Featured image from The Royston Club - Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars
In Vera Audio you’ll find a virtual flight case full of trending albums from the biggest artists in pop, hip hop and rock to name a few plus an engrossing world of podcasts, and mind-tickling ASMR and meditations to relax or zone out to. Looking for inspiration? Check out The List exclusives – that’s where we interview artists, listen to their playlists and find out the music that influences and inspires them.
Art School Girlfriend’s Polly Mackey showcased a smart line in downbeat-but-euphoric ambient indie-pop
(is there such a genre? There is now) on her debut Is It Light Where You Are? A post-Covid sensibility runs though this second – but the tunes remain as sensual as ever.
Nottingham rockers As December Falls aren’t big on explaining themselves. ‘Just doing the big rock ’n’ rolls,’ they say
Here, the aforementioned outsized rock meets pop-punk for an infectious, high-octane third album.
Jepsen calls her music ‘pristine, prismatic pop’, which is one way of saying that it’s synthpop with brains.
This is the second of two companion albums (the first was The Loneliest Time in 2022), and as ever the result is sublime. Pristine and prismatic, you might almost say.
Championed by none other than Drake, UK rapper Dave has gone from strength to strength, culminating in
the rapturously received Psychodrama album. Here, he teams up with Central Cee for a superb EP, which features the hit, Sprinter.
Electronic duo Disclosure (aka brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence) know exactly where the dancefloor is located
– and can help you find it. Their debut, Settle, was a house-dance classic, while this latest finds them ‘sounding fresher than ever’, according to Pitchfork.
East London rapper J Hus goes by many names (Bouff Daddy, Juju J and Hustler are just a few of them)
but his style – a mix of dancehall, rap, afrobeat and grime – remains defiantly singular. Guests on this third include none other than Drake.
Amber Mary Bain (aka The Japanese House) was inspired to write her second album by moving to Margate and
entering into a ‘throuple’ situation, which then dissolved. As she says, the album provides a snapshot of a turbulent yet fascinating period in her life.
Californian indie-rockers Local Natives have been compared to the likes of Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend.
This is their fifth long-player, and it was recorded at a time when the band were confronting parenthood, isolation, loss and identity crisis.
There was a time when indie was populated by floppy-fringed, anorak-wearing blokes who would quail
at the mere sight of a glitterball. Not anymore. As Nothing But Thieves go to show, indie these days is glam, synthed-up and ready to party.
Olivia Dean first got a break providing vocals for Rudimental and went on to be named Amazon’s ‘breakthrough artist'
of 2021. This, her debut album, is a bright, soulful affair allowing her lyricism and wonderful vocals to shine through.
Hailing from South London and of St Lucian extraction, Poppy Ajudha exemplifies the capital’s
melting-pot attitude to music-making. This spellbinding, eclectic debut is a grab-bag of different styles (pop, soul, R&B, jazz) tied together by her socially conscious worldview.
Fifth album from controversial US rapper Post Malone, who has a taste for rock-inspired hip hop boasting more hooks
hooks than Captain Birdseye’s tackle box. Oh, and would you believe that Mick Jagger turns up playing maracas?
If you’re from the Wrexham area you may already know of The Royston Club, four local lads who took their moniker
from an Acrefair institution of the same name. The rest of us are just waking up to their infectious brand of indie-rock ideal for fans of The Arctics and The Lathums.
With Britpop enjoying something of a revival thanks to cracking work from Blur, Pulp and the Gallagher brothers,
what better time to renew your appreciation of Suede’s superlative 1993 self-titled album? No doubt about it, debuts don’t come much better than this.
Power-popper Tom Grennan burst on to the scene and into our hearts with his debut, Evering Road, which included
platinum-selling anthems Little Bit Of Love and By Your Side. Now comes the follow-up, which includes features from KSI and Joel Corry and is a cracker.
The Funk Soul Brother joins us on a new episode of The List where we dig into some of Fatboy Slim’s favourite tracks, hear his stories and what he’s up to on his worldwide travels.
In each themed series, we bring you episodes featuring exclusive interviews and a behind the scenes look at the people, places, events and culture featured in Vera magazine.
Stress Free
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”, someone once said. Don’t let life’s stresses get in the way and click a listen to this playlist designed to filter the stress and focus the mind to drift your problems away.
Freestyle Accessed
Some of the biggest stars in hip hop, R&B and Afrobeats are gathered here for this playlist of the latest big hits rocking the charts right now. Expect Stormzy, Dave, Jorja Smith, Drake and all the big hitters from around the globe.
Future: Indian
We know the big names in India, yes? Let’s look to the future and those who are blending traditional with the modern in this playlist, bursting through the genre door with some truly spectacular results.
Black & Proud
Hear the stories of life through the eyes of those that live it. The struggles and the battles along with the call to unite and fight for better. Music has always been the best way to send a message and here, let the messages speak for themselves.
Icons - Shania Twain
They don’t come much more legendary than Shania Twain, so who better to provide the focus for this career-spanning playlist? From the big hits to some lesser-known deep cuts, we’ve got something from the Twain back catalogue sure to scratch your Shania itch.
Depending on your flight time you’ll be listening to our Day or Night Boarding Music Playlist.
In the evenings when you fly with us we play a more relaxed playlist, creating a laid back vibe and during the day enjoy an upbeat mix of familiar and new tracks, both are available to listen to on Virgin Atlantic Vera.
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