New Music Friday - 28/03/2025

Albums:

• Ariana Grande - eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead
• Chase Icon - Icon Baby
  
• chloe moriondo - oyster
• Lozeak - LOZEAK
• Lucy Dacus - Forever Is A Feeling
• Perfume Genius - Glory

Singles:

• Bellah Mae - Bad Day To Be My Ex
  
• CMAT - Running/Planning
• Dua Lipa (feat. Troye Sivan) - Physical
• Jax Jones (feat. Rebecca Black & sooyeon) - Bad Boys
• Julien Baker & Torres - Dirt
• Kali Uchis - Sunshine & Rain...
• Kesha - YIPEE-KI-YAY.
• Maren Morris - carry me through
• Self Esteem - If Not Now, It's Soon
• Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Relentless Love
• St. Vincent - DOA

Ariana Grande - eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead

I'm actually going to review this whole thing, as I need to anyway for an upcoming album rate I'm taking part in and I really like this album, so I'd like to share my thoughts on the whole thing.  Everything after ordinary things is a new track I haven't heard before. 

intro (end of the world): Love intro tracks that set the scene well. I think it really sonically captures the rest of the album, and also lyrically too. It focuses more on Ariana's singing with lower key production which I like. I think it's a substantial enough intro for me to rate it, so 7/10.

bye: When I first listened to this album, I was not expecting this to be the vibe of the second song on the album. It's the most immediate bop on here, and boy, do I love it! It almost doesn't really fit with a lot of the rest of the songs. It's definitely my favourite from the album. It's fun to almost start an album on being like "bye". Love the production, love Ariana's singing here. 9/10

don't wanna break up again: I really like this as the less self-confident and more vulnerable version of the last song. It's more chill production wise, as well as lyrically, but it hits just as well. I think the verses are the highlight of the song for me, especially the leads into the choruses. The second verse with the "I made it so easy, spent so much on therapy, blamed my own co-dependency, but you didn't even try, when you finally did it was at the wrong time" HITS for me. Her voice just sounds fantastic here throughout. 8/10

Saturn Returns Interlude: I was never really an astrology girly, and I never will be. I just don't get it. So I kinda don't get it. But it's a fun little interlude with all that talk about whatever the hell. It's a nice transition into the next song too.

eternal sunshine: I really like this song. It's an example of a song that's slower that I really like. The production is fantastic, and again Ariana sounds great throughout too. The only thing that's a bit cringe is the "played me like Atari" lyric, did we need that? Probably I'm less fond of the chorus than the rest of the song, but it's still good. 7/10

supernatural: This is a song I didn't super appreciate too much at first, but now it's one of my favourites on the album. It's just really nice. It's a very nice romantic song, and I really like it. It's an earworm for me currently, I could just listen to it again and again. The whole song is catchy! Production is great, and of course Ariana sounds great too. 8/10

true story: This is a bop, but it's not AS good as some of the others. I think it's one of the songs I end up kinda forgetting about somewhat on the album. Not that it's bad, just that I think it gets swept up in the better songs on the album. 7/10

the boy is mine: Another bop, with a serve of a music video to boot! It's just a fun song. Again, not as good as some of the others, but still good. Again, the song is quite catchy. 7/10

yes, and?: I was obsessed with this song when it first dropped, and I somewhat still am. I don't get why everyone supposedly hated it honestly. It's a bop. Always bopped to it when I heard it in a club. I really like the intro, and how it gradually builds up. The ad-libs in the final chorus are great too. 8/10

we can't be friends (wait for your love): Another great song. I really think this album showcases how good of an artist Ariana is. Her voice does amazing work, and so does the production of the songs. I can see why this was a big single from the album, it really deserves that attention. 8/10

i wish i hated you: We're onto the chiller songs on the album. It's definitely not one of my favourites but the production with her voice is good. It's quite stripped back but it sounds good. 7/10

imperfect for you: Another one that's not quite my favourite but I think it fits the vibe of the songs near the end of the album. The chorus is definitely the best part of it. 7/10

ordinary things (feat. Nonna): Definitely one of my least favourites, but still not bad by any means. It's a nice ending, especially with Nonna there at the end. 6/10

Overall Verdict: Ariana Grande is such a good artist. Everyone focused on Wicked last year (which I still haven't seen because I'm a flop) and ignored her album to some degree, which was one of my favourite albums of last year. She's such a GREAT artist. She sings so well, and the songs on the album are so good. It's wild as well because I really did not like positions. But this is such a good album. It may even be the best of hers that I've heard.

intro (end of the world) - extended: Maybe the production of this new part is...not as good. The singing is still good of course. It does kinda feel like a new song was kinda tacked onto the rest of it. Maybe it's not as good as I thought. The old bit, good. The newer bit, I'm less keen on. 6/10

twilight zone: This is more of a midtempo song, but it's still pretty good. It reminds me somewhat of some of the midtempo songs on the album. It's maybe giving a bit of don't wanna break up again to me? Oh and also we can't be friends I suppose. But it's a stunning song. 8/10

warm: I was NOT expecting that to be where the song goes. That beat KICKED in. She's a bop Your Honour! She's a great song, another great addition to the album. It definitely does NOT fit the vibe of the standard tracks to me production wise so I can see why it's a deluxe track. 8/10

dandelion: Instrument time! Fun little intro, with a FUNNN transition into the song. STUNNING. I love the beat. Fantastic. Show stopping. Never been done before. IT'S SO CATCHY AND SO GOOD. Like there's actually not that much to it but it's also so CATCHY. 9/10

past life: As Rebecca Black would say, EAT! EAT! EAT! EAT! Another fantastic song. Ariana sounds so good here. So does the production. Just stunning all around. How is she this good at music? Stop acting, come back to music pleaseeeee. We need you. 9/10

Hampstead: It's Wicked time! The lyrics here are fun. I like it. Brat reference (kinda!). The lyrics are definitely the highlight here. It's all about Spongebob. The production throughout is cute, but it's definitely not my favourite song on the deluxe. The other songs are a lot better for me. 7/10

Overall Verdict: These deluxe tracks are so good. They really prove how good she is as an artist. Like, I am VERY impressed. It's rare I give out 9's at all and she's raking them in. She just knows how to do music. I feel like there's a Spongebob related comment I could make her too, but...

Chase Icon - Icon Baby

Bang 2: I feel like I'll like this album because I'm basic. Also, "I'll turn a transphobe to a chaser." ATE! If I'm honest though, this song wasn't the best. It feels like it's a bit too subdued, maybe something like that? It feels like it has the elements of a song I should really like but I just...don't. Something is missing here. At least it isn't too long (1:40!) 6/10

Bubblegum: Okay that transition ate. Unfortunately, the production style at the start makes me think it'll suffer from the same flaw. I am NOT dancing like bubblegum unfortunately. 6/10

Chase Bank: This one is a bit better. I definitely feel it's more the right sort of vibe. These songs all feel super short though like it's a bit of a hate crime! 7/10

Job Application: Again, I like this one more too, but it's nothing too out of this world. It's very...this type of song, if that makes sense. Like if an AI made a song like this. I don't know. It's still good though. 7/10

Detour: Maybe I'm just not feeling Chase Icon too much today? Or maybe I'm not really feeling the vibe of this particular project? It feels more empty to me, like it doesn't have as much of a soul or something. Something is definitely missing. This song was not serving, that's for sure. 5/10

Missed Connections: It's like the same song and beats but slightly different. At least this has some different sounds, I guess? But again, not super feeling this. The Miss Connection/Missed Connection thing is fun though. The chorus started getting more catchy to me by the end, so I can see this growing on me. 6/10

IDGAF: Dua Lipa, your crown is at risk! This song is more of what I want. I think it has the more interesting production elements, vocal distortions and all that, and just sounds good. This is definitely more of the vibe I want as opposed to the other songs. Very good song! 8/10

SoCal Girl: It's definitely more of something than some of the other songs, but it's not quite there. Let's have more of that last track please! Reddit and Twitter mention, she's so me (except it's Bluesky and not Twitter obviously). It grew on me by the end again, maybe the problem is my brain... 6/10

Illegally Blonde: This one could be a hit if done right! YEP IT'S HAPPENING. The production EATS. And it's a serve of a song of course. 8/10

Mary Kate & Ashley: Did Chase decide to put all the amazing songs in this part of the album? Like shove them at the end for some reason? Put all the slop at the start? Why are we doing that exactly? Anyway, ATE. 8/10

Bands On Me: MORE OF THIS please. It's not like a standout fav but it's gooood. Like, why is this almost like a completely different project? Oh, that synth hit hitsssss. It could grow on me a lot more with more listens too. 7/10

Like Me: Again, another better song. Chase Icon why did you bait me into thinking this was good, then bad, then surprised me into it being good again. Sorry that gays let you think that you ate (but in this case  you did actually!). 8/10

Overall Verdict: It's funny that I said I'd like this album because I'm basic. And then midway through I was like ????? - This is not good. And by the end I was praising the hell out of the 2nd half. What a confusing ride it was. As an album, not fantastic. Why is the second half so much better than the first? Why wasn't it all good? But hey, we take what we can get. The second half is fantastic, the first is missing a soul. 

 chloe moriondo - oyster

catch: Unfortunately I have a feeling this chloe project will not be as good for me as SUCKERPUNCH was. Although this does sound decent, I can't lie. It does sound like a LOT of songs I've heard before but that doesn't make it bad. 7/10

raw: Fun synths! It's another decent song, nothing super exceptional but I like it. 7/10

hate it: It's more of an upbeat bop of a song, I don't really think it's that different quality wise. It's good! It's definitely my favourite of the songs so far. 8/10 [I raised this to an 8 after hearing the next song!].

abyss: This one is actually a bop too, so is the last one my favourite so far? Not sure about that. Maybe I have to revise its score upwards... 8/10

oyster: Okay, why is this now completely different vibes wise from the first 2 songs? It's kinda crazy. Am I going crazy? It's another bop! I enjoy ittttt. 8/10

shoreline: This definitely feels close to like a Mandatory Ballad Moment, even though it isn't exactly that. It's definitely not as good as the previous 3 songs for me. Still like it though. 7/10

parasite: And we're back to the more DUN DUN DUN songs with more of a beat. Again, quite like it. 7/10

7seas: This is definitely my least favourite song so far. It just feels a bit off, honestly? The production isn't quite hitting for some reason. Sorry, 7seas, but you're actually 6seas. 6/10

weak: Intro quote moment. Not sure I'm feeling this one as much either. Blah blah blah talking, not sure I'm a major fan. Kinda passed me by somewhat. 5/10

use: Definitely better than the song before it! 7/10

sinking: Very much an almost drum and bass type of vibe to this, and I'm not sure I'm super feeling it here. It's alright, but I don't really like it TOO much. 6/10

pond: Maybe this is more of the Mandatory Ballad Moment actually. The vocal effects are kinda cute with this kind of song, same with the production elements being a bit freaky in places. I actually think I like this weirdly. It has enough interesting parts to it to make me like it despite it being one of the slower songs. 7/10

siren calling: Another slower moment but she's cute enough. 7/10

Overall Verdict: I didn't really have that much to say about this album, which I'm not sure is as a result of me listening to too much music tonight, being tired, or just having heard a lot of these sounds before. It's a very weird mix of some really BOPPY songs, and also a lot of songs that are slower, or a bit more stripped back. To be fair, I do think a lot of the boppy songs are kinda together, and it goes back down afterwards. This is definitely not going to be one of my favourite albums of the year, it's too inconsistent for that, but there are some great songs here. Alongside some not so great ones too.

 Lozeak - LOZEAK

C'MON: Oh she's a hyperpop type girlie okay. Love it already. Love the production. I am basic. Make songs like this and I will LOVE it. It's short but honestly for these type of songs it works 8/10

NADA: BOP again. I'm simple. I like it. A lot. I love when vocal distortions happen and the production goes a bit off the walls (not too crazy though). 8/10

BED HEAD: SOUNDS SOUND GOOD. VOICE SOUND GOOD. I ENJOY. 8/10

ALPHA: It's sad I don't have too much of substance to say on these songs for some reason. I just enjoy them a LOT. It's a very "I'm at the club, I eat, I'm hot" etc type of vibe but those songs eat. 8/10

SUPER HOT: Me when I'm super hot and super horny. Also me when I got 3 gays and 2 lesbians. Also me when I handstand on a dick tonight. I don't like this one QUITE as much but it's still good of course. 7/10

SEX ON VIDEO (feat. Chase Icon): I think it's a good sign when you have Chase Icon as a feature on your project. Can I not like it? Probably my favourite song so far. It's incredibly catchy, even more so than some of the others. What a STUNNER! 9/10

TRAMP STAMP: I wasn't as much of a fan of the breakdown, I thought it was going to be more of a drop, but maybe it's good to subvert my expectations. Still a bop though, of course. No flops here! 7/10

JACUZZI: The chorus hook is really really catchy here for me. The dun-dun-dun-dun element of it really sucks me in. BOP! 8/10

MOIST: Don't go serving cunt like that, it's too much! Also, bisexual queen. Another bop to add to the arsenal. 8/10

Overall Verdict: The lyrical content is very "I'm hot, I'm sexy, I eat, I like partying" with a lot of sexual lyrics like a lot of hyperpop/these style of artists can be, but it doesn't stop it eating. Sometimes you don't need to pull out your thesaurus to make some great songs. The vibes can be enough, and the vibes here are EATING. May be a new favourite artist of mine honestly, and I'd never heard the name before. S T U N N I N G! Are the songs that fundamentally different from each other? Not really. But it still EATS.

 Lucy Dacus - Forever Is A Feeling

Calliope Prelude: A decent intro with strings and stuff. It's not really my thing but I also like how it opens the album, so, slay for that. Nice transition into the first proper song too.

Big Deal: I have a feeling if the album sounds a lot like this it isn't really going to be my thing, but I somewhat knew that going in. It's very acoustic and honestly, that often doesn't land with me. I like the vocal harmonies and Lucy's voice throughout. The end getting gradually more intense was cool. 6/10

Ankles: I think this song is closer to my vibe, but it's never going to be my favourite. It's definitely more upbeat and has more going on instrument wise. I like it though! It loses me a bit in parts but I still think it's a decent listen overall. 7/10

Limerence: Okay 420 reference, as well as Grand Theft Auto. Taylor Swift found quaking in her boots actually. Kinda as cringey as her doing it. Production wise this is very much not for me at the start, the piano mashed with other stuff, I actively don't like it. It sounds bad to me, maybe it's intentional but I still don't like it. 4/10

Modigliani: Uh oh, this could be not great too. It's something about the production and instruments chosen. This one isn't as bad for the most part, just more boring to me. Lucy Dacus, you will never be famous to me! 5/10

Talk: I thought I hated this at first, but it did grow on me. Not enough for me to super like it, but I did think the production was interesting and didn't sound too bad. There were parts of the song I was like, ew, absolutely not. Sounds terrible. But it redeemed itself enough. 6/10

For Keeps: One thing I will say is a lot of these songs do seem somewhat similar to each other. I mean, they are different songs, but I don't know what it is - maybe the singing, maybe the instruments used that make them sound super similar? Anyway, despite this being a very acoustic song, very barebones, I do like it a bit. I think the vocals are nice. 6/10

Forever Is A Feeling: Title track time. I do think that the contrast between the elements of the production are interesting, the gradual build up, but unfortunately it builds up to something...not amazing at first. I like the sounds that are in the background though. And later on it does get better, can't deny that. I think this song won me around by the end, it was an interesting song structurally with how it built up and changed throughout. 7/10

Come Out: It's fine I suppose? I go back to thinking not really that much of it. It's a pleasant listen. 6/10

Best Guess: Surprisingly, I actually like this one a fair amount. I think it's interesting, it sounds good, and has a lot going for it. I was starting to tire of the album somewhat but this brought it back a bit for me. 7/10

Bullseye (feat. Hozier): It's Hozier time! Song starts off a bit boring but fine. Hozier fits on this song quite well I think. Isn't my thing but I imagine it is Hozier's thing. The harmonies are nice. Still find it kinda boring as a song overall though. 6/10

Most Wanted Man: In this case, I don't think it's terrible, but I also don't really like how it sounds. My genre knowledge is poor here, is it some kind of chill indie rock type thing going on? Anyway, not for me, but nor do I think it's bad really. 5/10

Lost Time: Another boring song to me. It's fine but it's boring. Okay, the switchup towards the end is pretty cool, especially when it seemed like it was already ending. It gets points from me for that. 6/10

Overall Verdict: I will generally try albums even if I think I will not like them going into them. Sometimes I like them more than I think, and it's good to try new music. I was never really a fan of the boygenius/sad/indie type of music and I don't think I ever will be. I don't think this is bad (bar maybe a couple songs) by any means. It's just not for me and that's okay. I see the appeal, even if I don't like it that much. There's some very interesting ideas here for sure.

Perfume Genius - Glory

It's a Mirror: It's a guitar. It's a song that has a guitar in it. It has some other instruments too. It is a song to exist. 5/10

No Front Teeth (feat. Aldous Harding): I have a feeling this album isn't really going to be for me. It is  also a song with a guitar. This song is at least a bit more interesting than the previous one though, and I think I said that in my original review of this song. 6/10

Clean Heart: This is another boring song, but I do like the twinkle like effects. It does switch it up a bit which makes it more interesting. But I just fundamentally don't like how this album sounds really. 6/10

Me & Angel: Me when I'm a boring song. He sounds decent I guess? But I don't have much else to say here. I am not here for it. 4/10

Left For Tomorrow: That was a very long ass intro. It was an intro I suppose. It had a few interesting production elements now and then. 5/10

Full On: It's giving no personally. ZZZZZZZZZ. 4/10

Capezio: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. These songs are doing a good job of making me want to actually fall asleep. Not my genre of music at all. If this is what Perfume Genius is normally like, I will not be listening further. 4/10

Dion: Boring. Not show stopping. Just boring. 4/10

In a Row: A bit more interesting perhaps but, surprise, still boring. Still nothing. I'm losing the will to live. At least parts are more exciting I guess. 4/10

Hanging Out: There are some fun sounds in places. That's about it. Unsettling somewhat I guess. 4/10

Glory: Well, it's finally done. Thank god for that. I think the same about this as basically every other track.  4/10

Overall Verdict: This was not an enjoyable listen to me at all. I know Perfume Genius is like a critical darling, but I'm really not seeing it. It kinda gives me vibes of people that pretend to like artists because they think they're cool and alternative but they don't actually like them. On a more serious note though, it's very much not my thing. It was boring, a lot of the songs felt repetitive, and it was bad to listen to. Like I said, Perfume Genius may not be for me.

Singles:

Bellah Mae - Bad Day To Be My Ex: Can't lie, this is a BOP! It sounds fantastic. Am I a basic gay male for liking this? Yes, but sue me! I don't care. The vocals really fit the vibe of the song, and so does the production with the lyrics. 8/10

CMAT - Running/Planning: It's fine/okay I guess. I don't mind it, it's a pleasant enough listen. 6/10

Dua Lipa (feat. Troye Sivan) - Physical: Physical is a mega bop so it's going to be hard to detach my love from the song generally from the Troye parts. I'm scared, what if it was kept in the vault because it was bad? Okay, so the first verse and chorus are exactly the same, kinda expected. YOU CAN'T CRAM THAT MANY WORDS INTO THAT LENGTH OF TIME WITH THAT BEAT IT DOESN'T WORK IT SOUNDS BAD. He sounds best when he's doing Dua's original lyrics honestly, except the "Don't you agree" was a bit eh. Oh Troye...the harmonies and ad-libs from him are GREAT though. I wish I could sever his original verse from the song though. It's very hard for me to rate because it's a great song originally, parts of it suck, but other parts are great. 7/10

Jax Jones (feat. Rebecca Black and sooyeon) - Bad Boys: Rebecca Black does kinda fit here, I can't lie. But I didn't know featuring on DJ tracks was going to happen with her honestly. Now that I think about it, this is actually kinda garbage. Rebecca Black does WAY better work than this. Like, she sounds good, but that's about the only positive thing to say about this disaster. It doesn't sound good. It's generic and nothing as hell. Can DJ's actually make good songs? Please never let me hear that again, I HATE it. 2/10

Julien Baker & TORRES - Dirt: I honestly didn't know this was an artist pairing until now. Shows what I know! Very much don't expect it to be my type of music though. And...it's very much not. Exactly the type of music I don't like and I find boring. It's definitely a song to be released and exist. How long does this go on for? Someone stop it already. 5/10

Kali Uchis - Sunshine & Rain...: It's alright but not really for me I feel. I don't really have much to say on it other than that? 6/10

Kesha - YIPPEE-KI-YAY.: It starts kinda...eh. I'm not sure I'm really feeling the verses. Actually, I'm not really sure I'm feeling much of it at all. And that was a cringe 10 I see/Tennessee rhyme. I don't get it at all, and I don't like it. Bits of it are maybe a bop, but I'm like...eh???? What happened to JOYRIDE? What is this? Apparently lots of people love it. I definitely don't. The production is nothing, I didn't feel Kesha's singing either. You are DELUSIONAL. to think this is good (joking, obviously). There's a T-Pain version too but I'm not sure I can take listening to it. It's just BAD. 3/10

Maren Morris - carry me through: It's a piano! She sounds decent. I was thinking it sounded a bit too nothing at the start but I think the vocal layers added to it and made it something better. Especially true even further into the song. I think this upcoming album will be a decent listen. 7/10

Self Esteem - If Not Now, It's Soon: Self Esteem may actually be raising up a fair bit in my estimations! She seems to make fun music. And being from Sheffield makes you automatically good obviously. This is definitely not as good as 69, but I still like it. It's very short, which is a crime. The speech in the middle is fun. I think parts of the choir like vocals lose me a bit but it's not terrible. 7/10

Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Relentless Love: Is this some ASMR session? This is a decent song. It's a bop! Sophie sounds good and she definitely feels this sound well. Not sure I'm a fan of the bridge, it ruins the song somewhat. 7/10

St. Vincent - DOA: The production is great, especially the start. Not sure I'm totally feeling the distant space vocals though. I get it's for Effect TM but I don't like the Effect. Production is interesting, cool and sounds good throughout to me. Vocals...eh. 7/10