New Music Friday - 27/06/2025

Albums/EPs:

• Alex Porat - crushed!
• Barbra Streisand - The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2
• dearALICE - bitterSWEETsummer
• KATSEYE - BEAUTIFUL CHAOS
• Lauren Spencer Smith - The Art of Being A Mess 
• Lorde - Virgin
• Various Artists - F1: The Album 

Singles:

• Alex Warren & ROSE - On My Mind 
• Caity Baser - The Story Of Her
• Caroline Polachek - On The Beach 
• Debbii Dawson - Gut Feelings 
• Dove Cameron - Romeo 
• iyla - Corset  
• Kayla Grace - Summer Song 
• Kesha - THE ONE.  
• Laufey - Lover Girl
• Reneé Rapp - Mad 
• RYL0 - Party Monster 
• Shy Smith - Fan Service 
• Sophia Messa - In My Sleep 
• Tallia Storm - Ready for Love 
• Wet Leg - davina mccall 

Alex Porat - crushed!

Face Like Yours: This production doesn't make me feel good. It does feel a bit unoriginal. But we'll see how it goes. Okay, you know what, I take it back. This is actually pretty good. Boppy, fun lyrics. I can definitely see some Olivia Rodrigo comparisons here. Some of the vocal parts really do sound like Olivia (in a good way!). Intrigued to hear more. 8/10

Kissing You: I didn't like this one as much. I think that guitar or whatever it is is the problem honestly. She still sounds fantastic though. The kissing you hook is quite catchy though. 7/10

Better Than That: Can it beat MARINA's is the question? Well, it's definitely a bop. So that's good news. I really like this honestly. It's a cute song, and a cute pop EP so far. 8/10

Disaster: Coming for Conan's nachos now (wow look at me noticing that song titles are the same aren't I so cool?). Fun production here but honestly I think it's her voice letting me down here. It's a bit more whiny and annoying. Like please stop that. Otherwise, good! 7/10

Brand New Heart: Mostly good but there's a slight miss to me as well. It has a slightly wrong energy to me which stops it being a truly amazing song. Sounds good still though! 7/10

Blueprint: Uh oh this could be the mandatory acoustic ballad type song. Her voice really reminds me of another artist too. Hmm, who is it? Her voice stands out here. Production I'm less of a fan here but Alex's voice does shine through. Ended a bit too abruptly... 6/10

Overall Verdict: For an introduction to Alex Porat, I think this was a good EP for me! It is very pop, and nothing out of the ordinary. But it showcases that she has a good voice, the ability to make catchy songs and good lyrics. While there are parts that are a bit of a miss, Alex is definitely an artist I'm going to check out more in future. We love artists in Canada too! Carly Rae Jepsen who? 

Barbra Streisand - The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (with Hozier): It's Hozier so it must be bad--*gunshot noises*. Nah, I'm joking. Nice intro there with the instruments. Really grand. Also great voice from Barbra. Honestly, they work well together, but I do think Hozier is the one that sounds worse out of the two (sorry!). Good song. 7/10

My Valentine (with Paul McCartney): Sparkle time! I really do like her voice. I think it fits these songs so well. They're quite slow, piano based and romantic but I think that's the right vibe here honestly. Oh, Paul was a bit of a jumpscare at first. Definitely doesn't sound as good again. I'll take Hozier back. I liked this though still. Less good because of Paul. 6/10 

To Lose You Again (with Sam Smith): I'm sure Sam Smith will fit well here. Their voice is good! And I think they do good with ballad type songs. Definitely a strong start with the piano. They seem to work really well together! I like this again. I imagine the album may get a bit repetitive by the end because it will be very piano-ballad-romantic but I'm enjoying it currently. The more built up parts are great too! Very good song. 8/10

The Very Thought Of You (with Bob Dylan): This one felt a bit more boring to me somehow. It kinda lacked something to me. Still sounded pretty though. 6/10

Letter To My 13 Year Old Self (with Laufey): Well this was a bit boring. Very nice voices but still, very bland and nothing really to it. 5/10

One Heart, One Voice (with Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande): Again, a bit bland and boring but they do sound good together. Great voices. Maybe this is losing its appeal now. 5/10

I Love Us (with Tim McGraw): I'm now getting as a repetitive as this album now. It's very duet romantic sweet vibes, but I'm bored of it. Tim McGraw is a great contrast but I'm bored of it now. 5/10

Secret O' Life (with James Taylor): The passage of time is definitely what happened here. 3 minutes passed me by. And then the song ended. Well, they sounded decent again. That's the positive here. 5/10

Fragile (with Sting): This one was slightly more interested as it deviated a bit from the previous blander production. But not majorly so. Still sounded good though! 6/10

Where Do I Go From You? (with Josh Groban) [from the musical, Beba's Manbo]: This was also more interesting. Also, Josh Groban? Swear I've heard that name somewhere before...Hmm...where was that? 6/10

Love Will Survive (with Seal): And you know what, I survived this album. I should be congratulated for that. It wasn't easy doing so. Same as before, good voices, bland for me. 5/10

Overall Verdict: I like the idea of this album as a concept, but I did not like listening to it by the end. I feel like the tracks may be better listened to by themselves than all the way through honestly. It's definitely cohesive, but that is to its detriment in this case. It's the definition of an album that is not majorly for me. Some songs stood out, but mostly I found it bland and boring. Vocals were generally stunning throughout though. 

dearALICE - bitterSWEETsummer:

Sweet: Well this could be a disaster. Awful. Bad production and bad voices. Like...yikes. Bland, awful, vocals sound bad. It all sounds bad. I guess it got a bit better and a bit more catchy? 3/10 

Save Us: God, is this men, or what is the problem here? Because it's a problem. A BIG one. Oh my god I'm the mandatory ballad and yet I suck. There's basically no emotion in it somehow. Some of those vocals are a big disaster too. 2/10

Drums: Here come the drums...here comes the assault on my ears instead. What the HELL is this garbage? Like, it sounds BAD in all areas. Bad production, bad vocals, bad everything. It's a MESS! Disaster! Like, people enjoy this? Anyone? Like that's a possibility? Music is subjective but this is almost objectively bad. 1/10

Ariana (Leslie Brathwaite Mix): This feels like it's trying to be in its like hyperpop lite bag and it isn't really working. Another mess. But the production does bring it up a bit. Definitely a bit more catchy too. Still terrible though... 3/10

Roses: I don't want you to buy me roses. Go away. Your music is really garbage. Sorry. You couldn't pay me to listen to more of this honestly. And yet my dedication to listening to the whole thing...ugh...Bad vocals here, bland, bland and terrible production again. Sounds trash. Some really awful high pitched parts too. 2/10

Butterflies: I feel like this EP will never end and it isn't even that long. Please help. Another piano type ballad song? And yet it somehow sounds really really BAD. Bland, awful vocals again. Like did they learn to sing at a joke school? BAD stuff. Generic, bad stuff. Bad abrupt ending too. 2/10

Ariana (Risc Remix): Oh and now we have a weird ass remix. I mean I guess the production of it is fun but it's still a bad song and this doesn't save it. It's less garbage than some of the other songs though. 3/10

Overall Verdict: I've found an official new project that could be played to torture me because wow, that was one of the worst things I've heard in a while. Just terrible all around. Terrible vocals. 

KATSEYE - BEAUTIFUL CHAOS:

Gnarly: Still a good song, we don't need the Tesla mention though. The production is so eating. Kinda eating their semi hyperpop bag and we're here for it. 8/10

Gabriela: Oh it's this song again. Definitely way more of a miss. I'm not sure what possessed them to go in this direction after Gnarly. It goes on a bit too long and that chorus is repeated far too much (or at least it feels like it). But you know what, I don't hate it now. They kinda got me... 6/10

Gameboy: I had a Gameboy because I'm so old wow. Not feeling this, even with the twinkle synths. Random game noises and stuff too that's fun. But I'm just not really vibing with the song too much. Some really annoying sounds too. Please make it stop already I'm done. 5/10

Mean Girls: Omg Charli is that you? That's a nice beat but I'm not feeling this song either really. Where did the Gnarlyness go? Really generic and mediocre songs that have not much to them. "God bless the X girls"...ZZZ. 5/10

M.I.A: This feels like more of a Gnarly song. Similar production vibes. I definitely like it a lot more than the other songs on the EP (other than Gnarly). It should have been the energy of the whole thing. Why did they stop it? 7/10

Overall Verdict: This kinda feels like a collection of random songs that don't really have much reason being together. Like, why the sudden production shift from Gnarly to most of the other songs? And a shift which by the way, sucked. They should have stayed in their Gnarly bag. 

Lauren Spencer Smith - The Art of Being A Mess:

What a beautiful day: Sorry, was that a bed creaking? Good voice. But piano could be...bad, we'll see. Quite bland for a lot of it, sounded kinda bad as well. But it did get better. A beat was added and the vocals sounded better at that point. Some of the lyrics...meh. So, some good parts, some bad. 5/10

Sticks & Stones: Okay, this is better. More catchy, sounds better. I think the vocals are bit off for me to still but it's a lot better! I didn't need the cringe sticks and stones bit though, that kinda ruined it a bit. Ohhh, that second chorus is powerful. Really liked that. Really brought me back. I can ignore that really cringe bit I guess. Why is that cringe bit there again? Ugh. The rest is so good. You could have got an even higher rating! 8/10

bridesmaid: Some of those vocals really remind me of another song, I like it though. Not a major fan of the production to start with. I think the vocals really carry this song. They're the catchy part and what makes this song not just bland and boring. The vocals really DO carry this. I can't look past the production dragging it down though. 6/10

Lighting the flame: This is some fun production! I like the start. Fun piano! This is fun piano. Good vocals so far too. Please chorus work. Oh hell YEAH that's exactly what I wanted. WIN! Really like that chorus. The verses don't quite compare but stunning song! 8/10

parallel universe: Not my favourite but I think the vocals are the stronger point here. Bit bland otherwise. 6/10

IF KARMA DOESN'T GET YOU (I WILL): Randomly going for more of a rock vibe? Okay. I mean why not? Not really my favourite honestly. A bit of a miss for this shift for me. I don't think this was needed. 5/10

things you never say: Mandatory Ballad time? Don't mind if I do. Voice is the highlight here again. It carries the song well. 6/10

Long Story Short: Another piano ballad? Don't mind if I don't. Well, this one was definitely bland. Sad really. Where has the good stuff gone? 5/10

WORSE: Hallelujah core? Did we suddenly fall into a flop part of the album? Also, weird ass transition into that guitar. It's teasing me with a drop but it isn't happening. STOP IT. STOP EDGING ME. It isn't fair! Well it finally happened thank god. I'm not going to forget the first 2/3 of the song though, you won't catch me there, as good as the last bit is for me. 6/10

Pray: Not bad, decent, but not fantastic either. It definitely had a bit more energy to it. Liked some of the vocals here. 6/10

Looking Up: Hi guitar! This was also decent but not fantastic. Vocals good, production alright, but nothing outstanding for me. A lot more of this album was slower than I expected. 6/10

someday...: Cute background noises. It's a bit slow but I appreciate it as a cute closer for the album. It feels like it fits well there. Oh, is it gradually building up? That could be fun. I think it made sense to have a built up section as the album was a mix of the slower and more intense sections. It wasn't my all time favourite but I did appreciate it as the closer to the album. Good song. 7/10

Overall Verdict: Well, I think this wasn't the best album ever, and I got a bit misled by the first few songs. To a large degree, it was kinda bland and boring, with slow songs that did not really do much for me. The songs that popped off were few and far between, but they did very much HIT. I wish she leaned in that direction for more of the album. It was one that I definitely got bored of by the end. 

Lorde - Virgin:

Hammer: Fun start in production. Wackyyyy. I really do like that. Honestly, really good song. I really like the boppy parts. The wacky and fun production. The lyrics, the vocals. All fantastic. Great start to the album. 8/10

What Was That: Another stunner song. I really liked this song. Great lead single for me. It's a bop, very catchy. Some great synthssss on it. Vocals great too. Really a return after a Solar Powered flop. 8/10

Shapeshifter: D&B type vibes and beat here? Interesting. Interesting vocal effects too. Not sure how I feel about it yet. Ohhh, the contrast with that other production element, that's fun. I liked this in the end. It is definitely catchy, has really interesting production to it. The vocals grew on me by the end too. That ending was fantastic! Brilliant stuff. 8/10

Man Of The Year: Well, I didn't like this as a single before, so let's see how I feel about it now. It was a bit boring and bland for me. Yeah, the same still applies for the most part. The part towards the end with the more prominent synths and the buildup was the best part. 6/10

Favourite Daughter: Oh, I like this. Really fun beat. Great vocals too. Is this directed at Lorde's fans?Oh, it's also about her mum, I see. That's sweet and difficult. Really well produced song though. I like the both sparser and catchy production and sounds. 8/10

Current Affairs: Omg if only this song came out when I had to submit a song for a Music League related to your job or degree. I love Current Affairs TM.  Like the production to start with again. Tasted your WHAT? Oh I did not like those weird vocals. What Was That? Some of the other background elements are great though. Really did enjoy this still. 8/10

Clearblue: Oh, this song is shorter. That's fun. Interesting start with the vocals. I'm not sure I'm totally feeling it? It's incredibly sparse, mostly focused on the vocals and those background sounds. Which I'm not super here for. It doesn't sound terrible though. 6/10

GRWM: Well this was also interesting. Some really fun production choices here. I think I'm really digging the chaotic but sparse vibe. It hits me less in this song but it's still good. 7/10

Broken Glass: Oh, another sparse song with a beat. Interesting! Ohhh that's fun production. I like those synths. I really like this. Bop energy! Really enjoy this song! Like, inject ittttt! 9/10

If She Could See Me Now: Funnn start! That production is godlyyyy. I wonder where it's going to go. Not sure I was feeling the weird vocalising parts. But the rest of it, fantastic! 8/10

David: Okay, interesting start. Very sparse throughout the first part of the song, but I really like the production elements introduced halfway through the song. Unsure if it's going to pop off or not but I don't mind either way. I really like it. Fantastic stuff, fantastic voice! Great production towards the end, great ending. 9/10

Overall Verdict: I really enjoyed this. I think it's an album that holds up quite well. Lorde really nails the sparser production here, but it really works well with her voice and the lyrics. I really enjoyed a lot of the songs on this album. It's definitely an album I'll return to a fair bit, and a big step up from Solar Power (sorry, I know that's boring and predictable, but it's true!). 

Various Artists - F1 The Album:

Don Doliver (feat. Doja Cat) - Lose My Mind: Interesting production to start. Oh no, jumpscare of a man. Help! Production is kinda boring but gets a bit more interesting. It's a bit generic honestly. Doja is probably the best part of this but that's not saying much. 5/10

Dom Dolla - No Room For A Saint (feat. Nathan Nicholson): Now what the hell is this? Ew. No thanks. Those vocal effects deserve to die. Is the point of this album supposed to convince me F1 sucks or something? Suppose the production is getting more interesting though! This was kinda mostly a nothing song. What even happened here? The production was the best part but that's also not saying much. 5/10

Ed Sheeran - Drive: This kinda seems like the straight man anthem somehow I don't know I don't make the rules. Oh god Ed jumpscare. Unfortunately I'm afraid to report this had catchy elements and wasn't the worst song in the world. I suppose straight men can do something after all. 6/10

Tate McRae - Just Keep Watching: I'm afraid to report this is kinda a bop actually. Which sucks considering who she recently decided to work with. But this is one of the best songs on the soundtrack so far (and honestly wouldn't be surprised if it was altogether). Just a cute bop very much in Tate's wheelhouse. Very infectious production. 8/10

ROSÉ - Messy: Omg hi Lola You-wait a minute not that one okay. Was kinda nothing until the chorus. The production does hit there, although I'm maybe not a huge fan of ROSÉ's voice overall? Great song in the chorus, merely decent otherwise. 7/10

Burna Boy - Don't Let Me Drown: This seems decent enough. It is a man so...big flop automatically. I liked the verses though. Not sure I felt the chorus as much though. Oh, that mini instrumental break, I hated that actually. Like an assault on my ears. 6/10

Roddy Ricch - Underdog:  This was enjoyable actually. Nice rap song. Didn't have too much to it but it still sounded good. 7/10

RAYE - Grandma Calls The Boy Bad News: Honestly, probably the song on this album I'm the most excited for. RAYE better not let me down, and with that title too! WAIT, what the hell is that start? Uhm...no RAYE please...no...don't do this to me. It thankfully improved a bit from that DISASTER of a beginning. And RAYE's vocals are always stunning. Can't get over the start but RAYE does redeem it some much. 6/10

Chris Stapleton - Bad As I Used To Be: Feel like I've heard quite a few songs that start like this. Also, wow, this is a LONG ass intro. It's not really my vibe of music. Oh and a man jumpscare of course. Honestly, really quite liked a lot of the instrumentals. And then a man comes and ruins it. Reminds me a bit of some of the Pink Floyd music I like honestly. This did not need to be that long please stop now. 6/10

Myke Towers - Baja California: Interesting start with the strumming. Not feeling those background vocals so let's hope it gets better. Oh, I didn't realise this would be not in English. That's cool! I don't like this guy's voice though sadly. Production is kinda annoying too, so are those background vocals. 4/10

Tiesto & Sexyy Red - OMG!: Has a fun beat! Let's see if it's a generic DJ track. Very likely I feel. Yeah, it is a very generic DJ dance track sadly. It's fairly catchy honestly but it's just as soulless to me as any other. Nothing really special about it. Doesn't sound bad at all though. 6/10

Madison Beer - All At Once: This could be another stunner song! Let's hope. It starts promising but yikes is that pre-chorus BAD. Disaster! Chorus seems pretty decent though! I like that production and it's catchy. 7/10

Peggy Gou - D.A.N.C.E: Please don't stay generic please don't stay generic please don't stay generic. This is decent enough! It is still very generic though. Generic dance beat, generic dance song. I guess the name reflects that well? 6/10

PAWSA - DOUBLE C: Oh no, not another man. Fun beat though. Don't really like this. Especially the slower part. Feeling like I want it to be over please. There's nothing really much to this song at all for me. 5/10

Mr Eazi - Attention: This honestly kinda just happened for me. It had a good enough beat, good enough singing, it just didn't really make a major impression on me. I guess it's not really my type of music. Nothing wrong with it at all though. Do not think it's bad. 5/10

Darkoo - Give Me Love: Hmm, I think I like the beat a bit more here, although the vocal effects on Darkoo's voice do annoy me. I don't like it when artists do that echoy vibe a lot of the time. Decent song still though! 6/10

Obongjayar - Gasoline: Fun start with whatever instrument that is. I'm dumb so I don't know. Some sort of guitar? I don't really like his voice honestly on this, I'm not sure I think it totally fits the production (it's too high maybe?). I do think the production is groovy and catchy though. That's the main appeal to me. 6/10

Overall Verdict:  This was not really a great album. They tried to recreate the Barbie album and failed miserably. This plus the reviews of the album very much suggest to me that NOBODY should watch the film, which is not what you want! Don't get me wrong, there's a couple of great songs on here, but they mostly range from mediocre to okay-decent. It's nothing special. The Barbie soundtrack may have been overhyped a tad but it was a lot better than this album. Definitely not one I will be returning to outside of a couple of songs.

Singles:

Alex Warren & ROSÉ - On My Mind: Man jumpscare, and a guitar jumpscare. It could all be over already...Well ROSÉ does sound better here. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about them together though. I'm not sure it's totally working for me, and it kinda doesn't sound good. I think it's a bit of a miss. 5/10

Caity Baser - The Story Of Her: Funnily, I actually saw this live before I reviewed it. And I didn't think it was that good there (although the message is somewhat relatable), so let's see how this goes. I just don't like how it sounds. It's too repetitive in a bad way, and the production is annoying. Feels too long. And like I said, the message is a difficult and important one, but still. Not a great song. 5/10 

Caroline Polachek - On The Beach: Oh Caroline, don't go breaking the music industry like that again. With that production and the ocean sounds, this is going to be good, I can tell. Oh, the vocals are really wacky to start and I like that. This has really fun wacky production. Loveeee it. Classic Caroline Polachek great stuff. The synths, the vocals, the sound effects, the beat. Everything goes together so well. Ugh, she can never make bad music. Some of the vocals remind me a bit of how she sings on Parachute especially on Pang. Really like that song so makes sense I really like this one too. 9/10

Debbii Dawson - Gut Feelings: Can she deliver yet another banger? Okay, seems the answer is yes. Classic stuff. Oh, vocals are fun and robotic here. Really good song overall. Boppy, fantastic, great production, great voice. 8/10

Dove Cameron - Romeo: Not me seeing this live before it was released as well! She seemed great opening for Dua Lipa. I like the production on this. Pretty good song! I like its dark sort of vibes. 7/10

iyla - Corset: Interesting start to the song. Definitely enjoyed listening to this with the vocals, including those background ones. Well, not really the male ones but whatever. We'll ignore that. Fun end. 7/10

Kayla Grace - Summer Song: Not really sure this was my favourite. Typical type of alt pop song for me. Nothing really that special to me. Not bad though, it sounds pleasant. 6/10

Kesha - THE ONE.: Okay, this is a fun introduction. Almost like some sort of national anthem type thing? I think I like this. Honestly, strong vocal performances here. It's a good song. It's no BOY CRAZY but what song is? 7/10

Laufey - Lover Girl: Okay, kinda wasn't expect that start. Oh, I see, we're going into that classic type of sounds. Not really majorly for me. I've listened to a song really similar to this recently, can't remember what it was, but it wasn't my favourite. It's still a decent song though, I just never really vibe with this 'old' type of sound. Very much a good song though, just not one for me. 6/10

Reneé Rapp - Mad: Not sure I'm feeling this so far. She sounds good but that's a given. Yeah, even the chorus is a bit of a miss for me. Very sad. It's not bad by any means but it just doesn't sound good to me either. 5/10

RYL0 - Party Monster: I'm hoping I'll like this. Production so far seems I will. The vocals have a fun kinda robotic chopped vibe to them and I like that. Oh and there's the dance beat part. Good song! Never mind, it got betterrrrr. Hell yeah. 8/10

Shy Smith - Fan Service: Oh, this could be an instant hit with me with that production. Yep, it has all the right elements. Fantastic stuff. This is exactly the sort of song I fall in love with instantly. Yessss. 9/10

Sophia Messa - In My Sleep: This was fun enough! I liked its general sound, I like how Sophia sounds, it's definitely got a catchy element to it. The beat and production is goood. 7/10

Tallia Storm - Ready for Love: Not sure how I feel about this. Some of that production feels wrong. Maybe a bad mix or something? Or idk maybe it's growing on me. Not a bad song by any means. Not my favourite either. 6/10

Wet Leg - davina mccall: Legends just for the song title and coming to get you lyrics. It's definitely a more enjoyable song from them in general for me too. I enjoyed this. Maybe the album won't be so bad after all. 7/10