New Music Friday - 07/02/2025

Albums:

• Olly Alexander - Polari 
• Oklou - choke enough

Singles:

• Lady Gaga - Abracadabra
  
• Caity Baser - Watch That Girl (She's Gonna Say It)
• Ava Max - Lost Your Faith
• LISA (feat. Doja Cat and RAYE) - Born Again
• Rachel Chinouriri (feat. sombr) - All I Ever Asked
• Doechii - Nosebleeds 
• Emeline - CHOOSE UR FIGHTER (Emeline's Version)

Olly Alexander - Polari:

Polari: At first listen, I did not like this song. But with more time, I realised it's actually a decent introduction to the album. It has the more somewhat 'experimental' production that I like, and you can really tell it's a Danny L Harle production from the start. I guess my criticism would be that lyrically it's a bit one note? I get that it's an intro to the album, but there's not really *that* much to it lyrically. My favourite part is probably the one verse which feels like a bit of a break from the chaos of the other parts. I don't get why it was released as a pre-release single, but whatever. 8/10

Cupid's Bow: This song is decent. I definitely think I prefer the verses over the choruses. I find the "yeah!" echos in the choruses are somewhat annoying and grating for some reason. The bridge is probably the best part of the song to me. I feel it switches things up in a good way, and lyrically it's probably the strongest part of the song to me too. It's a decent song but it's definitely not a highlight for me. 7/10

I Know: I started this song and I was like WHAT THE FUCK? Am I listening to the same artist and album? It's such a weird vibe change. The distorted vocals were wild. Also, [insert homophobic dog meme, he definitely knows]. This song is in a weird hybrid place for me at the minute where I'm not sure if I like it or don't, or maybe it's both. Like, it's got a lot of really interesting and more chaotic production choices I quite like. The chorus being framed around the distorted 'I Know' vocals as well is interesting. It's maybe a bit disappointing that's the extent of the chorus, but it also does work. It does make the song feel a bit repetitive. Still, I THINK I like it? Maybe I'll like it more with more listens. 7/10

Shadow Of Love: Immediately more of a darker vibe. When the drum hits happened, I thought it was going to be a favourite of mine. Unfortunately, the chorus let me down there. It just feels...kinda wrong and out there, like it's trying to be good but doesn't quite manage it? The quick repeated hits throughout in the production are definitely the best part of the song for me, but the rest of it is somewhat of a let down, especially the chorus. The bridge is also...kinda there. Some of the production saves it enough to not be a total disaster. 6/10

Make Me A Man: Interesting start with the production and the more stabbing synths. Again, there's the 'quick successive hits' but instead of sounding like drum hits this time it's more strings. I'm a sucker for it, what can I say! However, yet again, the chorus is somewhat disappointing. It just...doesn't work? It's certainly an Olly Alexander song, that much I can say. 5/10

Dizzy: The Eurovision entry! I've always been a Dizzy defender since the first time I heard it. I had deluded hopes it would do better than it did but it was for the arts and not the charts. I think it's such a catchy song, and I always want to return to it. The verses perfectly build up to the chorus and deliver the sort of 'explosion' I want. The production flourishes in the chorus with the synths and almost bell like sounds really do it for me! 8/10

Archangel: This is probably now my least favourite of the pre-release singles. I still like it, but I definitely do not connect with it as much as I do the others. The chorus just isn't as catchy to me, and the production I just don't find that interesting either. The bridge is also just somewhat of a slowed down version of other parts of the song which doesn't interest me that much. 6/10

Miss You So Much: What in the video game level music is this? This just...wasn't it if I'm honest. The production actually verges on very grating and annoying for me. It makes me think, did Olly release the only great songs as singles and just pushed out anything for these album tracks? Absolutely NOT here for it. At least the next song will protect my ears from the horror of what I heard. 4/10

When We Kiss: This is definitely my favourite of the pre-release singles. It starts slow, and I think that slow build up with "there's something here worth saving" really shows the vulnerability of that part well and the drifting apart that's happening. The chorus then explodes with big synths which really punch through and make you feel like a relationship is on the rocks. Weirdly, the bridge is my least favourite part of the song, but that does not make it bad! It's a song I just want to repeat again and again! It's definitely a highlight and I wish more of the album was like it. 9/10

Whisper In The Waves: When this started I somewhat died inside. WHY are you doing this to me Olly? WHY? I get that this is sort of supposed to be a kinda like chill beach/ocean/wave sort of song and the production does somewhat bring me there. But I find this song...somewhat boring and exactly NOT the sound that I want from him. When We Kiss really stands out as the highlight of the album in contrast. Anyway, it's alright for what it is. It doesn't bleed my ears so that's something. 6/10

Beautiful: Okay, THIS is more of what I want. This is closer to the singles to me. Or actually, is it? The chorus maybe changed my mind, AGAIN. Do I even know what I think? Maybe I just like the verses in this song and not really the chorus. I'm just...disappointed. This is not quite what I expected based on the singles. 6/10

Heal You: Okay, MAYBE this is it? MAYBE? It's more of a bop immediately, can it keep me this time? It has kept me this time, WOO! It's not a favourite but it's an album track I definitely can say I *like*. It feels more in line with the pre-release singles to me. The bridge is maybe a bit disappointing just being echoy vocals with a bit of production behind it, but whatever. I'll take what I can get at this point. 7/10

Language: The closing track being called 'Language' makes perfect sense. And this AGAIN is what I want! It's more of a slower song but it has a great production and the vocals go well with it, same with the lyrical content. It's one of the better songs on the record for me. Again, the bridge somewhat lets me down, but the rest of the song is good enough. 8/10

Overall Verdict: Maybe I went into this album with warped expectations and that caused me to hate on more of the songs than I thought I would. But it does feel like to me a lot of the album tracks don't feel like they fit the same vibe as the singles to me. I don't expect every song to sound exactly the same, but they are *too* different for me. The album should sound more like Language/Polari/When We Kiss/I Know and less like some of the other tracks. Maybe I'll end up changing my mind upon further listens, but this album was a let-down for me really. At present, I'm not going to judge it on its lyrical content and the 'Polari' theme as I haven't had much time to think about that. Regardless, I thought it was going to end up in my top 10 albums of the year, and now I can say for sure that's definitely NOT happening. There's enough here that I like that I won't just jettison it and never listen to it again, but it's heavily carried by some songs, and dragged down by a lot of the others.

Oklou - choke enough:

endless: This song definitely gives me a bit of an 'endless' vibe with its production. It starts off a bit slow but again benefits from additional production elements from around halfway through, and more of an explicit switch-up. It's something 'glittery' and 'sparkly' to me. 7/10

thank you for recording: Me to Oklou! This one is less sparkly and more of a 'whistley' type of vibe. I really like the contrast between the more abrasive production elements and the cute and chill elements, it makes the songs quite fun. 7/10

family and friends: The production really reminds me of something that I can't quite place currently. It's not really something I've heard in much of the pop music I've listened to recently. It definitely scratches something in my brain. I'm not sure I currently get what the song is about, but what the hell, does it matter? I don't get what Caroline Polachek is on about half the time but I love the songs. It's decent and I enjoy listening to it but it's definitely not a favourite, I can't quite connect to it super well. 7/10

obvious: This song also follows with similar interesting slower production. However, it definitely has more of a punch to it pretty quickly with the synths. I maybe like it slightly more than the previous song because of that extra punch, but it's definitely still more of a slower and chill song. 7/10

ict: This song was pleasant enough but also somewhat passed me by. It's interesting that the 'main' lyrical content doesn't start until almost halfway through the song, the previous part being made up more of noises and sounds. It's quite repetitive of the same lyrics but it works well. It builds up more and more into something more pleasing to listen to. I'd probably like the song more if it was more like the second half throughout. 7/10

choke enough: I guess a lot of this project has sorta 'shimmering' synths if that makes sense to people. It's something that I find pleasant and it's a nice listen. Thankfully, the song switches up a bit into it and builds up into something a bit more interesting. Considering this is the title track, I'm still not sure what is going on lyrically, but maybe I'll get there. Towards the end of the song is probably one of the best parts of it as it's maybe the most 'intense' part of the song. I like it, but not a favourite! 7/10

(;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`): I can't say the title of the track didn't intrigue me! I was a bit scared it would be some sort of horror jumpscare track honestly. It has alarms in it and I HATE those sounds. Fire alarms can go to hell for all I care, burn me down! But it's again a beautiful contrast between those awful alarms and the serene and calm production sounds as well. It's more of an interlude, but I think it's an effective one. [I don't give interludes/super short songs a rating generally].

take me by the hand: This is probably one of the most immediate tracks to me, and it's a bit more 'boppy' to me. The Bladee feature works incredibly well, I haven't heard much of his music but he definitely fits this kind of production very well. This is probably my favourite of the pre-release singles. 7/10

plague dogs: From the start, the production intrigued me. Was that a helicopter or a gun like sound? Ah, the lyrics mention helicopters so it's probably that. This song has a bit more of an 'on edge' vibe. It's a short song and it was over quite quickly, maybe before I felt like I wanted it to be. But it's good and definitely continues to contribute to that album cohesiveness. 7/10

forces: A return of the alarms again! But this time it has someone speaking too! There's an interesting buildup of music and also a more nasty sound under the surface. Again, it's a cute interlude that I think works well in the context of the album and adds to that overarching theme. [Interlude]

harvest sky: Another song where the initial production gives me high hopes it'll be something I like a lot. It's good but it didn't quite deliver on that promise. The underscores feature seems fine. Again, this is definitely one of the more 'boppy' songs but I feel like it just somewhat misses for me and doesn't really go where my brain wants it to. But it's still good! 7/10

want to wanna come back: The guitar moment on this track is cute. At about halfway it switches up to be more 'boppy' and upbeat. Some of the sounds really make it fun, like the random hits towards the end. It's a good mix between those random sounds like a door opening or those hits and the sparkling synths and the chill music. 7/10

blade bird: The last track on the album I think encapsulates what the album was quite well, it feels a similar vibe as the rest of it. It's a simple song but there are also really interesting 'bird' like production flourishes in the background which I quite liked. The very end is definitely one of the most traditional 'boppy' parts, and I like it for that. 7/10

Overall Verdict: I guess my verdict on this album is that it's a pleasant enough listen. I get the appeal of it, and Oklou quite successfully presents a coherent and good sounding album. Again, I'm not entirely sure I get what's going on lyrically, but hopefully that changes with more listens. It's not going to enter my favourite albums of all time, or even the year, but I could definitely see myself returning to it when I want to listen to something that's more chill, but a bit different at the same time. Maybe it's 'calm and serene but not really because there's something sinister lurking under the surface but also not quite'? Am I just saying random nonsense? Maybe!

Singles:

Lady Gaga - Abracadabra: For many, this feels like a return to the Lady Gaga of old. For me, it's a decent song, but it lacks the 'spark' I'm looking for. What I don't want MAYHEM to be is just a reheated 'Old Gaga' package, and this song makes me feel like this could be a possibility. Disease to me felt like the sort of dark pop that takes her in a slightly different direction I'm really interested in. My favourite part of this song is probably the pre-choruses. The verses feel a bit flat to me, and the chorus doesn't really pack the punch I want either. It just doesn't hook me like Disease did. It's still a song I like, but I way prefer Disease to it! 7/10

Emeline - CHOOSE UR FIGHTER (Emeline's Version): Who did it better, JoJo Siwa or EMELINE? Or would it have been better if these songs were left locked in a vault? If I'm honest, this version is definitely better than JoJo's to me. For a start, Emeline can actually sing, which is an advantage. The production is also just better to me than JoJo's version, which I remember not rating particularly highly when I listened to it. It's a pretty inoffensive pop song. It does feel like a song that the generic pop artists like Bebe Rexha or Ava Max could release, but it's fine. Nice breakdown at the end too. 7/10

Doechii - Nosebleeds: The intro of the song caught my attention quite well! I thought "this is going to be a great song", songs with this type of dirty beat are songs that I generally like. However, there are sections of the song I strongly dislike. It feels like a bit of a hodgepodge of music, the sections of the production don't really feel like they're properly connected. I wanted to like this song but I don't think it comes together in a coherent package unfortunately. 4/10

Caity Baser - Watch That Girl (She's Gonna Say It): Caity Baser has made some truly appalling music before. Some of it has hit, but most of it has not! I thought it started out fairly alright, it has a catchy enough melody and the lyrics aren't too offensive (though some are definitely still clunky). But the chorus DID offend me! A repetition of the same line again and again in a way that is offensive to my ears. Some of the song is catchy, but enough makes me hate it to say it's bad overall. 4/10

Ava Max - Lost Your Faith: This is the THIRD lead single to her upcoming third album. 3rd time lucky right? Just keep throwing stuff out and hope that one sticks. It seems like she's leaning more into the dark pop vibe she previously explored a bit on her last album and I think people regarded as more of a highlight for her. Some of the lyrics feel a bit corny and cringey unfortunately (did we need Hallelujah?). It's also just...not quite there. It feels like this song could have been done far better than it was. I definitely want her to continue exploring this sort of sound, as I think it's a good avenue for her to go down, but this wasn't *quite* it. 6/10

LISA (feat. Doja Cat and RAYE) - Born Again: Considering the feature list I went into this one optimistic. It immediately shows itself as a sultry sort of production vibe. I can definitely see myself returning to this song a fair amount. The part before Doja starts rapping doesn't really sound *amazing* to me, but then she brings the song back to form. RAYE carries pretty much everything she does, and this song is no different. The bridge is pure RAYE. It's just a BOP, and definitely a highlight of the year so far in music! 8/10

Rachel Chinouriri (feat. sombr) - All I Ever Asked: This is probably one of my most controversial opinions but Rachel's music does not vibe with me at all. I found her album quite boring personally. This version of the song is fine but I still find it boring. The feature at least brings it out of being more stale than it was. It's alright, but that's about it. 6/10