This month had a lot of new releases, our first 9th song, and is characterized by the long-awaited return of the sun.
Brooklyn Nights*, Lady Gaga
I have seriously got to stop discovering unreleased music. The ethics of leaks like this are tricky…but sometimes a song is good enough that you have to ignore them. Supposedly, this song was meant to be on Gaga’s 2013 Artpop but was ultimately cut to make room for “Mary Jane Holland” (which I can’t really complain about, since “Mary Jane” is one of my favorites on that record). But I’m glad it wasn’t included. It’s not an Artpop song. Artpop is an album characterized by overdramatics and fantasy, but “Brooklyn Nights” is one of the most raw songs I’ve heard from Lady Gaga. For once, we pretty much know exactly who she’s talking about, and she tells the story with so many details it’s almost impossible for them to be fabricated. This song came from the end of a 7-year relationship, and you can feel it in the way she writes and performs it.
*Because this song is officially unreleased, I cannot promise that this edition of it currently published on Spotify will last forever. If not, I have more faith in this version from SoundCloud–but in the event that you’re reading this and both are gone, simply look it up. Nothing’s ever dead on the internet.
AMERIICAN REQUIEM, Beyoncé
Welcome to Cowboy Carter. The second installment in Beyoncé’s trilogy of albums, theorized to be her reclamation of genres Black people have a long history of being pushed away from (in spite of being integral to their creation), this is her country record. It comes at a fitting time, as country is rapidly overtaking the Western music world (and surpassing stereotypically “Black” genres like hip hop). Beyoncé is here to remind everyone where country started–and put her own twist on it. “AMERIICAN REQUIEM” serves as the perfect opener, slowly building over 5½ minutes from soft and luscious layered vocals to Beyoncé’s solo powerhouse voice, all over a twangy guitar. She uses the song to set up the album that will follow: establishing that here, we honor not what America is, but what it should be.
YA YA, Beyoncé
“This particular tune stretches across a range of genres, and that's what makes it a unique listening experience. Yes, indeed. It's called ‘YA YA’.” Linda Martell prefaces this song on the album, setting it up to be the showstopping centerpiece of the record. And showstopping centerpiece it is. “YA YA” embodies all the ideals of Cowboy Carter in one song: dedicated to the performers of the chitlin circuit (the collection of venues Black artists were allowed to play during segregation, especially in the South), Beyoncé crosses genre and musical boundaries, samples two of the most famous American songs, and revels in Black Southern culture. On top of all that, it’s also just an epic 4½ minute groove. I remember right when the album came out, a friend of mine told me that “THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW” through “YA YA” was his favorite part. I then got to watch excitedly as the reviews came in, every one of them highlighting that as the best song on the record. Shout out to Xavier for having great taste in Beyoncé!
Club classics, Charli XCX
As the second single from her upcoming record BRAT, “Club classics” fully establishes Charli XCX’s current world. It’s a song from the club, about the club, and for the club–but not just any club. This is Club Charli, and she has a very specific way she wants to dance. This includes playing exclusively A.G. Cook, Sophie, George Daniel, HudMo, and herself, never stopping ‘till the morning light, and getting so sweaty it leaves marks on her clothes. Listening to the song, it’s impossible not to be immersed in her universe, as Charli, George, and A.G. take us on a journey through textured synths, layered vocals, and a brief moment of the dawning sun seeping through the window before we close the blinds and go back to dancing. It’s an epic way to introduce us to her next record.
YOU, SiR
I have to say…I think this is the first song I’ve ever found through an Instagram ad. I get ads for songs a lot, but most of them are, well, the kind of music that would need paid promotion to get anywhere. But this one kept coming at me and I didn’t mind, so I figured it deserved a whole listen. And look where we’ve ended up: this was my most played song of April. It’s a classic R&B jam about how great SiR’s partner is, as the title implies. But even through the oddly mumbled hook, I find myself coming back to this song time and time again. It’s one of those that may not be the greatest song ever made–but it’s certainly a good one.
WHAT KIND OF RAPPIN’ IS THIS?, JPEG MAFIA
I’m definitely not the first person to think of this, but there’s a certain subgenre of rap that feels to me like it’s made for the sun. Tyler, The Creator’s “DOGTOOTH” is an excellent example. In a brief moment of sun a few weeks ago, I was listening to said example, and following it Spotify auto-generated this track. It was the perfect connection. “WHAT KIND OF RAPPINN’ IS THIS?” is, to my ears, a perfect song. The beat and the samples are dreamy, the inclusion of those little horn and drum moments adds so much texture, and his flow is impossible not to move along to. The only critique I might have is that I wish it was a little longer (it only comes in at 1:52). I’ve spent every moment in the sun since then listening to this track, and I plan to continue as we move into summer. I won’t be surprised if this is on repeat for months on end.
Espresso, Sabrina Carpenter
Every summer needs not only its sunny rap, but also its big pop song. This year, all the shots are being called for Sabrina. She’s at the perfect transitional moment in her career: she’s spent all of her time since her last album (though technically not her debut, it felt like the debut of modern Sabrina) on a rapid rise, and she’s finally topped it all off with a little shot of “Espresso.” This is the perfect summer pop song: multi-hook, many good innuendos, incurring images of pool parties and the smell of Sabrina’s perfume, and addictingly catchy, just like her. I’ve heard this song everywhere since its release and I’m not complaining. Sabrina Carpenter for the song of the summer!
Photoshoot Tonight, Issac Dunbar
I’ve followed Isaac Dunbar since his sophomore EP in 2020 and have watched the development of his sound moment-by-moment since then. He’s gone a lot of places–experimental industrial pop, melancholic teenage ballads, sex-drugs-and-rock-n-roll, coming-of-age anthems–and I’ve enjoyed the journey, but his new project Beep Beep Repeat feels like the destination. He’s finally nailed down what he’s been getting at the whole time: music made for queers in big cities but small apartments to dance to in their rooms, alone or surrounded by friends. “Photoshoot Tonight” is my favorite song from the EP because I think it embodies this feel the most. It’s an anthem for depressed queens to get out of bed and have a photoshoot just for the hell of it. He says this is his last EP… I’m very excited to find out where he’ll take his debut album from here.
Jade, Tr3!
I’ve been lucky enough to spend the last 3 years of my life watching Tr3! grow both as a person and as a musician. I remember in my freshman year when I went through all the beats he’d put on SoundCloud late one night, and I found a lot of practice but also some major potential. I’ve watched him put in the work to develop his skills, making as much music as he can and evolving more and more with each new project. “Jade” feels like the culmination of all of that. He’s finally found the perfect balance between his vocals and the beat: on this song, they complement each other well, and yet each has their own unique appeal that feels like it stands independently too. Plus, the breakdown is really cool. “Jade” sounds professional in a way I’ve never heard from him before. It feels like it could be the new drop from that kinda-underground rapper all the cool people in your life know. Which, in a way, I suppose it is. All the coolest people I know listen to Tr3!.
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, Big Thief
For as long as I’ve been running this project, each album has been something brand new I found mid-month and quickly became obsessed with. But it seems to be a continuing theme that I take a little longer to appreciate Big Thief. I first started trying to listen to this record in early February. As it’s an hour and 20 minutes, I wanted to take my time with it. And I sure did: I don’t think I heard the end of the album until a few weeks ago. But I’ve spent my month with it, not for lack of other music, but because it was what was right for these past 30 days. It’s been kind of a rough time with my work lately, and I found myself turning more and more to this record for comfort. It takes me to a place where everything is safe: a campfire, a guitar, a song, and somewhere mistakes are no more than things to grow from. Adrienne Lenker’s voice hits like an old blanket, rough, but warm and familiar.
I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful the composition of this album is as well. Everything feels like it’s on purpose and in exactly the right amounts–though there are few instruments, there are many different sounds, and each one feels like a different character telling the story. Lenker’s writing is as great as always, and curiously opposite–she tends to use as many and as interesting of words as possible. But I think that’s what makes it work: few instruments and many words allow both to shine. That’s not to say it’s a lyric-driven album though, because it’s not at all. The music is just as valuable. I think it may be impossible to listen to this record without thinking to yourself, “Wow, this is beautiful.” Regardless of personal taste, it’s one of those albums that’s hard not to appreciate for what it is. In case anyone’s curious, my favorite song on the album is “Change.” It feels, much like “YA YA” for Cowboy Carter, like the epitome of Dragon. Something about juxtaposing questions of acceptance with the nature of change is so poetic to me. This album was a slow burner, but has proved to be one of my favorites I’ve ever come across.
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