This Week in Music features new singles from Plan B, Ben Khan, Icarcus and Thomas Rhett.
Plan B – It’s a War
Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew, Ben Drew for short but primarily known as Plan B, is an English hip hop recording artist, actor, film director and producer. In 2006 he first rose as an artist when he released his critically acclaimed debut album “Who Needs Actions When You Got Words”. He released his most recent album “Heaven Before All Hell Breaks Loose” earlier this month.
'It’s a War' is a powerful new song, containing Plan B’s fiery vocals, hotter than ever before.
Following the trend of the rest of the album to be less hip-hop orientated than his previous tracks, the song contains traces of reggae influence too. Alongside clever song-writing brings that urgent, emotive voice.
Ben Khan is an English musician currently residing in London. Khan’s style takes on a neo-soul crossed with R&B vibe, creating a new form of dark electronic music. While his most prominent instrument is his guitar, he takes influence from older artists such as Nirvana. Other influencers such as J Dilla also has him embodied an amount of hip-hop into his songs as well.
His latest song, '2000 Angels', contains a blend of compelling and dominant vocals with persistent electronics. While Khan single-handedly plays all the instruments heard in the song he also directed the music video to contain that dystopian feel which the track flawlessly incorporates.
Icarus is an English band whose music specialises in electronic drum and bass with elements of exploratory jazz and vibrant instrumentals. Their music can be described as alluring but deadly, with varying rhythmic elements and the way in which the order of progression throughout each song changes.
'Flowers' contains a slower tempo and a darker mood, a stark contrast to some of their brighter songs such as 'Love Has Come Around' and 'No Sleep'. The lyrics directly tell the story of a relationship gone bad, allowing the band to show off a new level of depth to their songs and a wide range of skills.
Thomas Rhett – Leave Right Now
Thomas Rhett Akins, Jr. is an American country music singer and songwriter and has released three studio albums in his music career. His latest album, "Life Changes", is by far his best seller, producing hits such as 'Craving You' and 'Unforgettable'.
While his official genre is country music, Rhett incorporates some electronic dance sounds into his experimental track Leave Right Now. The progressive song mainly takes influence from the Chainsmokers, when Rhett became interested in their different style of music. With this song in particular, it is said his style can be compared to Justin Timberlake for this experimental song alone.