New Music Friday - 01/08/2025

Albums/EPs:

• Blusher - RACER
• DEBBY FRIDAY - The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life
• Hayley Williams - EGO
• Maren Morris - D R E A M S I C L E (deluxe)  
• Reneé Rapp - BITE ME

Singles:

• Ariana and the Rose - I'm Fine
• Chappell Roan - The Giver
• CHINCHILLA - Ok As I Am 
• Chloe Slater - Harriet
• Demi Lovato - Fast
• Gary Barlow & Becky Hill - Don't Look Down 
• Henry Moodie - sunday morning 
• horsegiirL - Seasalt & Teardrops 
• Kehlani - (un)Folded  
• Luca George - Crying In The Bathroom 
• Mariah the Scientist & Kali Uchis - Is It a Crime 
• Rose Gray - Everything Changes (But I Won't) [feat. Shygirl & Casey MQ] 
• Slayyyter - BEAT UP CHANEL$ 
• Sofia Camara - Parking Lot 
• TSHA - Let's Dance 

BLUSHER - RACER:

RACER: I like the vocals here. They have a good dreamy vibe to them. I think it fits the song well. That chorus is also just really boppy. GREAT song! 8/10

DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT: I feel like this is really strongly reminding me of a different artist I wish I could remember. The verses were fine but didn't really stand out to me, but I do really like the chorus. Also, Accelerator mention! BOP! Anyway, I don't like this quite as much as the last one, but it's still good. 7/10

LAST MAN STANDING: Funky start. But then an immediate bop with that beatttt. Love ittt. Really like the chorus again, but the song in general is just fantastic. Really great boppy energy. It all comes together well. 8/10

MARATHON: Another song where the chorus hits but the verses weren't quite as good for me. The vocals are close to the line of being a bit too annoying with the high pitched stuff but it's not quite there thankfully. Good song still, though I'd say it's probably my least favourite so far. Ended a bit abruptly too. 7/10

WHATEVERWHATEVER: Okay we're back to undisputed bop territory. This is a BOPPP, though it does have some of those high pitches again. Anyway, great song. I was worried the chorus wouldn't drop but thankfully it did. 8/10

RUNNING TO YOU: Is this the obligatory slower type song? But you know what, it sounds fantastic, and it's hardly *slow*. This is where the vocals stand out better to me, and they're great. It feels like it's building to something - oh, and it is. Fun! Anyway, great song yet again. Ohhh, it's a very long song with some switchups. Nice! 8/10

Overall Verdict: This is just a great EP from Blusher. They are a group that really understands pop music. I would love to see them get bigger, they really deserve it. They already have carved out a boppy sound for them I think really works well, and they seem to get the genre quite well. I will be listening to this a lot more, that's for sure! 

DEBBY FRIDAY - The Starrr Of The Queen Of Life:

1/17: The production at the start has me optimistic about this, but we'll see. Some fun electronic sounds. Vocals are not my favourite so far but that could change. It feels like this song might blow up at some point. Okay, we're getting somewhere. Didn't really expect the more spoken part, but I do like it. Ahhh, there's the bop drop I expected. A good song overall! Though I think it spent a bit too long in the 'slower' part' for me. 7/10

All I Wanna Do Is Party: Fun sounds at the start...but wow this is a PARTY song. Hell yeah. I hope it doesn't love momentum with the slower parts. Sadly, I think the slower part did last too long for me - like the whole rest of the song. Give me the bop part back! Still, good song. 7/10

In The Club (feat. HiTech): Ohhh, that production EATS. Never mind, who cares about that last song now. Why is there a man ruining it? Go away. It was doing so well. Every other part of this song is fantastic. The production is a BIG winner. I think it has enough man to knock it down but it's still a FANTASTIC song. Great bop. Just wish that man wasn't in it. 8/10

Lipsync: Also sounds like some great production. Another just undisputed bop. The more sensual talking vocals work really well here. And the production eats as ever. 8/10

Alberta: Okay Canada. Let's see what you've got. A way more chill song that I think leans more R&B but I think it works very well and it sounds gooood. 7/10

Higher: Wasn't fully feeling this at first but okay then it HIT. Love some of that production. Fun song. 8/10

ppp (Interlude): This is pretty good sounding for an interlude. Number one diva indeed! Pretty substantial interlude. It's a full song basically. I really enjoyed it. Sounded great! More chill again but I enjoyed it. 8/10

Arcadia: Okay, back to BOP energy. Quite a fun and substantial intro. Wonder where it's going to go. It was an enjoyable song and I liked it, but I don't think it quite went as far as I wanted it to go. Still, good! 7/10

Leave.: Are we going vocoder here? I always love effects like that. They make vocals funnn. It's rare I don't like it. I like this moody track. 8/10

Bet On Me: Giving a bit of a D&B vibe, and I enjoy it. Sounds like a great song! 8/10

Darker The Better: Sadly not really the best song to end on in my view. So...meh. It's alright I guess. Sad that it ended on one of the worst songs really. 5/10

Overall Verdict: There were mostly truly fantastic songs on this. The vast majority of the album was good to great! There's some real bops here, although I do think a lot of them are on the 'chiller' side. But as a first introduction to DEBBY FRIDAY, this was great. Definitely another artist I will be keeping an eye out for in future. 

Hayley Williams - EGO

Kill Me: Girl, get in line. Don't we all want this? Or is it just me? This song is a weird mix of 'this is kinda boppy but also kinda annoying'. 6/10

True Believer: This song I'm less keen on. I could take or leave it. Well, yikes, that chorus seems a bit bad. Also, outro didn't need to be quite so long. 5/10

Blood Bros: Seems like a chill track. Oh, I may not be a fan of Hayley's voice here. It's a bit of a miss for me. Honestly, weirdly, this is reminding me a bit of Caroline Polachek's music. A song off Desire, I Want To Turn Into You maybe? Anyway, not a fan of this at all. Production is fine if a bit boring, but the vocals...I HATE them. 4/10

Negative Self Talk: Simply don't do this. Easy. Enjoyed this a fair bit! All of the song worked quite well and was an enjoyable listen. Who knew you could make negative self talk sound as good as this? 7/10

Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party: Fun atmospheric start with the sound effects. Sounds like one of the better songs again. Good production, good vocals. I actually liked this one a fair bit! 7/10

Mirtazapine: Everyone's least favourite anti depressant. Makes it sound better than it is though. This was a decent listen, but it's not a song I'm gagging to return to. 6/10

Ice in My OJ: Truly a tragedy to have Ice in your Orange Juice. I liked the screaming vocals in the background. Less so the main ones, ha ha. Still, it was a decent chilled but fun song. 6/10

Brotherly Hate: Hate those background vocals. Oh, I am not a fan of this at all. This production is annoying as hell. Again, hate the vocals in general. To give it a small amount of credit, the chorus is kinda catchy. But that's about it. 3/10

Zissou: I think the vocals again are the main letdown for me for this song. But it's decent otherwise. 6/10

Dream Girl in Shibuya: Cinematic type intro. Liked the production. Oh, okay, not hating the vocals here. This is one of the good songs. Oh, nevermind, those long vocals in the chorus...HATE. They are decent otherwise. Anime mention though! Still, definitely enjoyed this song more than some of the others. 6/10

Discovery Channel: Best channel obviously. Having a bit of a problem with the vocals again, but the production isn't too bad. Do not like that chorus at all, with the talking basically. Yikes. Did not enjoy this. The vocals were the main drag for me, making it sound bad. But it was just a bit boring to me generally. The chorus does have some catchy elements to it, but meh. 4/10

Love Me Different: Okay Sabrina Carpenter, I see you. However, this was better than a Sabrina Carpenter song. Not my favourite, but it again has a catchy element to it. Fun production. Almost like a sexy-ish bop. 6/10

Hard: Ohhh, this could be my favourite song actually. I really like the production here. It's very catchy. And the vocals aren't too bad as well (still not my favourite though). I just hope it doesn't suddenly flop! Thankfully, it did not. I enjoyed this. 7/10

Whim: Pleasant listen, a decent song. Me when I have a lot to say. 6/10

Glum: Well, these vocals are different and fun. I appreciate that. Enjoyable song again, sounds good in all aspects. 7/10

Disappearing Man: I don't like the main vocals at the start, but I did like the repeats in the background. This song thankfully isn't too bad. Sounds decent, the vocals are not too bad. It's definitely not a song I would mind listening to again, but not a favourite. 6/10

I Won't Quit On You: This guitar could go either way for me. It ended up being a chill and pleasant listen for me, but nothing really great. 6/10

Overall Verdict: I guess this isn't technically an album? It was released as a ton of singles. So I guess it would be unfair to review it as an 'album' as such. I think I got unlucky in that I listened to some of the worst songs first, rather than some of the better ones. Still, those garbage songs very much existed, and there was a decent amount of them. Most of the songs ranged from decent to good, however. The project didn't super click with me but it wasn't as bad as I feared with the first few songs -- it was decent in the end. Some of those vocals though... 

Maren Morris - D R E A M S I C L E (deluxe):

in love with me: A chill guitar song. It's a pleasant listen but nothing I really super want to return to. 6/10

be a bitch: Pretty similar to the last one. It has more energy, it was still an enjoyable listen but nothing really stood out to me. 6/10

running: More boppy again, but I just feel the same about it. I could take it or leave it. 6/10

earth angel: Exactly the same as the others. It's fine. 6/10

Overall Verdict: I didn't really have much to say about this. Like some of the standard album, it wasn't really my favourite music. It's pleasant to listen to, but there's nothing about it that really makes me want to ever return to. It just doesn't really connect with me -- not my type of music really. 

Reneé Rapp - BITE ME

Leave Me Alone: Some of the vocals are a bit meh at the start...the talking. But the "leave me alone" bit. Stunning. It really makes the song infectious and catchy throughout, and elevates some of the other less good parts. 7/10

Mad: I like the production here. I just realised there's a lot of talk-singing here too. I wonder if that's going to last. Cool bridge. Enjoyable song throughout. 7/10

Why Is She Still Here?: Can almost see Laufey doing something like this. Don't sue me if my comparisons are bad. Good, boppy, enjoyable song. 7/10

Sometimes: Sad song? Sad song. Not really my favourite, I don't really feel much from it at all. I could leave it honestly. 5/10

Kiss It Kiss It: And we're back to boppy. I like some of those sounds in the background. Very cool. The chorus screams some sort of indie/alt pop artist. But I like it. Chorus felt very good by the end, catchyyy. 7/10

Good Girl: The chorus for this song was quite good as well. Reneé sounds good on it! Definitely felt the verses a lot less though. Carried heavily by the chorus but good song! 7/10

I Can't Have You Around Me Anymore: A slower song that was alright but not really my favourite. Again, I could leave it really. I don't think that's why I come to Reneé Rapp. Slow, minimal songs like this are not really my thing. 5/10

Shy: This screams single energy/boppy energy. Like right from the start. I feel like this is probably my favourite song on the album at this point of the listen. Great song. Except the first part of the bridge...No. Other than that, fantastic! 8/10

At Least I'm Hot: Sounds sexy. I like this. It really screams another artist, I always say this but I can never remember it. Still, good! 7/10

I Think I Like You Better When You're Gone: Some high pitched vocals have me...meh. But otherwise it's a chilled song - it's decent but not amazing. 6/10

That's So Funny: Her voice here REALLY sounds like another artist and I wish I could remember it. ARGHHHH. It's useless if I say that and can't remember it! Anyway, another sad song. Meh honestly. Piano is nice but still...meh. 5/10

You'd Like That Wouldn't You: Got a bit more of a rock influence here. A fun end to the album, although honestly, it's not my favourite song on the album either. 6/10

Overall Verdict: This album was a bit inconsistent for me. A lot of it I liked, but a lot of it I was not really sold on. I think some of the slower songs were the main ones I was not really sold on, I don't really see it. I prefer Reneé for songs like Pretty Girls, more bops. Thankfully, this album had plenty of them still, and did them well. It was definitely an inconsistent listening experience though.

Singles:

Ariana and the Rose - I'm Fine: I don't like the talking at the start. Bit cringe honestly. Woah, that was a vibe shift. That was an unexpected bop. I'm not sure I'm a huge fan of the vocals. But I do LOVE the production. Bop energy. The Itsy Bitsy spider interpolation had me laughing. I'm sorry, I can't get Cupcakke's amazing rendition out of my head. This is a good bop overall though. 7/10

Chappell Roan - The Subway: I am quirky because I only listened to this once when I saw it live. By the way, did I mention I saw Chappell Roan live? Oh, fun sound effects at the start. I actually don't think the verse is my favourite. There's something about the production and vocals that isn't quite working for me. I just felt like that throughout the whole thing. It has a slow sort of energy I don't really like...it's really not my favourite. Like, it's not an acoustic ballad by any means. But I feel like the live version I remember seeing was more passionate almost? I am disappointed, I can't lie. Also, the end part is far too repetitive, and not in a good way. 5/10

CHINCHILLA - Ok As I Am: That piano is great but some of the early vocals do ruin it a bit. I like the extra production hits. Some of the vocals are definitely grating and dragging the song down for me, which is sad. It's taking me out of the sad vibe---woah, okay, production switchup. Fun! I would have liked a full piano ballad but you know what, the bop energy works too. I do think it fits CHINCHILLA better. 7/10

Chloe Slater - Harriet: Well this title is fun! I see you. The song...not so much though. To be fair, it got a lot better, I have to give it that. Does still feel a bit generic though. 6/10

Demi Lovato - Fast: Ohhh, that is a FUN sound. A different sort of electronic vibe. This is fantastic! I really love the bop energy. Let's GO FASTTTTTTT! It's just a song that's exactly the type of music I like. That chorus is greattt, especially the rolling type sounds in the production. Vocals work really well with it too. 9/10

Gary Barlow & Becky Hill - Don't Look Down: Gary Barlow? Becky Hill? Uh okay. Why are we going almost like singer-songwriter type vibe? That is not what Becky Hill should be doing. No thanks. I feel like I'm being hate crimed or something. I don't think they are working well together at all. Badddd song. 4/10

Henry Moodie - sunday morning: He has some good vocals. A new pop boy has entered the arena. I do like this. It's a bit typical alt or indie pop type vibes but I still like it. Pretty decent song! 7/10

horsegiirL - Seasalt & Teardrops: Bop. Definitely gives beach type bop energy. 7/10

Kehlani - (un)Folded: An enjoyable chill song that didn't have too many elements to it but that still sounded good. Great voice, good production. 7/10

Luca George - Crying In The Bathroom: One of the hottest guys I've ever seen. Saw him opening for Peach PRC and wow. Is he single? Uhhh, were we here to talk about music? Anyway, this song is good. Good sorta sad leaning song that has a beat to it. Very sorta indie pop vibes I think. Good production and vocals. That chorus is catchyyy. 7/10 

Mariah the Scientist & Kali Uchis - Is It a Crime: This is a really chill and good R&B song. They work well together. I enjoyed this a fair bit! 7/10 

Rose Gray - Everything Changes (But I Won't) [feat. Shygirl & Casey MQ]: Woah, this is completely different. The vocals at the start. That production. It's way more of a bop. Lyrics are different too! I like this! It has a way different vibe in general. I really like that chorus still. It sounds so good. I'm not sure I totally feel the non Rose Gray vocals fully. I think Rose Gray is the best part of the song, the features not so much. Still, very good song! 8/10

Slayyyter - BEAT UP CHANEL$: I kinda wasn't expecting how it started. The distorted vocals. I think it'll take me a bit of time to get used to that as compared to the chorus which is clearer. That being said, I LOVE IT. The CHORUS is INFECTIOUS. INJECT IT! I want BEAT UP CHANEL$!!! I really LOVE the production. Exactly the sort of stuff I love! I feel like I need the very last part to grow on me but I do LOVE this song. Cunty electronic bop. She NEVER misses! I've already played it a few times because it's just that good. 9/10

Sofia Camara - Parking Lot: A nice piano ballad. I enjoyed it. Good voice. I'm always a sucker for a good piano ballad. The powerful parts were really nice too. Great song overall! 8/10 

TSHA - Let's Dance: The definition of a dance track. Very repetitive and honestly I feel like I wouldn't often return to it but it sounds good! 6/10