Our Songs of the Week column spotlights great new tunes and analyzes notable releases. Find our new favorites and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for other great songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, summer sounds diverge into two distinct roads.
Two paths lie before me: One leads to an MJ Lenderman summer, a season characterized by long walks, wondering why the 6 p.m. golden hour makes you miss your childhood, and cracking open a cold one with your friends. The other is a Brat summer, which features hyperpop chaos, ugly crop tops that feel cute on the right day, rat-hot boyfriends, and general debauchery. Traveler, which path will you take? Choose wisely.
While the dust continues to settle from the aforementioned Charli XCX album, more great and glitchy pop has started to emerge to really round out this summer’s soundtrack for anyone ready for playful tomfoolery. Tove Lo and longtime collaborator SG Lewis turned up the temperature with their joint HEAT EP, which they describe as a perfect companion for a main character moment in a queer nightclub. There’s also the more underground option of underscores, who released a deluxe version of her excellent, overwhelming 2023 project Wallsocket, with this expanded LP branded as her Director’s Cut.
But on the other end of the spectrum is Camila Cabello, whose foray into hyperpop has a bit of the energy of an identity crisis. She has the budget to nail the aesthetics, but C,XOXO is hyperpop in the same way that me playing dress up with my cooler, older cousin’s clothes as a pre-teen made me an artist in Boston. Even if we look past the fact that the album features not one but two Drake features at a time such as this, the tone of the project often eclipses Cabello’s trademark breathy delivery. There are moments here that work — “pretty when i cry” is much closer to her strike zone — but this pivot might not be one that sticks.
As noted, for some, this summer is going to be full of hyperpop bangers, clubs that play the Challengers score immediately followed by Charli XCX’s Brat, and Sabrina Carpenter’s infectious bops. For others, though, it’s bound to be a season of porch hangs, discount beer, and the sweet, reliable sounds of one mister MJ Lenderman.
The rising artist and Wednesday guitarist just announced a brand-spankin’ new album, Manning Fireworks, and the record’s newest single, “She’s Leaving You,” is already well on its way to becoming a future fan favorite — with good reason. Short of a sports reference, the tune is about as MJ Lenderman-ish as it can possibly be: the lyrics are frank and intensely singable, the guitar work is rootsy and rockin’, and there’s even an appearance by Wednesday bandmate Karly Hartzman to boot.
The coming months will undoubtedly feature plenty of sweaty dancing and tennis-based love triangles, but it’ll also provide time for playing pool at the local dive bar, watching the sunset from a lawn chair, and strumming a Neil Young song on a six-string. In those moments, throw on “She’s Leaving You.”
Abel’s “Hexed” is a melodic banger worthy of scream-singing along with. There are huge guitar tones, dynamic shifts, and a strong momentum that keeps the song incredibly engaging throughout. It’s an absolute ripper that fans of shoegaze-adjacent indie rock would be remiss to miss out on.
On “Rocket,” Doechii plays it cool and relaxed. Over top a sparse yet bouncy beat, the artist effortlessly swings between singing and rapping to foster a genuinely playful vibe. As the track progresses, the energy continues to build, with a chorus of calls and responses and a catchy outro of na-na-nas.
One of the great mysteries in life is just how Emotional Oranges always manage to sound this smooth. The recent release from the duo, “Peak,” is a truly intoxicating concoction, offering a beat that straddles the line between total seduction and playful bop. The ever-dependable vocal performances and dreamy chord progressions serve as prime reminders of the fact that Emotional Oranges don’t seem to miss.
Dream pop favorites GIFT are back with yet another satisfying new single, “Later.” This one is as majestic as ever from GIFT, who are as capable of conjuring serenity as they are sheer instrumental power. Like earlier single “Wish Me Away,” “Later” also succeeds because of its gorgeous, crystal-clear production — the warmth of the band’s electric guitars emanate like solar rays, the strum of an acoustic like tickling knives, the timbre of the drummer’s cymbals spine-tinglingly bright. It’s hi-fi music for a high state of mind.
It’s the first release in over three years for singer-songwriter Kate Vogel, whose tender, quietly anthemic “Reasons to Stay” put her on the map for many listeners. Where her 2021 LP, Someone I’m Proud Of, landed in deeply vulnerable and introspective territory, “broke up on my birthday” signals the start of a new chapter — one that would allow her music to slot perfectly into whatever Gracie Abrams/Chelsea Cutler/Sasha Alex Sloan playlist you’re working on at the moment. There’s always room for a little more sad girl pop… right?
Noise pop experimentalists Xiu Xiu are back doing what they do best: writing a genuinely sticky, well-constructed tune and subsequently running it through a meat grinder. On “Common Loon,” surprisingly gentle melodies collide with buzzsaw tones and maximalist production for one of Xiu Xiu’s most approachable songs since 2017’s Forget. All the more reason to look forward to the September 27th release of their new LP, 13″ Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips.
Zimmer90 have arrived with the What Love Is EP, and it’s an irresistible collection of funk-pop, disco, yacht rock, and everything in between. One of the highest points arrives early with “For You,” which features an overactive, canyoning bass line that swallows everything in its path. The duo are certainly aware of the low end’s power, to the point where they’ve featured it in all its glory on their TikTok page. But while the instruments suggest a thumping dancefloor, Joscha’s yearning vocals are gentle and serene — the resulting concoction is Zimmer90’s own unique sound through and through.
Source: Consequence
