This week's must-listen singles: Collarbones, Hermitude, King Princess + more

Every week, we're hammered with tonnes of new music from Australia and afar, so much so that at times, it feels a little overwhelming and you're not quite sure where to begin. Every week, we run down this week's must-listen singles and releases, this week featuring names like Collarbones, King Princess, Little May and more. Check out Pilerats' homepage for more brilliant music and news, or subscribe to our Spotify Office Playlist for easy listening.

Collarbones - A.I.

It's been a while since we've last heard from Collarbones, but if you know where to look, the wait has been filled with hints of new music. Since the Australian duo last released new music - 2016's moody, yet spectacular The Cut and the Flume remix of Turning the pairing have perhaps become unfairly known for - they've been fairly active. Marcus Whale - the soothing, vocal force of Collarbones - has released a full record (2016's Inland Sea), worked on his BV side-project, popped up on releases by HTMLflowers and Swick and covered Troye Sivan's addictive My My My! while Travis Cook, the Adelaide-based side of the duo, has been running shows in his own city while working on new music. After a two year wait, A.I. bids the return of Collarbones in brilliant fashion, with Whale's dizzying vocal floating above a dynamic production that twists between angelic moments of beauty and crushing synth explosions that rip apart the tranquillity of A.I.'s tender verses. Arriving with a video directed by GUSSY, the single is the perfect summation of Collarbones' chaotic beauty, contrasting the tenderness of Whale's vocal with a shattering, left-field production that is so characteristically Collarbones that it's like they never left.

Hermitude - Stupid World feat. Bibi Bourelly

It appears this week is a big one for Australian electronic returns. Two years after their latest release - 2016's two-track album off-cuts Vibration / Gimme - Hermitude have now returned with their own new music too, enlisting Rihanna collaborator Bibi Bourelly for a more down-tempo and mellow affair titled Stupid World. In comparison to their Dark Night Sweet Light record, Stupid World is a more relaxed single for Hermitude that's absent of their characteristically bass-reliant sound, focusing more-so on the R&B-tinged vocal of Bourelly that shines above the single's pulled-back instrumental. It's still got that distinctive, hip-hop-influenced Hermitude charm, but it offers a touch of versatility for one of Australia's most recognised electronic outfits that, years out of the spotlight, are back with a welcomed new sound that'll make you fall in love with them all over again.

King Princess - Pussy Is God

It'll be a struggle to find an artist that has exploded on the level of King Princess this year. Her debut single 1950 arrived at the start of the year through Mark Ronson's Zelig Records and ever since, the Brooklyn musician has gone from strength to strength. Her debut EP Make My Bed only pushed her further into the spotlight, introducing us to a musician who, alongside artists such as Troye Sivan and Years & Years, is pushing queer music by queer musicians further (commercially and critically) than it has arguably been for over twenty years. Her latest single Pussy Is God is arguably her best yet, combining a tender groove driven by slapping bass and chopped-and-screwed vocal samples with her soothing vocal, that this time around, feels as refreshing as ever as it glides of the single's sultry instrumental. Arriving ahead of an east-coast tour that kicks off in Melbourne tonight, it's a romantic moment from arguably 2018's most impressive musician who, with release after release, continues to prove why she's a force to be reckoned with.

Two People - In The Garden

After their initial rise in 2016, this year has seen Snakadaktal off-shoot Two People truly dig deep to become one of the year's most brilliant electronic acts, with a range of singles kicked off with a career highlight I'm Tied, To You positioning them as one of the country's most exciting upcoming names. It's an excellent place for the duo to be in considering that next year will see the release of their debut album First Body, which when it arrives on January 18th next year, is sure to position Two People as a front-runner of their relaxed, indie-infused sound, one they've displayed once again with a new single, In The Garden. It's a bold single centred on Phoebe Lou's vocals, which will move you as they whisper above dark groove that is one of the project's most left-field thus far. "It’s about gaining my power back for the first time and the clumsiness in that," she says on the single, which also comes with their signing announcement to Brooklyn's Terrible Records - the home of Solange, Blood Orange and more. "Two People are the future," says the label on their latest signing, and when it comes to what they've treated us to in 2018 thus far, we can't help but agree.

Little May - Lover

Last but definitely not least is adored Australian group Little May, who cap of a week full of comebacks with their first single in three years, Lover. Now a duo between the group's focal members Hannah Field and Liz Drummond, Little May's signature, guitar-backed indie-pop sound returns for their charming new single, which unites delicate strumming guitar with soft piano melodies and a ripper vocal for a single that'll definitely win you over. "We’ve had some time away, and we’re very happy to be back with new music," the pair say on the single, which arrives ahead of dates with The Rubens, an appearance at Falls Festival and the promise of more new music to come. "Lover was one of the first songs we wrote for this record. We wanted to make new & bold choices with sound on this record, and we wanted to be bold in our respective skins. We think ‘Lover’ is a good introduction to what’s to come."