / Waiting inside like I used to / Avoiding big crowds like I used to,” they harmonise on its gorgeous refrain. -JXS

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

The closer to Biig Piig’s latest EP ‘The Sky Is Bleeding’, ‘American Beauty’ is an understated, sensual indie rock love song. “American beauty, you tell me just what you like and I’ll listen / Whisper it to me / They can’t keep you satisfied but I’ll listen,” she sings on the song’s vulnerable chorus. With ‘American Beauty’, Biig Piig manages to craft a striking portrait of infatuation and intimacy. -Isaac Chiew

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

The lead single anticipating Binki’s debut EP ‘Motor Function’, ‘Clay Pigeon’ is an infectious indie rock track that is also a self-aware exploration of how its creator treats others. Its upbeat, driving bass grooves give it a sense of carefree nonchalance – one that hints at Binki’s carelessness with others’ feelings. “Oh, be my clay pigeon / I play around and I’m shooting you / So naked, so sadistic / I don’t wanna be the same, I don’t wanna,” he sings on the soaring chorus. -IC

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Glass Animals have collaborated with Bree Runway for a remix of their 2020 track ‘Space Ghost Coast To Coast’ to spectacular results. Bree’s vocals perfectly complement Glass Animals’ signature psych-pop sound. “I’ll cut the ties / I can feel that evil eye, uh / What’s this disguise? / Is it the rain or is it you cryin?” Runway sings, her compelling vocals cutting through the verse. -IC

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music

Backed by an all-star cast of rockers as part of his Kind Heaven Orchestra project, the Jane’s Addiction frontman’s latest single ‘Mend’ is a nostalgic throwback to simpler times. With co-writer and Foo Fighter Taylor Hawkins, Perry Farrell crafts an earnest song about heartbreak and empathy. -IC

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music