“The Roster” is a series created by Aneesh Batchu. Each week, a tier list of the best, most average, and worst new releases is published alongside blistering hot takes. The best of the best receive a trophy, and the worst of the worst are tossed in the bin. First, Batchu tackles the latest singles, and then his team comments on the most recent albums.
Singles
Good
🏆 The Weeknd – “Dancing In The Flames” could make me risk it and dance alongside him. The long-awaited first single from Abel’s upcoming album does not disappoint. If the rest of the record follows suit, it might complete one of the greatest trilogies ever.
Tate McRae – “It’s ok I’m ok” alludes to more of a cringe-worthy tone than the actual lyrics evoke. McRae’s latest song embodies older pop in the best way with a strong 808 backbone, and a quick, catchy pre-chorus and chorus.
Charli xcx, Troye Sivan – “Talk talk” can walk that walk. This remix elevates the original XCX song with Sivan’s iconically dreamy, dulcet voice melted over the heavily produced style of his forte.
Teddy Swims – “Bad Dreams” begone with this song. Swims encapsulates the end-of-Summer-bleeding-into-Autumn atmosphere with simplistic, low-key guitar over a minimalist swinging drum beat. The instrumental choices meld beautifully with Swims’s vocalizations.
Joey Bada$$, Chlöe – “TELL ME”, just try telling me that you do not love this. This new Joey Bada$$ track implements Chlöe’s angelic breathiness through a telephone speaker for a perfect chorus. The result is overt familiarity and nostalgia, yet also a combination of turns taken to show off the two artists’ respective talents.
JVKE, Nick Jonas – “this is what forever feels like” actually feels like the opposite: the song passes by all too quickly, in the blink of an eye. This collaboration represents the tenth song in JVKE’s “this is what ______ feels like” series. As much as some of these projects are forced, this “forever feeling” installment beautifully incorporates a plucky melody and both JVKE and Jonas’s voices to produce a magnificent sound.
Leon Thomas, Ty Dolla $ign – “FAR FETCHED” is a needed reminder that Ty Dolla $ign was not the issue with Kanye West’s “Vultures.” Combining Dolla $ign’s futuristic production with Thomas’s heartfelt lyricism and syrupy smooth vocals made this song a stand-out, beautiful project and testament to Ty Dolla $ign’s skill.
Kal Banx, Smino, Buddy – “HOP OUT CHO FEELINS” is a fast-paced piece set over a choir-heavy beat that showcases Banx, Smino, and Buddy’s of voices and unique hip-hop & rap styles beautifully.
Mid
Playboi Carti – “ALL RED” isn’t quite red, but isn’t green either. I spent the larger part of this song waiting for Carti to come in, only to realize what I thought was a feature was actually Carti trying on a new “voice.”
Shawn Mendes – “Nobody Knows” where the old Shawn went. What happened to the pop idol we knew, and where did this folksy guy come from?
ericdoa – “search & destroy” is an apt description for hyper-pop haters’ plans for speakers blasting this one. This song is the quintessential hyper-pop piece with its incorporation of heavy bass, autotune, and synth-heavy instrumentation.
FINNEAS – “Cleats” is a song designed to confuse, with its peppy guitar strums in stark contrast with melancholy lyricism concerning endings and loss.
2Rare, Lakeyah, Ann Marie – “Heartbeat” is an attempt to portray a beat reminiscent of the lubbing and dubbing of a heartbeat. Unfortunately, that cardiac factor is about the only unique thing about this song.
Cheat Codes, Julia Church – “Modern Tragedy” might be overdramatic, but it came a little too close for comfort to describing the track. Ultimately, the Church collaboration on this song saved it from becoming what its title suggests. Nevertheless, this could be any generic house song heard while walking along Greek row.
Soccer Mommy – “Driver” fluidly melds its grunge-rock elements with its pop undertones. Overall, the piece feels quite repetitive and ironically stationary.
Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler – “black & white” is just another ‘guitar song.’ There is nothing special about this one, with its overused lyrics about love and its rudimentarily simple sonic elements.
Bad
🚮 Four Tet, Ellie Goulding – “In My Dreams,” or rather in my nightmares. Here, Goulding vocalizes the same four lines over an over-produced backing with enough bass to shake water out of your headphones.
Katy Perry, Doechii – “I’M HIS HE’S MINE” resamples a popular TikTok sound (idk how to explain the sound), enough said. It uses the sample underneath a creepy melody matched by freaky vocalizations. Already, live performances of this number are receiving criticism… it was certainly a choice to release this song in advance of the upcoming album.
A$AP Ferg – “Off White Rozay.” Ferg is actually yelling, up in your face, with whatever annoying machine churning out beats behind him.
Parker McCollum – “What Kinda Man,” or any other person, would put this in a higher tier? With an all too familiar guitar tone backing average country lyrics about missing a woman, this song is a bore.
Lauv – “First Heartbreak” is a letdown of a single, especially in comparison to Lauv’s last album. This song attempts to be heartfelt and touching, but instead feels standard and generic.
Albums
Good
🏆 Chance Pena – Ever-Shifting, Continual Blossoming blends introspective (and painfully relatable) lyrics with beautiful melodies to paint a journey through a life full of struggles and growth. I’m not normally a folk-pop connoisseur, but this album has convinced me to lean into what the genre has to offer. – L. Avelar
Dayglow – Dayglow is a funky little self-titled album perfect for climbing the park’s trees on a sunny day with best friends. With his calling-card pep, Dayglow courageously explores relatable topics of insecurities, mediocrity, and growing up. Evidently, the record is super catchy and an enjoyment! – R. Ho
Mid
Eminem – (DELUXE) “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace): Expanded Mourner’s Edition adds an unnecessary remix, a classic Eminem word-play heavy song with a catchy hook, and a 2 Chainz collaboration over a beat straight out of the Looney Tunes. – A. Batchu
keshi – Requiem becomes repetitive and predictable halfway through the first listen. The record has the production of Joji with a Zoloft prescription, and the lyricism of Phoebe Bridgers possessed by the ghost of Juice WRLD. It’s one hell of a strange mix. The album is enjoyable for two demographics: people looking for some vaguely moody background noise, and those in need of a melodramatic soundtrack for a trampoline park promo video. – H. Templeton
Babyface Ray – The Kid That Did doesn’t miss on groove. The great moments aside, many songs miss important elements of strong rhythm. The record’s repetition and beat skips quickly begin to feel out of place. Ultimately, Ray’s synths, however, ramp up the music and smooth over some of the awkwardness of the drums. The album picks up speed as it goes on, lyrically hitting on interesting concepts of life, death, and God. His slower, more contemplative/reflective songs make the album a partial-success. – T. Millenson-Wilens
Bad
🚮 Miranda Lambert – Postcards From Texas is a fairly decent addition to her catalog. The country superstar’s latest record contains a few line-dancin’ highlights, but the record itself does not stand out from what’s already been done time and time again. – S. Putta
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