Connor Kirk - Day By Day

Day By Day - Connor Kirk (Pop) There’s a real 90s Sheryl Crow sensibility to Connor Kirk’s newest track. From the lyrics to the vocal arrangement, Day By Day feels like it could be a cousin of Every Day Is A Winding Road, or anything from the Globe Sessions. That’s not to say that this track isn’t incredibly unique. We are particularly struck by the vocal production—moving from a dry spoken word to a doubled verse with a volume pump to lush harmonies and accents until finally letting Connor shine solo just before the final chorus, this is a meticulously plotted track. Day By Day is a road song, meant for your commute playlist.

Best Lyric: “You kill for a dime or you drown in a heap.”

Bubble Tea and Cigarettes - French Movie

French Movie - Bubble Tea and Cigarettes (Dream Pop) This is a special one kids, and we have to admit we are a bit mesmerized by this lush, gorgeous track. The track allows the instrumental to set the tone at the top—a dreamy miasma of synth with an understated drum that gives music box vibes. Immediately we were transported to the early 90s to the hits of Annie Lennox’s solo career—Why and No More I Love Yous in particular—but also a healthy dose of Lana Del Rey. It’s a haunting melody coming from an incredibly unique and distinct vocal performance. It’s a sung whisper, slinky and intimate that really pulled us in right from the top. French Movie evokes all the strange beauty of, say, a Tim Burton movie, and it’s a movie we want to see again.

Moonlight Jones - I Like The Way

I Like The Way - Moonlight Jones (Synthwave) If The Weeknd’s “Touch“ was ACTUALLY made in the 80s—that would be the instrumental to this new Moonlight Jones track. It’s not just 80s inspired, as is currently in vogue for modern music to reference. No “I Like The Way” is just straight up 80s, and could sit along any of your classic retro jams as just one of the gang. With I Like The Way, Moonlight Jones has made a very sing-along-able track, especially when we get to the choral “ohs” right after each chorus. We also notice a touch of another 80s classic as a reference, though not from synthwave—the spooky spoken word throughout and particularly at the ending is definitely giving us Thriller. So you can confidently slip this new Moonlight Jones track onto your retro playlist, none will be the wiser.

Best Lyric: “She’s poetry in motion, and she’s the devil in disguise.”

Eli Ladon - Lighting My Way

Lighting My Way - Eli Ladon (Rap) Immediately upon turning on this track you are struck by its unique sound. While incorporating the tight trap snares and percussion you’d expect from the genre, the acid trip of synths, strings and flute make this track a standout. It’s truly ethereal. The flow of Eli’s conscious-rap is reminding us a lot of late 90s/early 00s acts. Specifically, we hear influences of Bone Thugs as well as Outkast. That vocal is baked perfectly into the track, giving us a real “cruise down the highway” feel to Lighting My Way. All in all, it’s a summertime jam, meant to be blared from your car’s speakers with the windows down.

Best Lyric: “Soaking up the sun as existence gives me what I need.”

Thomas Goforth LT - Intentions

Thomas Goforth LT - Intentions (Pop/R&B) Ok, so let’s travel back in time for a minute—the 90s boyband craze is winding down and the most ambitious/popular members of those groups decide to venture off on their solo efforts. At the time, the pop/R&B crossover genre is the way to go. And that’s EXACTLY what Thomas Goforth LT’s latest track is giving us—it’s some real JC Chasez vibes. But with its modern production—a crisp vocal set front and center—there’s no reason this track couldn’t hit the charts today. However, what’s most memorable about this track is it’s melody—it’s a perfect ear worm and has some real sing-along-ability. We hear you singing alone with Thomas to this one on your morning commute.

Best Lyric: “Don’t even ask me to stop, don’t try to tell me to leave, no, that’s not what I do.”

MedsE - Hounds

Hounds - MedsE (Rap) Would the real MedsE please stand up? This 90s-style rap is giving us Real Slim Shady from the jump, all contained in a deliciously doubled rap vocal dripping with wit and nostalgia. Right out of the gate you know this song is meant for the club, speeding down the highway or, may we recommend, karaoke. It’s a sharp and crisp retro club beat that reminds us a bit of Inaya Day’s remake of Nasty Girl—or honestly we could’ve even believed it was crafted for Britney around her “Til The World Ends” era. But wherever you want to place it, make sure you place it on your house party playlist. I mean, MedsE tells you themselves—this is house party sh*t.

Best Lyric: “I’m a 90s hit in this new rap scene.”

Banana Continuity - Anhedonia

Anhedonia - Banana Continuity (Rock/Pop) Banana Continuity’s newest track is taking us back to the Top 40 days of the mid-late 90s with a rock-pop alt rock jam that made us immediately think of the immediate post-Nirvana era. Listening to this gritty midtempo, we get flavors of The Offspring, as well as Folk Implosion’s “Natural One”—when it comes to the vocal specifically—and even a bit of The Wallflowers. It’s a well balanced track, with a muted and intentionally autotuned broody vocal centering the track in a bit of other-wordly-ness. The instrumental production is tight, all revolving around the lead guitar which is given a good amount of lead time to set the stage before the vocal announces itself. There’s something about this track that says it should have been on the original Matrix’s soundtrack.

Best Lyric: “With nothing there inside you, with no one in your sight, it’s time to pull the trigger until it hits just right.”

J Cru - Glonky

Glonky - J Cru (HipHop) Well, J Cru is back, and this time left their Man Cakes in the oven in favor of something a little more…Glonky. As we said in our review of their last track, this team gives serious LMFAO vibes and even in light of the masterful production, what remains the most captivating and memorable part of a J Cru track is the chemistry between the duo. Listening to a J Cru track is like an invitation into their collegial ridiculousness that can’t help but prompt a smile, and honestly an occasional head shake from the audacious lyrics. This time, we have a female guest on the track who is a welcome addition to the “cru”. Obviously a club/house party track, we think you might also want to get Glonky speeding down the highway—this track has DRIVE. While these boys aren’t serving cake this time, Glonky is still a treat.

Best Lyric: “Yes mother f*cker it’s glonky-time.”

Emilia Suarez - Timing

Timing - Emilia Suarez (Pop) Emilia’s track Timing is a driving piano ballad that could have easily been a cut from Adele’s latest album. Classic in its construction, it’s ironic that a song called Timing both seamlessly fits in the modern era and among the canon of ballad standards. Emilia’s vocal is a crystal clear bell, with just a touch of modern breathiness often utilized by the likes of, say, Ariana Grande. Her voice is emotive, passionate, and evokes the feelings behind the haunting lyrics. This kicks into high gear with a heavenly chorus of backgrounds, joined soon by sweeping strings and a light touch percussion, all serving a heavenly cathedral-like miasma of swirling harmonies that wrap the listener into the song. We hear this track on a soundtrack to an indie flick about a complicated love.

Best Lyric: “Is that traumatic or the cost of a moment with you?”

Alexander Ruwe - Wandering

Wandering - Alexander Ruwe (Pop) This song starts out with some heavy Adele vibes before we are introduced to Alexander’s resonant baritone rasp. The arrangement is simple and beautiful, the strings specifically pulling at the heart strings, dueting beautifully with Alexander’s soulful voice. There’s an almost country sensibility to the melody of this one, particularly when the melancholy of the background punches hit in the choruses. The song conjures of the image of someone with a single lantern, searching in the darkness, aimless and suffering from the sting of old wounds. A contemplative track, we suggest this one goes on your dinner party or home alone vibe playlist.

Best Lyric: “I’ve lost some faces I once loved, I broke some hearts I shouldn’t of.”

Pierce Braedon - Her.

Her. - Pierce Braedon (Pop) Pierce has quite the soulful voice—full and round with just a bit of rasp adding maturity—which is on full display on his newest track, Her. The track is a certainly a somber dark-pop affair, but the melody has kind of a pop-country sensibility. The overall vibe of the song is melancholy, driven by the verbed guitar which serves as a duet partner for Pierce. What we loved most of all was the switch-up in the chord progression at what we thought would be the bridge, announced by the entrance of an unexpected synth lead line that really catches your attention, only to find that it was a powerful outro. The song kind of leaves you hanging in that regard, which is an incredibly smart way to have the listener feel just as the singer does by his lost love. This one goes on your breakup playlist, but only when it’s still fresh, and you’re not quite ready for Since You Been Gone.

Best Lyric: “A lost love that always follows me, a lonely bed and often lonely dreams.”

Totemo - My Gravity

My Gravity - Totemo (Pop) Oh jeez the production on this song! Totemo’s My Gravity is a master class in mixing and mastering. The percussion is incredibly crisp, complimenting the subtle, slippery bass that provides the drive of the track. Totemo’s innocent, breezy vocals ring through like a bell, also expressing a beautiful lushness in her background hums and coos. When it comes to the leads, it’s hyper modern—front and center and with a touch of breathiness that creates an incredible intimacy when delivering some truly creative lyrics (see what we mean below). And I mean that distorted double in the chorus is just straight earcandy and a clever way to add meat while keeping the vocal light and swirling. The song also has an interesting build between smooth flowing molasses up to a cruising speed—a restraint that makes this song truly intoxicating. This is a “drop the top cruise down the highway in the summer breeze” kinda track.

Best Lyric: “You never gave me a name, just a pet that you saved but never not get attached just in case it’s not such a good fit.“

Melinda Valenz - Confidence

Confidence - Melinda Valenz (Pop/R&B) Melinda is feeling herself on this track and it is WELL DESERVED. This is an impressively intimidating production of R&B goodness that we added to our personal playlists before the song even ended. This is the very definition of a bop that’s got that KNOCK—this was made for a high end car stereo. We love the lyrics, which along with the pristine vocal delivery is what we think is a very Jazmine Sullivan style cut, accompanied by a little spoken word punch that gives us a bit of Lizzo’s in your face confidence. Honestly, this 2-step inspiring crossover R&B jam might just be our favorite of everything we’ve reviewed this month. Get this on repeat, and put it on your pregame playlist. Now.

Best Lyric: “I do the work and then get what I deserve. Trust my own word and no need for your concern.”

Eddz - Low

Low - Eddz (Dark Pop) Eddz serves an extremely unique track with Low, a spoken word piece paired with a resounding chorus that reminds us of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” in terms of the general sound of the track. In Low, Eddz paints a dark, cloudy, overcast atmosphere with an invitation to witness what feels like a depressive episode. The song begins with a vast orchestral soundscape that does much to set the mood of the track, before a grungy guitar and distorted drum kit inject drive and passion into the song to compliment Eddz’s spoken word verses. We also really appreciate the dissonant keys that push some tension throughout the track. We recommend this song for those days you just want to sit in your feelings and let this song help you pour out the darkness so there can be room for light.

Best Lyric: “The clouds are forming a face that no one can recognize anymore.”

Taylor Jules - 19

19 - Taylor Jules (Pop) - There is SO MUCH to love about this gem of a track. First, the song centers entirely around a glorious vocal from Taylor, which gave us a lot of moments of modern day JoJo with the occasional Ariana. From the powerful leads to the glistening backgrounds, you can’t tell us you don’t get chills when you play this one, no matter how many times you have it on repeat. Style wise, this beautiful pop midtempo seems to sit mostly in indie pop but we can’t help but hear some country influence in the melody—just a touch, never veering into twang. Mood wise, this is a wistful one, reminding the listener of a time when they thought they knew everything and the world was at their fingertips. With a song like this, we certainly think the world is at Taylor’s.

Best Lyric: “Just a wink and a smile and the world will open wide.”

Carter Ray - Dear Victoria

Dear Victoria - Carter Ray (Pop) Equal parts endearing and dance-able, before even knowing the meaning behind Carter Ray’s Dear Victoria, you can tell it’s a deeply personal track, which the artist’s sweet, focused vocal conveys with a breezy easiness about it. From the distorted synth lead to the vocal effects of pen on paper, there’s a bittersweetness to this bop in line with, say, Janet’s “Together Again.” The overall feel of the track is a modern pop 2-step, though we also feel a touch of retro in some of the instrumentation—an occasional bass lead moment comes to mind—that could land this in the heyday of DJ Mustard. If you’re looking for a home for this track in your library, we suggest putting Dear Victoria on any Justin Bieber styled playlist.

Without diving deeper, you may think the song is about a lost loved one, and on that level completely works as a mainstream bop. However, the song becomes so much richer when you realize the artist is a trans man and that Victoria was their prior identity pre-transition (dead name). Being able to take a specific queer experience, fit it in a modern mainstream style without losing any of its meaning and YET being universal and easily accessible to the masses—-now that is masterful. Hats off to Carter.

Best Lyric: “They’ll say I did this to you, but you did this for me.”