This week's must-listen singles: SOPHIE, J.F.K., Eilish Gilligan + 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 plan to run down this week's must-listen singles and releases, this week featuring names like SOPHIE, Eilish Gilligan, Troye Sivan and more. Check out Pilerats' homepage for more brilliant music and news, or subscribe to our Spotify Office Playlist for easy listening.

SOPHIE - Immaterial

Among some big releases today is the new album from SOPHIE, who, over the past year, has been pathing the way towards her experimental and forward-thinking new full-length OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES. It's an incredibly diverse and futuristic release, from the Cashmere Cat pop chords of Infatuation, the pure euphoria of Is It Cold In The Water?, the crunchiness of Not Okay and the nine-minute closer Whole New World, but in my opinion, the true highlight is a bubbly, fun little pop number towards the end titled Immaterial. It's a delightfully fun and upbeat club-pop single that combines bright vocals with a quick-paced, clap-filled production, showcasing SOPHIE's knack for accessible, yet unique pop music that has seen her become one of the most in-demand producers in the market - with people like Charli XCX, Vince Staples and even Madonna enlisting SOPHIE for production work. Immaterial is great, but also make sure you dive into the whole album too - it's a difficult listen for those unfamiliar with SOPHIE's intense and boundary-pushing music, but it's definitely an album you'll want to get around.

J.F.K. - Feel It Again

In a massive change of pace from the track before it, Perth indie-rock crew J.F.K. are back with another anthemic single titled Feel It Again. After last year's impactful and v-important single tackling homophobia and bigotry, A Boy And A Boy, the Perth five-piece have knocked up that energy and those brit-rock influences for a charging single that blitzes through its three-minute duration with charging guitar, thick percussion and James Knox's punchy vocal laced with intensity - somewhat reminiscent of something that you'd expect from The Hives. "Feel It Again is a fast-paced, energetic garage rock banger reflecting my thoughts during a relationship," says Knox on the single, which arrives as the band only goes up, and up, and up. "It’s about wondering if you’ll still feel the same about the person when everything goes wrong." Catch them at the RTRFM Winter Music Festival tomorrow ahead of shows in Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney throughout July/August/September.

Eilish Gilligan - Patterns

Melbourne's Eilish Gilligan is much, much more than just the incredible press shots that have come with all her releases thus far (seriously though, they are great - shoutout Giulia Giannini McGauran for nailing them every time). After her pairing of 2017 singles Creature Of Habit and The Feeling introduced her Lorde-comparable vocal grace to the world, 2018's S.M.F.Y. only solidified it, particularly with its captivating and enchanting, Japanese Wallpaper-assisted sound that saw Eilish shine (so much so, that we named it one of our favourite tracks of 2018 so far). Her new single Patterns follows in a similar fashion, bringing together Eilish's confident and soaring vocal line with a moving production that feels a lot more fleshed-out and solid than those she's put out so far. Produced once again by Jap Wall, the single ebbs and flows between highs and lows, from the woozy, subdued verses to the impactful chorus which arrives with a crashing crescendo. Consider this four out of four from Eilish Gilligan thus far - she's unstoppable.

Troye Sivan - Dance To This feat. Ariana Grande

We don't reaaaaaally cover massive pop music releases here, often because everyone else does and it doesn't take long for everything that needs to be said about a song is said. That said, we'll always make an exception for Troye Sivan - one, because he's from Perth (like us), and two; because he's bloody incredible and on top of the game right now. After the confident and tall-standing My My My! at the start of the year, the subdued, guitar-backed ballad The Good Side that followed, and most recently, the sexually charged song about 'flowers' Bloom, Sivan is on a bit of a roll at the moment, and his latest, Dance To This, is his biggest move yet. Featuring the constantly-impressive Ariana Grande (who in her own right, is making some of the best pop music in the world right now), Dance To This isn't the loud and triumphant pop epic that many were expecting. Instead, it's a bit more of a restrained, ballad-leaning cut, with Troye and Ariana both gliding over a crafty production with their signature grace. Troye Sivan's new album, Bloom, is out August 31.

Kaiit - OG Luv Kush P.2

After 2017's Natural Woman and 2000 n Something, Papua New Guinea-born, Melbourne-based musician Kaiit is being tipped as one to watch by pretty much everyone - and for a good reason. Her latest single OG Luv Kush P.2 is the perfect example of said reason, bringing together this nostalgic, woozy R&B vocal with a shimmering production fuelled by soft, heavenly melodies and a percussive backbone. It's lush and laden with this buttery R&B sound that you can just soak in, with those influences in jazz and soul shining through the single's beat and of course, Kaiit's incredible vocal line only adding to the impressiveness of the young musician as she continues to strive to greatness in 2018.