New Music Friday - 19/09/2025

Albums/EPs:

• Aly & AJ - More Silver 
• Benjamin Elgar - Make It Through The Night 
• Emerson Azarian - Hyperfixation  
• Hunnygloss - PARTY ANIMAL 
• Julie Pavon - Born with Heartbreak 
• Lola Young - I'm Only F**king Myself
• Lyn Lapid - BUZZKILL (forever) 
• Miley Cyrus - Something Beautiful (Deluxe)
• TSHA - Revolution 

Singles:

• Abi Carter - 2009 barbie dreamhouse 
• Amber Mark - Pretty Idea 
• Ashnikko - Smoochie Girl 
• BBYx - 2005 
• Bently Robles, Bimini, Eden Hunter, Ellis Miah, Janethan & Tia Kofi - Your Light Will Shine:   
• Carly Rae Jepsen - Guardian Angel 
• colby! - Maybe Next Year 
• Dasha - Train 
• Debbii Dawson - I Want You 
• Dove Cameron - Whatever You Like
• EMELINE - Emotional Virgin 
• Isabel - Petty 
• Jenny on Holiday - Every Ounce Of Me 
• Julia Michaels - No Heartbreak's Killed Me Yet 
• Madison Beer - yes baby 
• Mia Wray - Ghost In My Machine (feat. Gabrielle Aplin)  
• Natalie Jane - r u gonna love me?   
• Nemo - Hocus Pocus 
• Paris Paloma - Good Boy 
• Perrie - Miss You 
• RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
• Sarah McLachlan - Reminds Me (feat. Katie Gavin):   
• Sissy Ford - Worst Enemy 

Aly & AJ - More Silver:

The Last Town: Piano. I have a feeling I won't majorly like this but who knows. Yeah, no, I am not feeling this at all. It feels disjointed almost, and not in a good way. Sad! 4/10

Out Of My Feelings: This was very bland, but it wasn't as disjointed as the previous song, so it's an improvement. 5/10

The Deep End: Another quite boring song, it just falls flat for me. 5/10

Strawberry Wine: This feels a tad more enjoyable for some reason. Less boring perhaps? But I'm still not a major fan. I do like piano though, sometimes. Definitely the best song on the project! 6/10

Overall Verdict: It's no surprise I did not enjoy this. I didn't enjoy the Aly & AJ album this followed up from. Just like the base album, I found it bland, boring, and just...well, nothing. Strawberry Wine gave me a hint of something else, something more interesting, and I wish there were more songs like it, even if it still was not my favourite. Anyway, hopefully Aly & AJ go back to a sound I enjoy more in future. We will see! 

Benjamin Elgar - Make It Through The Night:

Make It Through The Night: I won't lie, it was the album art that got my attention and got me to listen to this. Grand intro, okay. Nice vocals but not really what I expected? Wow, that is a HIGH voice. Oh French that's fun! Love that. That was a good start. Very intro track coded. I liked the vocals. Enjoyable! You know what, in a way, I really really enjoyed this. Weirdly. Or not. I don't know. 8/10

Shameless: Oh, that's too many words in one sentence, or they're just shoved together too quickly. Not so fast! Almost gives me more of an R&B leaning vibe here. Enjoyable, but definitely not as good. I feel like the background vocals are too goofy and drag me out of it a bit. I'd enjoy it more without them. 7/10

Better Tho: I like the missed parts of the production in the beginning. Oh, I wanted that beat to be more than a tiny part of the song. Oh well. Another enjoyable song. 7/10

Anytime: Enjoyable, oh, I was about to say it was flopping a bit but thankfully it improved. Another good song. Vocals work well again. 7/10

HOE (feat. Bad Bhabie): Kinda wasn't feeling this feature. Definitely a miss for me so far. It has the problem of the cringe background vocals again too. 5/10

Oxygen: Not something I need. I'm built different. Oh, this could be excellent based on the start. Well, it didn't quite meet those high expectations. Still a good song though. The background vocals weren't as grating this time. Okay thunder, calm down. 7/10

Clear: Good vocals here again. Enjoyable song. 7/10

Too High: I do feel like I'm getting a bit tired of the album at this point. Again, it's pretty much similar. Good stuff. But pretty same-y at this point. 7/10

Song For You: Felt this slightly less. May well be because I'm finding this a bit too long at this point now, but who knows? Still a pleasant listen though. 6/10

Faithless: Oh, a short final track. Okay. Nice voice. Nice piano. But it's definitely not my favourite. It fits as an outro song though. Hmm, didn't need those vocal bits at the end. 6/10

Overall Verdict: This was a decent and enjoyable listen. It was a nice R&B leaning album. Benjamin had a nice voice generally speaking, and it works well in the genre. I think I got a bit bored of it towards the end as it's fairly consistent in its sound, but it was a good listen. No real standouts, and some low points, but this would be an album I would not mind listening to again. 

Emerson Azarian - PS hyperfixation:

Hit Me: No. Hah, told you! Voice very similar to Ariana Grande (in a good way). Production veers just a bit TOO CLOSE to being annoying. Like, stop making those stupid annoying noises. But I can almost ignore it. Because otherwise, this song is good. 7/10

She's Not On Your Mind: Oh, the production is really good here. Like, that's a bop. Again, it has slightly annoying noises, but the bop potential here is definitely high. CATCHY! 8/10

Every Other Girl: Unfortunately, a miss. It just lacks...the right energy. This was just mediocre. Just did not sound interesting. Was not actively bad though, so there's that. 5/10

Side Piece: Welcome back Ariana Grande! Especially on a song about a side piece...like okay. Better than the last song but still a bit of a miss sadly. Enjoyable though! 6/10

Out My Songs: Again, this falls into the enjoyable, but not really super gagged category. 6/10

Too Much of a Good Thing: I like the instrument in the start of this song! The Ariana is strong in this song. Could be another good song to end the project though thankfully. It's a favourite I think! Okay, the random switchup at the end, why not. 8/10

Overall Verdict: This was a mixed listen! Some tracks were amazing bops, some were err...less good. I think I liked the tracks most when they captured the highs of Ariana Grande, whether it was more pop or R&B leaning. But for some of the songs, they just didn't really stand out. Still, there's some good stuff here. I guess kinda like how I found the original album. 

Hunnygloss - PARTY ANIMAL:

Helter Skelter: Cringe start. I think I like the production? It does feel a bit...goofy, almost, though, too. The vocals are maybe too light too? Yeah, this was somewhat enjoyable, but it's got a bit too much dragging it down. 6/10

The Party Never Ends: I think this was fairly enjoyable. Kinda gives PinkPantheress a bit. Some of the production in the background is quite cool, it really adds to the song. 7/10

Drop Dead: Yeah, this is pretty typical of the genre. It's enjoyable! The drop is especially nice. But I'd say this is really typical of the genre so I'm not mega gagged. The bit towards the end was the best. 7/10

Crash: I like those hits in the background. Again, pretty standard stuff, but also good! Ah, a part of the production was fantastic but sadly it did not last too long. 7/10

FLEX: Men flexing on me when? Oh, THIS may be the HIT I've been looking for. It's FUNNNNNN. I wasn't as much of a fan of the lighter sections but it was still pretty good! 8/10

BASELINE SLUT: Me when I'm a slut for the baseline. Although this is a bop, I feel like it's just slightly grating on me? Still pretty good though, I can mostly ignore it! 7/10

I Don't Care!: Kinda annoying production to start with. It's too twinkle-y. Whatever I mean by that. I feel the vocals here though. It starts getting a lot better though! I don't think I quite like this as much as my previous listen, but it's still a good song. 7/10

Used222: Not really majorly feeling this to start with. Bit mediocre. Bit annoying. It's taking too long to get to something good as well. It got good enough in the end, but it was still not my favourite. 6/10

Overall Verdict: I'd say this is pretty typical electropop, and is in the CUNTY POP genre alongside artists like Lozeak, Chase Icon, Heidi Montag and so on. I guess my main 'problem' (not that it's a major problem) is that there is NOTHING special about this project whatsoever to me. It feels like a very typical entry of this genre. Like, any artist could have made it really. I enjoy this type of music but also I want it to feel more like it's not just derivative of a particular genre, you know? But still, good, and I'm sat for more in future. 

Julie Pavon - Born with Heartbreak:

A Day To Breathe: Oh, this could be good. Maybe. Intrigued by the vocals. Oh, we going kinda a bit D&B? Oh this is FUNNNNN. Vocals are the least good part for me but I can overlook that. 8/10

Beauty In The Storm: This was a lot more of a miss sadly. It just didn't land the same. It had interesting production with that...guitar or whatever it is. But also...I don't know. 6/10

Can't Stop Crying (feat. Musumeci): The synths could win this one. We'll see. Well...maybe not sadly. RIP. It's decent-ish, but no more than that. The feature was there? Somewhere? 6/10

Don't Call Me Out: This almost leans more indie pop than I expected overall now that I feel about it. Maybe that's why it's not hitting with me as much as I wanted to. 6/10

Hard To Leave: The production here is pretty cool. Get that kinda experimental bag. For that, it was a more enjoyable song. Like okayyy. 7/10

Born With Heartbreak: You know what, this more experimental and alt bag is what is working. Go for this more! Like the vocals work really well with it actually. 7/10

Terrified (Face It): Welcome back kinda hyperpop! This was also enjoyable. 7/10

Love How You Dance (feat. Musumeci & OliO): A bit more forgettable honestly. Just more bland, but it's decent enough. 6/10

Passenger: Also kinda a bit more boring sadly. Like, I don't know, it's okay, but yeah. Just not what I expected based on the first song or the more experimental moments. 6/10

Blue: Ehhhh. Again, the same note to finish off the album. I like it somewhat, but also...it just isn't quite my jam. Cool electronic sounds though. 6/10

Overall Verdict: For an album with that cover, I kinda expected to like it more than I did. Not that I disliked it. But I'm going to sue for false advertising! It leaned a lot more into the alt pop sound than I liked, which I enjoy somewhat, but it's rarely going to be a standout for me I think. There were some cooler moments with boppier songs and also songs that were more experimental, but sadly they were just not enough of the project. An album I don't regret having listened to, but I probably will not return to. 

Lola Young - I'm Only F**cking Myself:

how long will it take to walk a mile (interlude): An interlude typically comes between things. Not at the start. I'm grateful for cows too! Cool blabber intro. Also, depends if you're gay or not. That's the answer to the question. [No rating]. 

F**K EVERYONE: Okay, was not expecting this. Fun production! I like the distortion. Oh, it kinda stopped. BOOO! I feel the way the song turned out - it ended up being a bit more annoying. Not a mega fan of the vocals either. It's decent enough though. 6/10

One Thing: I did enjoy this. I do like the vocals more here. It's a catchy song, especially in the chorus. 7/10

d£aler: I've heard this song a fair bit recently. Honestly, it's probably grown on me. I think the production is fun. Especially the chorus. 7/10

SPIDERS: I do like some of the discordant production. It really works well. Especially with the vocals. Good song yet again! Woah, some of those vocals...maybe not. Like, not too much. 7/10

Penny Out of Nothing: Not entirely feeling this. It feels a bit off. But again I do like the discordant production in this project. It's a highlight. Feels like something actually interesting. 6/10

Walk All Over You: Feels like this could be another miss. It's just a bit...off. Yeah, it's cute, but it's not really my favourite. Almost feels too...'light', if that makes sense. 6/10

Post Sex Clarity: Yeah, feels pretty similar here. Not quite as 'light' but it feels a bit more...off. Probably doesn't help that the production feels a bit more 'basic' as well. Well, that was a weird end. 6/10

SAD SOB STORY :): Elevator music core let's go (derogatory). Well, this is the worst song so far. It just sounds...mediocre. Sad sob stories can sound better than this. 5/10

CAN WE IGNORE IT? :(: Well, depends on how bad this song is. Or good, you never know. More interesting production again. So yeah, a bit up and down this one, not totally sure I felt some of the chorus. 6/10

why do i feel better when i hurt you?: Girl get that checked out. That's not good. Just a bit bland and boring sadly. 5/10

Not Like That Anymore: Cringe start. Oh dear. Production feels a bit grating to me too. Oh wow, this is actually grating on me now. Nope! It's all gone a bit wrong. 4/10

who f**king cares?: Oh no not the acoustic guitar. Nope. Bad. Please stop it soon. Please change it soon it sounds horrible, especially with the vocals. Bad! 3/10

ur an absolute c word (interlude): An interlude to end the album too? Girl that's an outro not an interlude. It fits well though again. Cool talking again. [No rating]. 

Overall Verdict: Did I expect to majorly like this going in? No. Did I majorly like this? No. Was it a complete disaster? Mostly not, outside of a couple of songs. It was more in the tolerable to enjoyable range, although I'd say there was not really a major standout for me. I feel in parts the album was more experimental than I thought it would be, which I give it credit for, but that by itself is not enough to capture me, and otherwise I think it was a lot more bland. Not the best album out there, but there are some decent-good songs on it. 

Lyn Lapid - BUZZKILL (forever):

buzzkill: Feels a bit generic honestly. It's fine but yeah. It just screams generic for the genre. 6/10

coraline: Yeah, it's generic again. I was trying to search up which artist this album reminds me of so far, and AOTY lists Conan Gray, and I think that's a good shout. I don't especially like his music much either and I do think it often gives this sort of vibe. Not that it's terrible, but I just feel it's a bit...not much, even if it is pleasant to hear. 6/10

back up plan: Oh no the piano has made an appearance everyone. It's so over. ZZZZZZZZZ. I mean it's fine. Nice enough voice. Nice enough song. But it's just typical indie pop. 6/10

i'll be happy when: A bit more boppy. Okay, the chorus actually has something to it here, and it's good. A win is a win. 7/10

floater friend: I hate floaters in my eyes. Disgusting. Not the piano. This was just a bit more boring for me. Nice voice as ever, but yeah, bland. Fine, until it isn't. You win. 5/10

forecast: Oh, kinda giving something kinda close to RAYE for me here. Maybe? I don't know. Maybe it's Laufey? Maybe I should just name artists and hope? I feel like this was something. It had less of a generic energy to it. 7/10

death wish: We're back to pretty standard stuff here. Feel like I've heard this song a lot. 6/10

buttons: Pretty same here. It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. It's fine. 6/10

fix: Thankfully it didn't stay boring and got better, so yay, one whole extra point for you. 6/10

who: Pretty similar here. Just the same. Just the same. 6/10

take me as I am: I liked those background vocals. This one was definitely more enjoyable and more of a bop. The background vocals really added to it. 7/10

it doesn't kill me anymore: Final track on the standard album. It does feel like it. Honestly, a pretty enjoyable final track. It has more of a soul to it. 7/10

high note: Okay, now onto the deluxe tracks. Let's see how they compare. Boring. That's how. Snoozefest. 5/10

white flag: Again, quite boring. Like these deluxe tracks may just have the ability to put me to sleep and that's it. 5/10

settle: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. 5/10

you: Okay, this one wasn't such a snoozefest. This one was better. It was more enjoyable for sure. Hooray for that! At least we ended on something kinda good. But those deluxe tracks overall...meh. 6/10

Overall Verdict: Well, this wasn't my favourite album ever, put it that way. There were some good songs. Some. But it was mostly kinda...not much. It was a pleasant listen for a lot of it, but it was also very generic. It's very typical of its genre and nothing much stands out honestly. Like I say, there were some fairly good songs, but for the most part, nope.

Miley Cyrus - Something Beautiful (Deluxe):

Secrets (Feat. Lindsey Buckingham & Mick Fleetwood): This reminds me of cringe. I don't know why exactly. We're chained to the rhythm? Oh. Okay. Katy Perry who? Honestly, this was enjoyable though. It kinda feels like a final type track to the album, so it makes sense as a deluxe. Vocals pretty good here too. 7/10

Lockdown (Feat. David Byrne): Wait, HOW long is this song? Okay, I was not expecting that. When I saw a 2 song deluxe to review I was like...easy. Also, wow, can't believe Miley made a song for me and my research. So far, it's pleasant, almost gives tropical-ish vibes? Maybe it's shifting? Into an interesting instrumental section. I'm enjoying the journey! It's nice to just have on. Some interesting production elements. Ahahahah, that was some fun screaming! It was a fun journey. Don't know if I'll ever listen to it again. Maybe? I don't know, it was a fun 13 minutes though. 7/10

Overall Verdict: This is not really what I expected when I jumped into this deluxe. The 13 minute song was an enjoyable experience. Did it need to happen? I don't know. But I liked it anyway. It's nice when artists just explore an idea like that, and I enjoyed going through the different sounds and sections. The more 'typical' song was pretty much that, typical, but good. These were deluxe tracks for obvious reasons but I'm glad they were released. 

TSHA - Revolution:

Revolution: That's a pretty good beat to start up with! Hopefully it keeps it up. Uhm, actually, the revolution is on Truth Social. Duh. Everyone knows that. Honestly, this was kinda cool as a kinda political song. Like, I feel like it KINDA has a message? I kinda like it for that. And I enjoyed the production a lot! 8/10

Let's Dance: Good transition. I enjoyed that. Good drop! I like the vaguely ominous sound in the background, and also how it was incorporated after the drop. Another great song! 8/10

Back Off: Again, great production. It's a bop. This is just some great dance pop. Fantastic project the whole way through. Not quite as good as the previous songs but that's alright. I liked all those messy vocals on top of each other. 7/10

Overall Verdict: Honestly, a pretty solid dance EP! It was enjoyable all the way through, it really is just a boppy and fun listen. Not really much more to say than that. I definitely enjoyed it more than the previous TSHA project I listened to, so that's fun! 

Singles:

Abi Carter - 2009 barbie dreamhouse: This does not sound like what I want a barbie dreamhouse to sound like. ZZZZZZ. It has the evil...guitar...we all know how I feel about that. I don't know, it's one of those moody sad coded songs. A bit Billie Eilish core or something like that. Not majorly for me. Not awful, but not amazing either. Some good vocals though. 6/10

Amber Mark - Pretty Idea: R&B leaning vibes. It just made me feel...nothing. It's just... a song. Not good, not bad. Didn't stand out to me at all. 5/10

Ashnikko - Smoochie Girl: Oh Ashikko is coming out with the late AOTY win for me with these singles. This is a HIT. It just hits all the right spots. Catchy in all ways. Cunty. That's just what I want. 8/10

BBYx - 2005: A feral fan made me do this at gunpoint, so here it is. I'm not really sure I'm a fan of really processed vocals like that. I mean, it works sometimes? Honestly, by the end, I was feeling it. Maybe I just needed to give it time to breathe. 7/10

Bently Robles, Bimini, Eden Hunter, Ellis Miah, Janethan & Tia Kofi - Your Light Will Shine: I won't actually numerically rate this because...well, obvious reasons. RIP The Vivienne. I'll be honest, it wasn't really the best track for me, it feels and sounds a bit cheap, but the lyrical message is sweet and I appreciate it existing, of course.  

Carly Rae Jepsen - Guardian Angel: It's definitely not as boppy as More, and I don't quite like it as much, but I do like it. The chorus has some good verses to it, it's catchy in the way that it's made. 7/10

colby! - Maybe Next Year: This feels like it will be a miss, sadly. Eh, turns out it was alright in the end. The choruses were kinda alright. 6/10

Dasha - Train: This better not be just an acoustic country type song. Like, no. That's not what I'm here for. Yeah, this was just a bit boring. ZZZZZ. 5/10

Debbii Dawson - I Want You: The queen of music is back. It's definitely a decent song. I enjoyed it. I think the chorus is probably my favourite part. The vocals are a big slay. Good song! 7/10

Dove Cameron - Whatever You Like: Come on Dove, don't let me down. Bit too high at the start. It's too high, it feels a bit too almost...Sabrina core? I'm not a major fan of it. It's pleasant enough...but I don't know, this is not really what I want from Dove. It really is too...light. 6/10

EMELINE - Emotional Virgin: Me when I'm an emotional virgin. I haven't been in a single long term relationship ARGHHHHHH. Anyway, do not majorly like the vocals. And the song is just a bit generic in general. However, I can't lie, it did improve for me a lot giving it another chance. It's actually decent, although still a bit generic. 6/10

Gameboi - Kick My Ass (feat. Bayymack): This was a nice song, enjoyable listen, it's pretty standard for the genre. The choruses hit to be fair. Could like it a lot more with more listens, maybe. 7/10

Isabel - Petty: Some of those synths are quite nice. Not enough of them though! Booo. It was still a decent song though. Nice vocals, and it was catchy enough. Didn't really feel the speeding up towards the end. There was no real need for that. 6/10

Jenny on Holiday - Every Ounce Of Me: Wow, this SUCKED. Like...it's such a bland pop song. I don't know how to describe it exactly but it just...lacks any actual passion to it. It's bad. The choruses do sound better but the verses especially suck. 3/10

Julia Michaels - No Heartbreak's Killed Me Yet: This is really typical alt pop girl bop. Like, I have heard this song so many times before. It never really works on me. It's fine, but like...I don't want this sound. How many times do I have to hear it? 6/10

Madison Beer - yes baby: Well, this could be a bop. It definitely is. Very enjoyable song. Doesn't reinvent the wheel or anything but it's fun. 7/10

Mia Wray - Ghost In My Machine (feat. Gabrielle Aplin): I hate it when there's ghosts in my machine. Get out! This does really scream generic alt pop to me. I guess like the album was, you know? Not really sure the feature did too much for me. But you know what, even still, it was a good song to listen to. It was enough of a bop. It may be generic but it's good. 7/10

Natalie Jane - r u gonna love me?: Girl I don't know. Maybe. Okay, welcome back Adele (from that piano). Not quite as good a voice as Adele though. It's another piano based song. It's fine I guess? Some nice vocals here still. Not really a piano based song that grips me though. 6/10

Nemo - Hocus Pocus: I feel like the singles have been a bit up and down for me so far so let's see how this one lands. Okay, more of a bop seemingly. This almost gives me K-Pop vibes (in a good way). Very enjoyable song! It's a bop. 8/10

Paris Paloma - Good Boy: Sorry Paris, it only works when a man calls me that. Fun start. I wasn't really expecting this to have a bop vibe to it. It feels kinda a tad off for me, like I don't quite feel the vocals with the production, but hey. Honestly, in the end, it's good. Those background vocals really work well too. They really add to it. It's a bit chaotic but it works very well. 7/10

Perrie - Miss You: This is a ballad. Okay? Nice voice. It's just a bit bland though, even if it gets louder throughout the song. It just doesn't inspire much feeling. It kinda feels like Perrie's music in general feels like that. Like, it's not *bad* or anything, I just...I don't know, it's not much. The vocals towards the end are undoubtedly good but they also go too far, almost for the sake of it.  5/10

RAYE - WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!: I've been told on good authority this is good so it better be good. Oh, based on the start, it's going to be excellent. Great vocals as ever. RAYE just has it. This is really catchy. The production is so good. It's such a bop. I really think the vocals are a highlight, they fit really well, and add to the song so much. 8/10

Sarah McLachlan - Reminds Me (feat. Katie Gavin): I enjoyed this more than I expected to. They work well together. Great vocals, and the song fits both of them well. 7/10

Sissy Ford - Worst Enemy: That's right Isobel. You know who you are. Hopefully those male vocals aren't too much of the song. Reminds me somewhat of Mabel honestly. Good song! Don't think I needed that piano though. 7/10