HOT LOCAL SINGLES NEAR YOU! (1/16)
!!! Hello!! Hope your year has been going well so far. Starting today, every two weeks I’m going to update you guys on my opinion on all of the new singles that come out. I’ll rank them from 1-5/5 (no half points because that complicates things too much) in order of how much I enjoyed them and a description explaining why.
Thanks so much for reading!!
Filthy, Justin Timberlake- 1
Wow. The mixing on this song is so awkward. Epic guitar leads and drumming start the song off, and then these oddly placed dubsteppy synths come in while the rest of the track feels funk influenced. The lyrics and vocals are about as half-assed and poor as it gets. It just gets worse and worse every time I hear it to be honest. Not coming back to this one.
I Can’t Quit, The Vaccines- 2
This is the very definition of forgettable. It’s so painfully average that it’s almost embarrassing. Pretty much just uses the standard formula for your typical modern pop rock song; and the lyrics are vague and uninteresting. The whole thing is half-baked and underwhelming, and I wish they had tried a little harder to rise to their full potential here.
Connected By Love, Jack White- 2
This is kind of a mess. There’s this deep, grimy synthetic background, but then Jack comes in with pianos, soulful vocals and choral backings that feel totally out of place. Then we get this unsatisfying buildup with a guitar solo and cluttered synths. It’s just a lot at once and doesn’t really flow very well as a song. It feels loosely connected, like the elements are working separately from each other rather than together. And the lyrics are pretty surface-level and cringe.
My My My, Troye Sivan- 2
I’m sorryyyyy I just don’t quite see the appeal here. It’s just a typical dance pop/electropop single. The production is acceptable but nothing special; it has a decently catchy hook, but didn’t appeal to me much or excite me. The lyrics are pretty whatever too so that doesn’t help.
God Save Our Young Blood, BORNS & Lana Del Rey- 3
Average, but it’s not necessarily trying to be a big deal, so it works. Lana’s vocals fit perfectly into the dreamy/breezy feel of the track. The lyrics are straight to the point but enjoyable and get the job done.
Hand It Over, MGMT- 3
These vocals feel so familiar. I can’t quite put my finger on what group they sound like; but I think the majority of what this song suffers for is its resemblance to so many other indie/dream-pop songs. The reverb on the vocals is pleasant, though, which the track’s spaced-out/misty/relaxed production fits well. Still, this is probably the most underwhelming of all of MGMT’s new singles so far.
All The Stars, Kendrick Lamar & SZA- 3
This is the most average, middle-of-the-road 6/10 acceptable-but-not-great track I’ve heard in a while. It’s enjoyable, the production is good enough, and SZA’s vocals are solid as always; it just sounds like your average pop rap song and there’s not much more to say about it. Kendrick’s verse (unfortunately) isn’t that impressive, it just comes across as preachy and the entire time I’m wondering what his point is.
All Nerve, The Breeders- 3
A bass-heavy track with hard-hitting guitars and drums. Generally pretty nice and well done. I really like the vocal performances here as well. My only issue is it being a little too short. I don’t think it works that well as a single and feels kind of half-baked, leaving a lot to be desired.
King’s Dead, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, & Future- 4
The verses here aren’t overly memorable, but Kendrick’s is probably the strongest of the three. At some point the bars start to remind me of some on the first verse on Feel (“fuck your feelings, fuck your culture / fuck your moral, fuck your family, fuck your tribe”). Dear god tho, Future, what are you doing? I mean, his performance doesn’t bother me or anything, it’s just ridiculous/hilarious (“la di da di da, slob on me knob / pass me some syrup, fuck me in the car / la di da di da, mothafuck the law / chitty chitty bang, murder everything / bitch I’m on a roll and I put that on the gang”). What the heelll? Thankfully this is a really tiny part of the actual song, so it doesn’t take away from its impact. And for the most part the verses all work really well together. The production is dark and vivid with its synths & punchy drumming, and I like the beat switch in the second half. Definitely feeling this one more than All The Stars.
Chloraseptic (Remix), Eminem, 2 Chainz, & Phresher- 4
I can’t tell if I’m only giving this a 4 because I’m so relieved that Eminem finally put something out that doesn’t have terrible production and has features, but this is actually a really strong track for the most part. I don’t know what the hell’s going on. I mean it has killer verses from 2 Chainz and Phresher, and actually pleasing dark electronic production. Then we get to Eminem’s verse; and I can’t lie, this riled me up. I mean, his flow’s actually on point, unlike the entirety of Revival, but what he’s actually going off about is just annoying. He’s basically throwing shade at critics for… critiquing his work? I don’t know if anyone told him that’s what they’re here for/it’s literally their job, but this kind of ignorance towards the culture of music journalism cuts deep. It’s so childish that he thinks he’s for some reason above constructive criticism, and the more I think about it the more angry it makes me; but I have to give this song a 4 because it is still very listenable and refreshing after essentially an entire album of trash.
Respect Commander, Jack White- 4
Total antithesis of how I felt about Connected By Love. The heavy, dirty guitar buildups are complimented well by the fast drumming & bassline. The synths are placed tastefully throughout and make sense in their context. The lyrics aren’t that impressive, but the production makes up for it easily and makes it a really engaging song.
Everybody’s Coming To My House, David Byrne- 4
There’s nothing that makes you look better as a musician than coming back not only as good as you always were, but with an updated sound that makes your new material fit perfectly into present day. David Byrne from Talking Heads has pretty much been proving to us he’s still got it for the past 3 decades. This single still has the new wave/art pop feel to his old work, yet feels contemporary with its peppy horns and bangin synths. The lyrics might not be that special, but the rest of the track is so engaging that it makes up for it easily.
Finesse (Remix), Cardi B & Bruno Mars- 5
YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS
Total banger. Cardi B’s entire performance here is so impressive and adds so much to the track. This combination of pop rap/synth pop with old school funk is orgasmic. It’s such a peppy, upbeat, infectious song that I don’t have many problems with at all. If you forced me to point one out I’d ask for more Cardi B in the middle of the track in the chorus or pre-chorus, but it flows so well that at this point I wouldn’t fuck with it.