Take Five (19th December)
Five tracks you should have a listen to this week. We’ve posted it a little late as with the holidays this will be our last Take Five of the year (so it’s got to last you!). As always, the playlist is at the bottom, and I promise from January, this will also include an Apple Music and a Tidal version.
Seb Szabo + Joan & the Giants – Figure It Out
Seb Szabo has teamed up with alt-pop rock outfit Joan & the Giants on ‘Figure It Out’. A celebration of the friendship that has flourished over the past year between Joan & the Giants vocalist Grace Newton-Wordsworth and Seb, the alt-pop song delves into their individual experiences as they navigate singlehood, and how they carry each other through both the highs and the lows. It’s beautiful, personalised storytelling and a well-suited collaboration for the pair.
Grace says working with Seb on ‘Figure It Out’ “genuinely lifted me out of something really dark and helped me find my voice, and made this the best experience I could have had in this new stage of my life.”
Reflecting on the writing process, Seb says “We decided we should have a piece of our individual story in the song – myself as a romantic miscast as a bachelor-type, and Grace exiting a long-term relationship and being single for the first time in years. We both I think found ourselves in life situations that we didn’t necessarily ask to be in, but we were having a laugh together while making the best of it all – leaving chaotic voice messages about bad dates and unsuccessful attempts at flirting with strangers. It’s such a blessing to have friends like that – they make everything easier.”
While Seb’s reflections come from those around him settling down (‘My high school friends are getting married, and I’m still singing at strangers’ weddings’), Grace sings from a place of finding herself in a new chapter (‘I’ve lost my way, I’ve been drunk on my own heartache’). Through it all, they acknowledge ‘somehow we’ll figure it out’.
Find out more about Seb Szabo here.
Find out more about Joan + The Giants here.
Ella Collier – Sleepwalking
“SLEEPWALKING is the emotional purgatory you feel in the aftermath of someone’s absence, with the determination that you will meet again, even if it’s just in your dreams.” Ella shares, “This painful realization causes a spiral that we can only get out of once we let the person go, but in this song, I refuse to let that be an option. I originally wrote this song from the initial loneliness we feel after the end of a significant relationship, but have come to find that this can also apply to the grief of losing a loved one to death or to a life without you in it.”
It’s a catchy pop-dance tune, with a subtle R n B influence in there too. It marks the final track on Ella’s upcoming album DANGEROUS (Due for release early 2026), and while it still retains a high-octane energy, it represents a shift to a somewhat softer soundscape than some of the earlier releases.
Find out more about Ella Collier here.
Chloe Dadd – Fading/Falling
We had the joy of seeing Chloe Dadd supporting The Buoy’s last night, and I’ve spent most of today listening to her EP – because she was soooo goood! Opening (and title) track of her EP Fading/Falling is my favourite. I love the uncertainty and introspection on the track. It combines the essence of the more vulnerable acoustic folk tunes I’ve been listening to with the energy of my long time love, indie rock.
Find out more about Chloe Dadd here.
MUNGMUNG – Popdatrunk
Now normally I’d wait a week before popping a track from a record I’ve reviewed into this list, but as there’s not going to be another list this year I HAD to put this energy-driven, hip-hop inspired track Popdatrunk by MUNGMUNG into this mix. I promise the energy on this one is infectious and you’re just going to want to dance.
Find out more about MUNGMUNG here.
Molly Millington – Greener Than Me
Finally, a country-pop tune to round out the list. My website host has been broken today so track one on the list feels like it was added a million years ago. This reflective track is written in the aftermath of a friendship break up. I love the lilting melody on the track and the journey of feelings explored.
On her new track, Molly shares: “‘Greener Than Me’ is about a friendship breakup I went through and honestly it was the worst, more than any romantic breakup I’d experienced. At the start I was really hurt with how it was dealt with, so I wrote this song instead of retaliating. Now I’m not as close to it, it was probably worse. I miss this person at the most random times. I have their writing tattooed on me, so it’s pretty hard to forget them. I could get it removed but I don’t regret that person, so I’m keeping it.
Find out more about Molly Millington here.
All our Take Five tracks can be found on our playlist for new music Songs To Brush Your Teeth To:
Let us know in the comments which track is your fave!