I will be on vacation, fortunately in somewhere sunny, next week, so the next BILLCS New Music Report will be on Thursday, January 29.
I loved season 5 of TV’s “Stranger Things” and the choice of music that pervaded its episodes, particularly the finale. And as happened with Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” three years ago thanks to the volume of streams, other songs from the series are now following that one into the charts – “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac, “Purple Rain” by Prince, “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, as well as the three year old “End of Beginning” by DJO, aka Joe Keery, who plays Steve in the series. The latter reached #1 in the UK this past week and shot into the North American Top 10, a much bigger hit this time around. And while I welcome that song’s timely revival, I think the returns of the others will be short-lived. They’re all tried and true, and “Purple Rain” and “Every Breath” won’t become bigger hits than they already are. “Landslide” was never a single when released in 1975, but I think it will need radio play and a significant push from Warner Music to make it 2026’s equivalent of “Running Up That Hill”. Zara Larsson’s “Lush Life” is also back, and may become a bigger hit worldwide than upon its original release. I will be disappointed if this revival signals the return of other older songs. New music has a difficult enough time finding listeners let alone competing for streams with revived older songs.
In this edition of the Report, you can also check out my new music and retro picks of the week, along with a record of the week from the host of online radio’s “Top 40 Timeline”, “Big Daddy” Russ Horton, plus “Modern Hype” online radio host DJ Hunter’s “Bop of the Week”. The Musicman James Rogers’ Classic Five choices are now 50 years old, from the class of ’76. You’ll also find out what songs are #1 and the Fastest Riser in the latest edition of the BILLCS Top 30.
Reminder: Click on the photos to listen to the songs on Spotify.
KUNGS, THEOPHILUS LONDON, “Galaxy”
About the artists: Kungs (aka Val Brunel) is the French DJ/producer who soared to fame nearly 10 years ago with the now ubiquitous “This Girl” (with Australia’s Cookin on 3 Burners), still heard everywhere worldwide. Theophilus London is the American rapper, vocalist and songwriter who made a big splash in the early 2010’s with his unpredictable, alternative take on R&B and hip hop that slightly predated similar artists like Frank Ocean.
About the record: Kungs returns to fun, straight up house music with “Galaxy”, which could almost be a sequel to “Never Going Home” from a few years back. It also marks a welcome top notch return for Theophilus London after some low, troubling years which included a disappearance. But the main thing is that he’s back and his dynamic vocal works supurbly in tandem with the cool groove that Kungs and his fellow producers have greated in “Galaxy”. The wide appeal of this one is instantaneous, so clubs and dance music radio should not miss out on a no-brainer that will pull club goers onto the dance floor and make station phones ring.
Other comments: Kungs has his own label or imprint, Val Productions, with distribution through Island Def Jam Records, and his third album Out Loud arrives March 13.
FILIPPIDE, “Tha Rizzla”
About the artist: Filippide is an Italian DJ/producer (aka Filippo Morana) who has been releasing music for the last five years, including on such well-established indie dance labels like At Last and Soave.
About the record: “Tha Rizzla” isn’t the kind of dance record that you might think would come from an Italian producer, and it will hit you like a stray ball that came out of left field. I’m not sure whether the tribal flavour is Afrobeats or Caribbean, or a fusion of the two, but the driven uncredited male vocal dances on top of a percussive, unconventional tech-house rhythm that will make you take notice. Filippide certainly has something happening within a bit of a bubble here, and once it escapes, there will be no stopping it.
Other comments: “Tha Rizzla” is released courtesy of Sam Feldt’s One Seven Music and Heartfeldt Records.
MIDNIGHT TIL MORNING, “Heart on Fire”
About the artist: Midnight Til Morning is an American-Australian rock quartet formed during the Netflix TV show “Building the Band”, where they ultimately finished fourth. The band consists of Conor, Zack, Shane and Mason, and some of the songs they’ve released boast significant writing credits, namely Benson Boone, Justin Jesso, Amy Shark, and Finneas.
About the record: “Heart on Fire” has a lot of 80’s mainstream rock flavour which fans of Journey, Foreigner and other bands of the day will enjoy mixed in with more contemporary flair from band’s like 5 Seconds of Summer. The song has a catchy flow, with lead vocals split between members along with some anthemic harmonies. Best of all, the overall sound is really tight, so these guys must have really hit it off during the show to make coming from potential careers as solo artists to a band environment so seamless. The sound of Midnight Til Morning is also very radio friendly, so don’t be surprised if they crop up on the airwaves in the future.
Other comments: “Heart on Fire” is culled from the group’s debut EP Afterglow. Midnight Til Morning are currently on tour in Europe, which then takes them to Asia, the U.S. and South America, before arriving back in the UK and Europe in the Spring.
STANLEY SIMMONS, “Body Down”
About the artist: Stanley Simmons isn’t a person, but the duo of Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons, sons of Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS, who have decided to carve out their own decidedly different musical path together with a folk-Americana-inspired rock sound.
About the record: “Body Down” sounds great and will appeal to fans of artists like Hozier and Twenty-One Pilots, mixing in alternative rock styles with more conventional pop vocals and harmonies. The song has that extra smatter of polish though, being produced by multiple Grammy Award winner Rob Cavallo. It’s a solid introduction, with a memorable chorus, and I am looking forward to hearing more.
Other comments: “Body Down” is the first of a 10 song self-released project for Evan and Nick. At 31 and 36, they’re no novices, they grew up together and call Stanley Simmons their “third voice”. While they do tap into resources available to them as sons of rock legends, they aspire to be enjoyed and criticized on their own merits. To me, it sounds very intentional and smart.
MATTHEW HOLTBY, “Pretending”
About the artist: Matthew Holtby is a Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist as well as a radio host who is based in the small town of Warkworth, Ontario, near Peterborough and Lindsay.
About the record: “Pretending” may be one of Matthew’s more complex songs lyrically, but it’s also one of his best, and its chorus and melody will have you singing along in no time. The song is about making difficult choices and taking the advice that you’d gladly give others. Matthew says, “It’s about getting over it… whatever it might be.” So many people agonize over decisions every day and “Pretending” is a friendly, beautifully sung reminder that you’re not alone. For me, there’s a lot of 90’s flavour in “Pretending”, which takes me back to songs like Michael Penn’s “No Myth” or Toad The Wet Sprocket’s “Something’s Always Wrong”.
Other comments: “Pretending” is Matthew’s first release for Pacifirecords.
THE JACK RUBIES, “Be Good or Be Gone”
About the artist: The Jack Rubies is a British post-new wave quintet who came back from a moderately successful brief period in the late 80’s to release new music a few years back, along with reissues of their 80’s college radio favourites.
About the record: “Be Good or Be Gone” is an entirely different affair from The Jack Rubies’ single from a few months earlier, the wickedly humourous “Are We Being Recorded?” This one is layered with lovely harmonies between singer/songwriter Ian Wright and British vocalist Cat Henry, and is another throwback to the early 90’s, particularly reminiscent of music by The Stone Roses and The Charlatans, though The Jack Rubies are from London. The track has an effervescent groove which masks some darker lyrics and resolution – the band says, “It’s time to move on. Two empty deck chairs are all that’s left on a deserted beach”. So I leave that to provoke your further thoughts about “Be Good or Be Gone”.
Other comments: The Jack Rubies’ new album, Visions in the Bowling Alley, is due for release on January 23.
BILL’S NEW MUSIC PICK OF THE WEEK
My New Music Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs on several online radio stations around the world, and now debuts each Wednesday at 10pm EST on The Big 20 on Halton Hills Radio Online.
“Ever After” is by Toronto’s Mico featuring American-South Korean singer eaJ
BILL’S RETRO PICK OF THE WEEK
My Retro Pick of the Week is a 5-7 minute radio segment that airs on several online radio stations around the world, including those mentioned above. It debuts Saturdays on Russ Horton’s Top 40 Timeline on UK National Radio at 1pm EST.
It’s Duran Duran’s first UK #1, “Is There Something I Should Know?”
“BIG DADDY” RUSS HORTON’S RECORD OF THE WEEK
“Big Daddy” Russ Horton is the host of the “Top 40 Timeline” radio program and owner of online station Halton Hills Radio Online. You can hear my Retro Pick of the Week which debuts every week on the “Top 40 Timeline”. Big Daddy’s record of the week can also be heard each week on “The Big 20”.
Grammy Award winner Tyla is back with her fun new track “Chanel”
DJ HUNTER’S BOP OF THE WEEK
DJ Hunter is the host of the online radio show “Modern Hype”, which can be heard on several online stations, and has now moved to Chicago-based Lake Radio Online where you can also hear my New Music Pick of the Week. Hunter is also on air Fridays on “Hot Hits with Hunter” on UK station Dodge Radio, and it too broadcasts the New Music Pick. Check the schedule for my New Music Pick of the Week on the blog home page near the bottom.
“Home” is by Irish folk/pop singer Robert Grace, which features his dad Bob and son Lincoln
“THE MUSICMAN” JAMES ROGERS’ CLASSIC FIVE
“The Musicman” James Rogers is the owner and host of The 3D Variety Show (6 – 9pm EST Tuesdays) where you can hear my Retro Pick of the Week on Tuesdays after 7pm EST. The Classic Five is “pop music 101” usually of the post-Beatles era – classics you need to know! Each title is linked to a Spotify stream of the song.
Dorothy Moore – Misty Blue
Diana Ross – Love Hangover
Wings – Let ‘Em In
Eric Carmen – Never Gonna Fall In Love Again
Captain & Tennille – Shop Around
BILLCS Top 30 #1 SONG
Conan Gray gets a second appearance at #1 with the album track “Eleven Eleven” from Wishbone
BILLCS Top 30 FASTEST RISER
Hailing from Stoke-on-Trent in north-eastern England, it’s indie pop/rock singer/songwriter Jorge Wilson with “Gemini” (19-13)
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