Welcome back to another edition of Fresh Finds, Nexus Radio’s weekly recap of the latest releases in the dance music space!
It’s been another busy week of releases, including a new Fred again… track, singles from Skrillex and REZZMAU5, and a new Reinier Zonneveld album. I loved these projects, and here are some more of my favorite new dance releases of the week:
• ALBUM: Troye Sivan – Something To Give Each Other
“Rush,” the lead single off Troye Sivan’s third studio album Something To Give Each Other, seemed to mark a new era for the Australian singer and actor—with its knowing references and potent video, “Rush” represented an unapologetic exaltation of gay culture, notably created with mass appeal and TikTok virality in mind. (Something To Give Each Other’s second single, “Got Me Started,” with its hooky Bag Raider sample and sped-vocal chorus, seems similarly designed.)
Something To Give Each Other is the latest benchmark in Troye Sivan’s public exploration of his identity, released almost exactly a decade after his viral coming-out YouTube video. A follow-up to 2020’s In a Dream EP and clocking in at a little over thirty minutes, the album chronicles Troye’s reckoning with queer heartbreak. It’s a sensitive, playful, and confessional record emerging from the dance floors and darkrooms of the global gay scene.
With production by OzGo, Leland and PC Music’s A.G. Cook, Something is sonically consistent and packed with clever hooks, soft synths, and inspired moments of pop-making ingenuity—from the panning of “Rush,” and the unexpected sax melodies of “How To Stay With You” to the Jessica Pratt sample in “Can’t Go Back, Baby,” and the surreptitiously-placed PC-screeches of “Honey.”
It’s clear that Something To Give Each Other is Troye Sivan at his most adventurous, horny, and intimate—an evidently delightful combination.
• EP: COBRAH – SUCCUBUS
SUCCUBUS is the new EP from Gothenburg-native goth queen COBRAH. Released via the artist’s own GAGBALL Records, the project is an electropop exploration of all things taboo, a twisted and hypnotic dive into COBRAH’s dark inner life. Appropriate for anything from a slime night at the Kit Kat Klub to an occult-themed barre class, SUCCUBUS is in line with COBRAH’s past output—including her breakthrough EP ICON—but confidently pushes at the limitations of her BDSM-pop sound.
• EP: The Director – B-MOVIE
The Director is a Montreal-based DJ with a passion for disco and classic gear, both of which feature heavily in B-MOVIE, his latest and most significant release since last year’s How to Use a VHS Camera? Released via KOOKOO Records, the EP celebrates disco, old-school house, and, most of all, a focused and considered approach to music making. B-MOVIE might just be The Director’s most cohesive and impressive project yet.
• TRACK: Mura Masa, NADIAH– “rise” / ”gimme”
Grammy-winning producer and DJ Mura Musa shared two singles last week: “rise”, a rhythmic and hip-hop-inspired house track featuring NADIAH (formerly MOKO), and “gimme”, an ambient club track. The third and fourth singles this year from Mura Musa, the tracks are a complimentary combo offering something new and exciting from this legendary producer.
• TRACK: Jon Batiste, Sofi Tukker – “Worship”
A highlight from Jon Batiste’s seventh studio album World Music Radio, released earlier this year, “Worship” is a euphoric, genre-bending track that’s as otherworldly as it is rooted in familiar. This week, it received the Sofi Tukker treatment, and as with much of this Florida-based duo’s output, the remix is excellent.
• TRACK: Ben Böhmer, Felix Raphael – “One Last Call”
In his first release since the critically acclaimed 2021 album Begin Again, Ben Böhmer teams up with Felix Raphael for “One Last Call,” a heart-wrenching progressive house track released via Ninja Tune. It’s the world’s first taste of new music from this German composer and DJ in a while, and, personally, I’m already ready for seconds.
That’s it for this week! To keep up to date with all things electronic music, including exclusive coverage of some of the genre’s biggest festivals and more editions of “Fresh Finds” (published weekly on Tuesdays), make sure to check back here at Nexus Radio.
And, as always, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @nexusradiodance.
