New Music Friday - 15/08/2025

Albums/EPs:

• Alison Goldfrapp - Flux
• Audrey Hobert - Who's the Clown?
• Ayesha Erotica - precum
• Conan Gray - Wishbone
• David Archuleta - Earthly Delights
• Fetish - Super Sexy Summer
• Madison Rose - Monochrome: The White Album

Singles:

• Amie Blu - bite 
• Asha Banks - Rerun 
• Ashnikko - Trinkets
• Betty Who - Fabulous
• Cat Burns - All This love 
• Cat & Calmell - Cool Star
• Cannelle - MP3
• Cate - Touch Grass 
• Claire Rosinkranz - Dancer  
• dodie - I Feel Bad For You, Dave 
• JACOTENE - Why'd You Do That?
• Jade LeMac - Running Home 
• Khalid - in plain sight 
• King Princess - Girls
• Kings Elliot - What If This World 
• Lava La Rue - easy come, easy go 
• Leith Ross - Stay 
• Liamani - Dear Little Me 
• LOVA - It's Alright
• Madeline The Person - Man On The Moon 
• Michael Medrano - ANIMAL
• Mimi Webb - You Don't Look At Me The Same
• Molly Grace - WYKYK 
• Paige - no hoping 
• The Beaches - Lesbian of the Year 
• Tiggi Hawke - Calling Earth 
• Zara Larsson - Crush

 

Alison Goldfrapp - Flux:

Hey Hi Hello: This is a pleasant synth pop song. Just enjoyable all around. Fun start to the album too. 7/10

Sound & Light: Pretty similar to this. It's a nice atmospheric slower bop type synth song, I think. Good song. 7/10

Reverberotic: Pretty similar here. Mid tempo boppy synth type song. The cohesiveness here is quite good. It definitely feels technological or robotic. 7/10

Strange Things Happen: Another moody slow type bop song. I think that's the theme of the whole album (though this one seems even more moody). 7/10

UltraSky: Again, pretty similar here. There's nothing really that different about these tracks. 7/10

Play It (Shine Like A Nova Star): Had more of a bop vibe to it but honestly, still pretty similar, enjoyable, but yeah. 7/10

Find Xanadu: This feels like the boppiest of all the songs so far. It has a faster vibe to it. Probably my favourite too! 8/10

Cinnamon Light: And we're back to the same old. Good, but I feel at this point it is starting to drag on a bit. 7/10

Ordinary Day: A bit more boppy but it has the same vibe yet again. Like I said, getting a bit fed up of it now. 7/10

Magma: Started pretty much the same, thankfully it had a bit more of a bop energy, giving it some freshness. A good song, but I'm glad the album is over at this point. 7/10

Overall Verdict: So, I do think this was a good album overall. I liked the mostly chill, midtempo, bobby and electronic atmosphere. There were a couple of bops too. However, I do think it was a bit too cohesive and a bit too long for its own good. By the end, it definitely started to drag for me. So, it's a good album, but it could have been better with some changes. 

Aubrey Hobert - Who's the Clown?:

I like to touch people: This gives me a bit of country vibes. Also just a generic indie pop song. It's alright. Nothing special. Also, girl, keep your hands to yourself. 6/10

Sue me: This is a bit more of a bop! Enjoyable electronic bop. This is more my sort of vibe. 7/10

Drive: Well, that was a song. It was okay. It kinda just happened. Nothing great. It was alright. 6/10

Wet Hair: This was pleasant enough, like there's nothing really wrong with it as such, but I just didn't feel much at all either. It was kinda just pleasantly there in the background. 6/10

Bowling alley: Is this really that much different from the previous song? I feel the same about it. 6/10

Thirst Trap: The gays on Bluesky would love this song. Has a bit more of a bop vibe to it. But it's still kinda missing something to me. It's not bad, but yeah. 6/10

Chateau: Another country leaning song. It's fine. 6/10

Sex and the city: Ehhh, it's another fine country adjacent/acoustic type song. Simply just fine. 6/10

Shooting star: This has more of a synth vibe so that's fun. Still not a major fan of it. It's alright. 6/10

Don't go back to his ass: YOU can't STOP me Aubrey. So THERE. I WILL. Okay, I definitely will after that start. I do not like this. Mehhhhh. Bad. Really rubs me the wrong way. 4/10

Phoebe: Again, it's fine. It's pleasant. No more or less than that. 6/10

Silver Jubilee: Electronic type vibe here. Doesn't quite feel like it fits with most of the other songs. I did like it more though, so that's a win for it. 7/10

Overall Verdict: I'd describe this album mainly as pleasant background music. It didn't really do much for me, except pass the time in a fairly pleasant way. I don't see me ever going back to it. If you like more chill singer-songwriter type indie pop, you may love it. But I do not. But nor is it garbage either. Maybe it's simply not for me. 

Ayesha Erotica - precum:

WHORE IDOL (feat. MkX): Oh, we're onto a winner with that heavy electronic production from the start. Hell yeah. It gives me a bit of earlier Lady Gaga I think? Great song! 8/10

HOW2FUCK: Oh, this is going to be a great project all the way through isn't it. Great combination of vocals and production. It just gives the cunty electronic vibe. YESS! 8/10

STAR 69: This one isn't quite as good but it's still decent. It's got a bit of a slower vibe to it. 7/10

GANG: Not the creampie lyric...Anyway, good song, I enjoyed it, but not quite as good as the first two. Still got a great vibe overall, this project is gooood. 7/10

BITCH: Good electronic production and vibe here. It's pretty cunty. Enjoyed it a lot! 8/10

GIDDY UP: More cunty electronic production. Not quite as good but very enjoyable. 7/10

RUNAWAY: For some reason, this didn't majorly work for me. Maybe it's the vocals? Not sure. But this was more of a miss for me. Not terrible, it was alright enough but not great either. 6/10

MENLO PARK: Oh, fun start production wise. That is heavy! Really enjoyable! 8/10

Overall Verdict: I did expect to like this project going in, and Ayesha did not disappoint, as pretty much always. She makes some banging music. This is really my vibe. Heavy electronic experimental leaning pop. Like, hell yeah! Inject it into my veins. 

 Conan Gray - Wishbone:

Actor: Don't threaten me with an acoustic guitar. It's not a good time. Not really a fan of those background vocals. Conan's singing is fine. It picked up a bit but I'm not really sure it's really working for me. I think the vocals in this part don't quite work for me. Abrupt ending. Overall, meh. 5/10

This Song: The production on this, not a fan. Nor the vocals too. They're somehow worse than the last song. This singing is...obnoxious, thanks for pointing it out Conan. 4/10

Vodka Cranberry: Is this just going to be an acoustic guitar coded the album the whole way through? Please no. Save me. It's just...meh. Some of those high notes...well. This one was unoffensive though, not bad. 5/10

Romeo: What are these instruments? Whatever they are, I don't want them. There was a stupid annoying sound at the start. The layered vocals are...not good. It does not sound good. Bad chorus. 4/10

My World: The vocals are just working for me for some reason. I'm not sure exactly what it is but I'm not liking his vocals in the whole project. Not a major fan of the song generally either. That bridge, no thank you... 3/10

Class Clown: I feel like a bit of a class clown listening to this. Boring, repetitive, without much substance at all. I suppose it could have been worse, somehow, though... 3/10

Nauseous: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. It was doing a bit better until those layered vocals started. NO! We are NOT supporting it! 3/10

Caramel: Oh I'm already done and I've got tons left. HELP! It's not good for me. Starts bad, I'm sure it will remain bad. That production just does not sound good. It's not quite as good thankfully. 4/10

Connell: Guitar, guitar, no, no. Boring, sadly. I just don't feel it despite it being an emotional song. It switched up a bit towards the end but still eh... 4/10

Sunset Tower: Same here. I just don't feel anything from it at all. I just don't think these songs work at all for me. The vocals are just...not it. 4/10

Eleven Eleven: These are just the same boring bland songs at this point. Like, stop it. Okay, to be fair, thankfully, this one grew on me from "bad" to "mediocre". Don't say I don't treat you Conan! Some of the vocals actually work for me here, for once. 5/10

Care: Meh, meh, meh. That's what I have to say. At least it was a bit high energy I guess? But the vocals again...bad. 4/10

Overall Verdict: This album was very much not for me. Conan's vocals were often a miss. The production was stale, and it was overall boring at best, and just...bad at worst. Like somehow he's managed to produce what is probably his worst project yet for me, and everyone else loves it. I am tasteless! To be fair though, I never loved Conan's music in the first place, so...Take from that what you will. 

David Archuleta - Earthly Delights:

Give You the World: Let's not with the guitar. Voice feels a bit...hit or miss. Meh, this song feels really sparse somehow. Even with the increase in production...it just feels like a bit of a mess? Not here for this. It's a song but I'm not sure all the parts together really work. 4/10

Crème Brulée: This is a bit more like it. It has more of a dancey vibe to it. The twinkle production is nice. Definitely a lot more enjoyable than the last song, good! 7/10

Can I Call You: Seems a bit...bland again. Or...not with the chorus, thankfully. It has something to it again. Okay, you know what, in the end...this was good. The first part didn't really work but the rest did. 7/10

Lucky: The production is not working for me at all here. Another mess sadly. Like...the elements of the song just don't work together. Well...that was a bit of a mess. Thank god it's over. 4/10

Home: Piano but it sounds kinda bad. The high vocals here don't excuse a bad song. 4/10

Dulce Amor: Another flop. Like...zzzz. Nope. At least it's over. 4/10

Overall Verdict: Well, there were like two good songs, the more dancey one in my view. The rest...wow, were bad. Yikes. So it's not a project I'm returning to any time soon. Just a bit of a mess overall honestly. Queer men make better music please! Same applies to Conan...

Fetish - Super Sexy Summer:

1OH!1: On first listen I kinda hated this...but in the end, I actually think I like this somewhat. The vocals became less grating to me, and the production is actually reasonably enjoyable. Sometimes I wonder if I'll like every song if I listen to it enough times... 6/10

Roberto Cavalli: Fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck-fuck, so true. This seems like it's my vibe, but we'll see. Again, the production was interesting, and I liked it somewhat, but I think there's something about the songs that are not quite right that prevent me from liking them more? 6/10

Juicy Fruit (feat. 6arelyhuman): Okay, this feature sounds pretty cunty. This has a cunty bop vibe to it. I like it! Good production all around. 7/10

Geek Star:  This feels a bit less good again. Though the production is quite interesting again. This project really has that going for it. These songs are shortttt. 6/10

I Go Hard: Pretty similar here. Interesting production, decent enough, but still sadly not amazing. 6/10

Pussy Monster: I like the twinkle production here. But it's not really any different from the previous songs. Good, but not that good. 6/10

Tamagotchi (feat. CHRIST DILLINGER): Some of the sound effects are funny! Like that. But yeah, same as always. 6/10

Everybody Here Used To Hate Me: This was probably one of the most "normal" songs on here. It was chill and enjoyable. 7/10

Overall Verdict: The production here is super interesting, it's on the experimental edge, but I think the vocals and the general vibe of it don't quite work together well enough for me. It's a decent project, but I don't like it enough to return to it sadly. 

 Madison Rose - Monochrome:

PEARLY GATES (ENTRE'FRACTE): A really short intro track. I think it sets the scene well. I liked it. OKAY FINE I'LL WAKE UP. [No rating].

MIRACLES: This is a bop! I like the production on this! The vocals are probably the main letdown for me on this, they sound not as good as I want. But the production is fun. Dance bop! 7/10

SUPERSONIC: Nice transition. Production is a HIT here. Love it. 8/10

DAYDREAMING: Another HIT of production. Love this! HELL YEAH BOP TERRITORY LET'S GOOOOOO!! 9/10

ONLY HUMAN: I like the vocal effects here. Is it a vocoder type effect? I like it anyway. Moody. Nice song, but not quite as good as some of the previous ones. 7/10

LOVE PRISM: We're back to FUN. Ew, not the chants, let's ignore that. Not really where I expected the song to go, but you know what, fair enough. Good song. Even if it's kinda repetitive, the production is fun. 7/10

SUGAR TANK: A good song, but I think the vocals are my main problem here again. They're quite hit and miss for me. But the production is great as ever! And it makes up for the inconsistent vocals for me. 7/10

TWA: Interlude, it's cool. I enjoyed it. I liked the previous song going into it. [No rating].

PANAVISION: Welcome back Judas, or I don't know, any heavy electronic song like that. I like it though, so, winner! 7/10

SINNERS: This almost gives me a bit of a rock type vibe in a sense? Country too maybe? I don't know. Good song anyway. 7/10

RAMONA: I liked the start a lot. The "RAMONA!" parts were cool. Great production again. Boppy and dark. 8/10

GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS: This is a BIG win. Like, BOP!!! Fantastic production and the vocals work well with it too. Cunty cunt cunt. 9/10

ATOMIC BLONDE: Oh, this is pretty good too. Pretty similar vibe. Great stuff! 8/10

RED LIPSTICK: This definitely feels like way more of a miss. Don't like its general vibe honestly. Electronic but also somewhat wrong. It's okay I guess but...meh. 5/10

FULLY CHARGED: Didn't really feel this rap like song either. I think it's a lot more of a miss. Mehhh. Let's stop this. 5/10

SHE'S THE ONE: More along the right vibe, this was good! More the boppy vibe. 7/10

HAUS! I feel like some of the vocals are yet again a miss here. Yeah, this was a bit of a meh song overall despite the boppy vibe. Okay Lady Gaga references. 5/10

PARADISE: Another song that's not amazing sadly. Ehhh. It's alright, it feels a bit better than the last one. It's decent, but not amazing. 6/10

FALLING OUTTA HEAVEN: This really feels like a generic dance track I could expect from someone like Becky Hill. It's...fine. 6/10

SUMMER REIGN: Oh, this was an interlude, okay. It's cool I guess. But before the last song? That's kinda wack. Why not I suppose. [No rating].

MONOCHROME (FINALE): I wish it picked up a bit more like the song said. I don't know, it's fine, a bit 'fun' or whatever. But I don't know, I kinda wanted better for an ending. It is fine, but yeah. 6/10

Overall Verdict: I think this was quite inconsistent, and far too long. There are some great songs on here, but it's an album that definitely could have done with a bit of editing for sure. It did not need to be remotely as long as it was. As an *album*, maybe not the best. But having some quite boppy songs on it (mostly, there were a few misses), great! 

Singles:

Amie Blu - bite: Not the guitar! Noooo! Stop! Nice voice though. It is a nice listen even though it's in that acoustic style of song that's not majorly my thing. 6/10

Asha Banks - Rerun: Maybe we could have kept it without production honestly. Some of those noises I am not a fan of. It was fine in the end, I guess. Nothing special but it was decent enough. It was only some elements of the production that were annoying. 6/10

Ashnikko - Trinkets: This is so good! Ashnikko is coming for AOTY at this rate with these quality releases. Great bop! I love the...rotating/up and down twinkle synths, if that makes any sense at all? Great song, basically. 8/10

Betty Who - Fabulous: Boppy! Not totally sure I love the vocals though. So yeah, boppy but also not quite there for me. 6/10

Cat Burns - All This Love: Very pleasant song. Great vocals. I enjoyed it, but I don't think I'll return to it. 7/10

Cat & Calmell - Cool Star: Dance track let's go! This was enjoyable, though it was nothing special in that regard. 7/10

Cannelle - MP3: An electronic 'cutsey' type song. It's decent but nothing I haven't really heard before. 6/10

Cate - Touch Grass: But what if I don't want to? Oh it's country music okay. Maybe I'll touch grass to stop country music, I don't know. To be fair, a good country song. 7/10

Claire Rosinkranz - Dancer: This really did not work for me at all sadly. Even though it's supposed to be a bop. It's kinda just there. 5/10

dodie - I Feel Bad For You, Dave: This gives me Laufey vibes. And in that, it's pleasant and nice to listen to but not really a favourite. 6/10

JACOTENE - Why'd You Do That?: Interesting noises to start with. Good voice. Again, not a favourite, but pleasant to listen to. I like the drums especially. 6/10

Jade LeMac - Running Home: Not a fan of the vocals at the start, but we'll see. Okay, to be fair, it turns into a bop. Enjoyable! And the vocals are not too bad the rest of the song either. 7/10

Khalid - in plain sight: This was quite an enjoyable song! I honestly feel like I need to listen to Khalid's music more because basically everything I've heard has been good. 7/10

King Princess - Girls: It was pleasant but it didn't really do too much for me honestly. Nice voice. Also, haha can't relate #GayMan amiright? 6/10

Kings Elliot - What If This World: Sad song. Didn't really too much for me but it was pleasant. 6/10

Lava La Rue - easy come, easy go: Ohhh, this could be good. It was an enjoyable song! Some fun production and good vocals too. 7/10

Leith Ross - Stay: Hmm, interesting vocals. Definition of a song that's not for me. It's not bad but...yeah. Pleasant. 6/10

Liamani - Dear Little Me: It's another slower type song but I think the vocals on this one really elevate it for me. I enjoyed them. Good song.  7/10

LOVA - It's Alright: Hmm, it sounds a bit funky or something, but I'm not really feeling it honestly. It was a song to exist. 5/10

Madeline The Person - Man On The Moon: STOP the guitar. STOP. Oh well. It's fine and nice enough to listen to. As are these acoustic type songs. 6/10

Michael Medrano - ANIMAL: This is a dance song, but ew, male vocals. Or at least, why do so many male pop stars sound bad? Nope! Vocals are a big no even though the production is decent. 5/10

Mimi Webb - You Don't Look At Me The Same: Oh no, generic indie/alt pop sad song, huh? It gets a bit more interesting and it's fine, but yeah, not a major fan. 6/10

Molly Grace - WYKYK: A bop type of song, but it has a bit of a wrong type of energy. Maybe like a Caity Baser type song. No thanks. 5/10

Paige - no hoping: It's an acoustic guitar nooooo! Help! It was fine. It was pretty. It was pleasant. That is it. 6/10

The Beaches - Lesbian of the Year: Not the gold star lyric...Nice vocals though. The vocals really elevated this for me a lot. I enjoyed it quite a bit! Good song. 7/10

Tiggi Hawke - Calling Earth: Not sure if Earth will pick up honestly. Oh, vocoder? OH the lyrics talk about Earth not picking up ahahaha. Look how clever I am. Anyway, this was decent, but it didn't really majorly stand out to me. A thing I've said a lot. 6/10

Zara Larsson - Crush: A fun bop in the choruses, but not really feeling the verses sadly. It drags it down a lot. 6/10