We bring you… the hottest takes on last week’s Release Friday singles and albums. Fom the good, the mid, to the bad, we rank and review top tracks, giving trophies to the best of the best and tossing the worst of the worst into the bin. Let’s ROSTER.
Singles
Good
🏆 Tame Impala –– “Dracula”… Ten years ago, Kevin Parker had an entire generation of indie nerds in a psych rock trance with Currents, and now this same one guy has me shaking my hips like a runway model. “Dracula” is a bangin’ dance number equally worthy of the club dance floor or a montage party scene in HBO’s Euphoria.
Khalid –– “out of body” layers Khalid’s warm vocals with dreamy, upbeat synths, allowing the track to ring true with its title.
Daniel Caesar, Bon Iver –– “Moon” presents an artists’ un-official statement: you too may use sleigh bells to great effect outside of a Mario snow level or a Hallmark Christmas movie outro. Yeah, this one is fantastic.
Magdalena Bay –– “Second Sleep / Star Eyes“… Magdalena Bay has once again delivered two songs that perfectly encapsulate that whimsical, dreamlike feeling of laying in a grassy field at night, blissfully spaced out.
Florence + The Machine –– “One Of The Greats” is a blunt and intense piece, setting the stage for the band’s upcoming album. While an unsettling first listen, the song’s deeper thematic elements redeem it not as a pop hit but as a more meaningful addition to the band’s discography.
redveil, Smino –– “brown sugar” is a sweet, bright track that feels like laying out in the sun. It’s a safe but fun track to close out the summer.
Mid
WHATMORE –– “jenny’s” is a decently catchy track with an acoustic, alternative feel. The downfall of this track lies in the unimaginative lyrics, particularly during the rap verse that leads toward the close of the song.
Tate McRae –– “TIT FOR TAT” is an empty response – just a tat – and it’s a dry one. While the song is a sonically fun listen, it is not successful enough to standout in McRae’s discography.
5 Seconds of Summer –– “NOT OK” is ok. While the track does feel slightly different from the group’s typical corporatized pop, it barely pushes the needle. The lyrics attempt more edge but come out rather corny.
Sexyy Red –– “Is You Coo“… to answer the question, I suppose so. This track is not awful, but so much of Sexyy Red’s discography has this same energy, flow and beat style, that this new release of hers hardly feels moving. We would like to see her switch things up for once.
Ruel –– “Wild Guess,” just take one wild guess as to what this song sounds like (spoiler alert: identical to his previous works). While Ruel’s songs are rarely sonically bad, the routine nature of the releases makes each song feel less impactful.
Bad
Tiara Thomas, H.E.R. –– “Move” is slow and atmospheric, but unfortunately repetitive. Despite the smooth vocals, the lack of movement in the track leaves listeners feeling disinterested.
Ty Dolla $ign’s –– “SMILE BODY PRETTY FACE,” featuring Kodak Black and YG is as serious as it is re-playable… that is, not at all. This unconvincing attempt at a rap ballad pairs an unremarkable beat and corny lyrics with a repetitive and irritating Kodak Black chorus.
Weston Estate’s –– “COOL GIRL” is decidedly uncool. Despite having decent instrumentation and melody, it fails from the outset with its tired concept. A chill intro and catchy pre–chorus quickly devolve into a deeply cringeworthy chorus of “you’re just a cool girl, baby it’s your world.” Knowing this will be in your Airbuds history forever… it is not worth the listen.
🚮 Ice Spice –– “Baddie Baddie” is a boring song with all of Spice’s typical, overdone features: a driving bassline, a short and repetitive melody and a repetitive chorus of the title.
Albums
Good
🏆 Doja Cat ––Vie takes the Grammy-winning artist in a new direction: jazz, R&B, pop and rap all blend into one cohesive sound. In a deft handling of multi-genre fusion, Doja effortlessly raps over flowing basslines and upbeat synths, building throughout Vie a union of styles with exceptional skill. The album improves with every listen, all tracks equally catchy; some of the best include the opening track, “Cards,” the lead single “Jealous Type,” the eccentric “AAAHH MEN!,” the Agora Hills–reminiscent “Gorgeous,” the groovy “Lipstain,” and the ear-worm “Act of Service.” This is truly a quality album front to back.
Mid
Zara Larsson –– Midnight Sun is indistinct. Though tracks like “Pretty Ugly” stand out, the album at large feels cliché and formulaic. Danceable? Sure. Unique? I’d say not.
glaive –– Y’all pools the artist’s recollections of home into a record of richly layered songs. The album is a pleasantly diverse in its representation of hyperpop, and it does its best to include songs not all settled within the same tempo, a frequent gripe with the genre. Unfortunately, many of the more subdued tracks are clearly not in glaive’s comfort zone and fall flat.
Olivia Dean –– The Art of Loving deserves a chance to grow on us all. Smooth R&B vocals over a baroque pop backdrop and occasional Motown horns –– this is usually a winning combination as far as I’m concerned. However, I’m not sure if Dean has broken past the boundaries of background music just yet.
Mariah Carey –– Here For It All… but, we’re only here for some of it. The album is a vastly formulaic RnB record –– it doesn’t stand out in Carey’s discography. However, it’s difficult to make awful RnB music which saves the record from landing itself in the bad tier.
Bad
🚮 Young Thug –– UY SCUTI is on track to become less relevant as an album than the red supergiant star it’s named after. Although packed with star––studded features, the record falls short in quality, each of its 20 songs competing for “worst place.”
