New Music Friday - 17/10/2025

Albums/EPs:

• Ashnikko - Smoochies 
• Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion (10th Anniversary Edition)
• HAIM - I quit (Deluxe) 
• Lexie Liu - TEENAGE RAMBLE
• Maggie Lindemann - i feel everything
• Sudan Archives - The BPM
• The Last Dinner Party - From The Pyre

Singles:

• Aliyah's Interlude - Kryptonite 
• Cat Burns - Please Don't Hate Me 
• Chloe Qisha - So Sad So Hot
• Emerson Azarian - Choke Hold
• King Princess - Cherry 
• Lauren Jauregui - Ego 
• Magdalena Bay - Human Happens
• Magdalena Bay - Paint Me A Picture 
• Melanie C - Sweat 
• Moruf & SZA - PT Cruiser
• Peaches CHECK 
• piri & tommy - miss provocative  

Ashnikko - Smoochies:

Smoochie Girl: Go Smoochie Girl! Bop. If the rest of the album keeps up this energy, it's going to be a good album. It has the cunty production and vocals. It's a tad annoying in parts which brings it down somewhat but it's still good! 7/10

Liquid: Oh, this whole album is going to be cunty? Alright. It's good! It has a pretty similar energy to the last song and I like it. Weirdly, it kinda reminds me a bit of Tate McRae I think? 7/10

Trinkets: This is the first truly excellent song! It's a bop on another level. The production is truly fantastic. It gives video game vibes in places, I think. 8/10

Chichinya: Oh, never mind, this is even better! Goodbye Trinkets, you're over. Well, maybe not the 'quieter' part, if you can call it that. It lost a bit of the momentum. Still fantastic though! That chorus is stunning though. 8/10

Skin Cleared: Okay, hell yeah. This is the cunty, boppy, electronic production I want. I think the vocals are the main drag for me here and have been a bit throughout? I guess I'm just not a major fan of Ashnikko's vocals? Oh well! The boppery saves it. 8/10

Microplastics: Okay, cunty Microplastic song. Gives it a bit of K-Pop vibes in parts I think with the "uh-huhs" and moaning. Don't ask me why. It just does. Production is great again! 8/10

Full Frontal: Oh, one of my rabid fans will love this song. I hope! Otherwise I've sorely misjudged his music taste. It really gives the cunty pop vibes, on the level of like Chase Icon or COBRAH (wonder why I mentioned her!) and others. Like, fantastic bop! Truly stunning production, the vocals work well too! 9/10

She's So Pretty: I think I do like this song somewhat less than the past few, but it's still good. I feel the chorus is the main letdown for the song for me, it's just too...light and annoying? In part anyway. The rest of the song is better. 7/10

Wet Like (feat. COBRAH): The collab of the century actually. And it delivers on the potential. It's exactly what you expect and it's GREAT. Fantastic bop, they both work well together. 9/10

I Want My Boyfriends to Kiss: Okay, here for this energy! That said rabid fan should like this a lot too. Fantastic song! 9/10

Sticky Fingers: It's still boppy but I think it fails on this potential more than some of the other songs. Gives me kinda Tate McRae vibes in parts again. It's not bad or anything but yeah, it may be my least favourite song so far. 6/10

Lip Smacker: This is more of a miss for me as well sadly, though again it's not bad. It just tries to be in the boppy canon but it misses somewhat. I do like some of the production, it sounds a bit like that Beyoncé song on Renaissance. 6/10

Itty Bitty: Truly an excellent lead single, representative of the album. Boppppp! Love the start with the talking, and love the rest of it too. 8/10

Baby Teeth: Do we always need a country leaning song? This screams more generic alt pop girlie sadly, like we did not need this song. It's pretty much the same as any other one of these. Except it's slightly worse with the slight country influence in parts too. 6/10

It Girl: Is JADE's crown safe or not? An acoustic guitar! Run!!! Oh, thank god, it has some decent parts. But it's mostly just a ballad that suffers from Mandatory Ballad syndrome and Last Song Mandatory Ballad syndrome. It has a few more interesting production elements, but yeah. JADE's crown is very safe! It wasn't even threatened. The ending of the song was quite cool though. 6/10

Overall Verdict: It won't surprise you to know that I loved this album! It was exactly the sort of really cunty cool music that I typically love. I will say, a few of the songs missed the mark a bit, such as towards the end, and some of the vocals were not my favourite, but for the most part, this was truly a fantastic album! It will be getting a lot more play from me, I can tell you that much! 

Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion (10th Anniversary Edition):

More: This is definitely the best song on this Anniversary Edition. It's just so boppy and fun! All of it is great. The production is great, the vocals are good, the chorus is fantastic. It's a peak Carly Rae Jepsen song, and a truly amazing song all around. 10/10

Guardian Angel: This is not quite as good, I'm not as much of a fan of some of the vocals, but it's good! I think it's a bit too high for the vocals. 7/10

Back Of My Heart: It's less directly boppy than More. It kinda gives me the vibe of something that could be on Dedicated and not Emotion, if I'm honest? It feels like it would fit more there. Anyway, I liked it! 7/10

Lost In Devotion: Ohhh, this may be my other favourite song. It has that catchy chorus I like, even if it's not a big bop like More again. It has a good 'moody' atmosphere to it that I like. That bridge is great! 9/10

Overall Verdict: This was a great anniversary edition. Some tracks were truly outstanding, while others were merely 'good', but that is the level of quality I expect from Godly Rae Jepsen. Truly my favourite artist for a reason! 

HAIM - I quit (Deluxe):

Tie you down (feat. Bon Iver): This was a really nice listen, actually. The combo of both Bon Iver and HAIM worked really well. This is not my typical genre of music I like but this song was good! 7/10

The story of us: Not quite as good as Taylor Swift's song but hey, that one is good. I did enjoy this too. Did they relegate all the good songs to the deluxe? Good stuff. I actually like the vocal effects here. 7/10

Even the bad times: This one was a bit more boring sadly. A pleasant listen, some cool instruments, but yeah, not as good. 6/10

Overall Verdict: Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the original album, this was actually a nice deluxe! It had some songs I actually enjoyed, and I definitely feel like I enjoyed it more than the original album. HAIM probably won't ever be my favourite but hey. 

Lexie Liu - TEENAGE RAMBLE:

ADRENALINE: I got introduced to Lexie through a /r/popheads rate which is fun. Expecting good stuff. Nice electronic production here. Not a mega fan of the vocals in this, but I do like the production. 7/10

TEENAGE RAMBLE: Another boppy song, and I think the vocals do work better on this one. Good stuff! Imagine even having a basement to have laundry in. 7/10

FFFFF: Pretty standard electropop/hyperpop-esque type stuff. Good! 7/10

DEEPER & DEEPER: Kinda giving me Oklou a bit. The cool production and the light vocals. The production is the highlight of this song for sure! Pretty good song! I did feel it less later on though. 7/10

X: Welcome back Tate McRae! Well, sorta kinda. Good song anyway. 7/10

POP GIRL: Girls and gays like me. Okay, you may have to be entered into the cunty canon, but meta. Good stuff! 7/10    

LIKE U: Welcome back PinkPantheress. Good song again! 7/10

CIGARETTE (DEMO): Those sounds in the background are pretty good actually. I liked them! It was a good demo. 7/10

Overall Verdict: This was a solid pop EP, it was nothing groundbreaking, but it was a nice collection of songs that showcases Lexie Liu's talents, and I definitely enjoyed it! I'm glad I got introduced to her before, she makes some good music. 

Maggie Lindemann - i feel everything:

fang: I'm hearing fang. May just be me though! Kinda boppy with the production, but not totally feeling the vocals. This is boppy and I enjoyed it, and sometimes that's enough, you know? 7/10

spine: Oh, not this. The indie pop or generic alt pop girl vibes are screaming here. Honestly, you know what, even if it's generic, I enjoyed it. Sue me! 7/10

mourning: Oh, and then the acoustic guitar comes on. Boo! Like throw all the tropes together why don't you! Okay, to be fair, it switched up quickly. Decent but not as good as the previous songs. I enjoyed listening to it at least. 6/10

joyride: I'm going to go out on a limb and say Kesha's crown is safe. Okay, but it IS a boppy song. You do get some points here! I do like that production, it's good electronic stuff. 7/10

suburbs: Cost of living references, and also feeling nauseous in an Uber? Wow, I know some rats in that position. Love you really! Anyway, honestly, this song is a bit boring. Pleasant listen, but yeah. It's definitely the Mandatory Slow/Emotional Song TM. 6/10

let me burn (feat. The Warning): An acoustic guitar again! Run. Okay, it went into something! Epic Gamer Moment. I feel the passion and energy in this one, it's a lot more longing. It's good! It maybe gives me a softer Cassyette in places. 7/10

i don't belong here: Me talking to straight people. Sorry! Also, a bit boring and generic like straight people. Pleasant though! 6/10

evil: Also applies to straight people! Okay miss vocal effects, calm it down. Kinda generic but also a decent listen again. 6/10

lost cause: Kinda D&B coded, you know? Good song, I enjoyed the chorus especially. 7/10

2022 (feat. Julia Wolf): What even happened in 2022? Who the hell knows? A bit generic. Not terrible though. 6/10

fate: Kinda dark pop vibes. I like the production, not as much of a fan of the vocals. 6/10

heart drop: Honestly a bit boring overall, though it does also have dark pop vibes. Still, mehhh. 5/10

split: It's alright. Generic for the genre but it's decent. 6/10

one of the ones: Hmm, it's kinda boppy but not really a favourite. Decent listen. 6/10

it's still you (feat. Max Fry): Didn't like Max on this really. Anyway, pretty standard stuff. It's alright. 6/10

i feel everything: A kinda dramatic song to finish off. But it's pretty typical of the rest of the album really. Generic, but not bad. 6/10

Overall Verdict: This wasn't a bad album, but it wasn't an especially good one either. It was quite generic throughout, and didn't really interest me that much, even if it's perfectly serviceable for the most part. It's just very generic for the genre and doesn't really do that much. Plus, it probably doesn't help I'm not totally on board with the vocals. Anyway, will not be returning, but many songs were still pleasant to listen to!

Sudan Archives - The BPM:

DEAD: Okay grand opening. I see you. Nice vocals too. Thank god there's a beat now! It's a bit repetitive, though I do like the sounds such as the rain and birds cheeping. I think I liked this but it wasn't really my favourite song. Production is super interesting though! 6/10

COME AND FIND YOU: Some R&B leaning stuff here. Again, fun production. Some cool instruments in this! Again, though, not my favourite song ever. Did enjoy it though. 6/10

YEA YEA YEA: Some cool vocal effects here, but again, not really my favourite song. Decent though! Kinda cool grand outro, dramatic. 6/10

TOUCH ME: Oh, there's a beat again? Yay! It's still too "light" for me I think. Too breezy and airy. Okay, later parts of this do hit a bit, so that's good. That was too short! Booo. 7/10 

A BUG'S LIFE: Some good production here at the start. Will it keep it up? Probably the best song so far! It's still light but it's also boppy, so woop. 7/10

THE NATURE OF POWER: Decently fun and dance-y, so that's good. Honestly, this is more what I expected from the album at the outset. Omg squeaky bed. Also random person, you did good. 7/10

MY TYPE: I've heard those effects before. Cool though! Nothing revolutionary but good. Great production yet again. Actually fairly boppy by the end! 7/10

SHE'S GOT PAIN: This has a good moody atmosphere. The production and vocals work well together here. Interesting production yet again too. Really cool ending! 7/10

DAVID & GOLIATH: Cool intro, what's about to happen? Ooooo, we're back to grand music stuff. I'm starting to get a bit tired of the album honestly, it feels a bit samey in parts. This song is decent but yeah, getting a bit fed up. 6/10

A COMPUTER LOVE: Ended Ninajirachi. Well, sorta kinda. Welcome back boppy songs! It's still light and airy but also boppy. 7/10

THE BPM: I've heard it's The BPM! Oh, fast energy, okay. Okay, good stuff overall. Not quite what I wanted but it's still good. 7/10

MS. PAC MAN: This actually annoyed me. Like, the vocals, the general vibe of the song. Nope! Definitely the worst song on the album. Yikes, even the ending is bad! No thanks! Video game songs can do better than that. 4/10

LOS CINCI: Bored PinkPantheress vibes here. 5/10

NOIRE: Okay, this is a really unique song on this project with that production, I like it. Pretty good! It gets points for being interesting, even though it's also quite repetitive throughout. The production is cool! Really the highlight of the project. Very cool ending! 7/10

HEAVEN KNOWS: A good song to end on! It's decently boppy, and has cool production again. But I will say thank god it's over! 7/10

Overall Verdict: This album was too long, that's for sure. I did enjoy it overall, but it did not need as many songs as it had. I think although it has some really great production, some really interesting stuff, it being really airy and atmospheric, even when it's boppy, meant I couldn't enjoy it a huge amount. It's just not really for me. I can see why a lot of other people loved it though. An enjoyable album overall (with some flops), but not one I'm going to return to. 

The Last Dinner Party - From The Pyre:

Agnus Dei: I do have to hand it to them, this sounded good, and had good vocals. Are my hater days over? Only time will tell. 7/10

Count The Ways: Uh oh, this seems good from the start. It's over for me. In the end, it got a bit more annoying, but hey, it was a pleasant listen at least. I didn't hate it! 6/10

Second Best: Vocals at the start are annoying. Okay, the song is annoying. I'm back to being a hater! The song was just annoying in general. It's well made probably but mehhhh. 5/10

This is the Killer Speaking: It's very The Last Dinner Party (derogatory). It's kinda nice in parts to be fair. There are catchy parts. 6/10

Rifle: Me when red. Also just boring really. ZZZZZZ. 5/10

Woman is a Tree: Horrible vocals at the start. I guess that was kinda grand and cool towards the end, so points for that. 6/10

I Hold Your Anger: A bit boring again. It's not really giving mother if I'm totally honest. 5/10

Sail Away: A bit of a boring piano song. Sorry! Not for me. 5/10

The Scythe: There were some good elements here, some catchy parts that made it a decent song. Not something I'd return to but still. 6/10

Inferno: Real Housewives mention! Anyway, this was a good song to close the album, it had kinda a boppy energy to it and I at least enjoyed it, which is all I can ask for really! 6/10

Overall Verdict: I was tricked in some parts to think this might not be a The Last Dinner Party album but unfortunately it was. Some of it was boring, but honestly, I think it's more that The Last Dinner Party isn't really for me. I can see the talent in some of what they do, but it does not mean I'm going to like it. I'll continue to find them annoying! 

Singles:

Aliyah's Interlude - Kryptonite: We are standing on business! Hmm, I think I liked this, but it's definitely not my favourite song. Some of the vocals are too shouty for me, and it doesn't have my favourite production with that. But -- I did enjoy it! Mostly. 6/10

Cat Burns - Please Don't Hate Me: This was a good song! I enjoyed it. Good vocals, good production. 7/10

Chloe Qisha - So Sad So Hot: Stand in awe girls, the saviour of the music industry is here! Honestly, any song that Chloe Qisha makes is good, and I'm looking forward to the eventual album. It's going to be great! I will say it's not my favourite Chloe song but it is good. 7/10

Emerson Azarian - Choke Hold: Good song! Another good one to add to the collection. It's boppy and it kinda gives Ariana core a bit. 7/10

King Princess - Cherry: Kinda love the raspy smoking voice in this song. Fun! This was a good song! I just wish I liked the album as much... 7/10

Lauren Jauregui - Ego: This is a classic sad alt pop girl song, and you know what, it's good for that! 7/10

Magdalena Bay - Human Happens: I'm very much a hater but I enjoyed this song! Maybe they can make good music? It was boppy! If they made music like this, I actually get the hype. 7/10

Magdalena Bay - Paint Me A Picture: Okay, are they two for two? It's also good! Boppy, and I do actually think the vocals work here, which has often been a problem for me. 7/10

Melanie C - Sweat: Why is this kinda good and boppy? Like, okay??? Good, fun, boppy song! 7/10

MoRuf & SZA - PT Cruiser: Chill, relaxing, and just a nice song. Great combination too. Honestly think I enjoyed SZA less out of the two which is crazy but hey! 7/10

Peaches - Not In Your Mouth None of Your Business: Well, this is kinda shouty. So true! Well, I think I liked this! 7/10

piri & tommy - miss provocative: Hmm, again, I did enjoy this, but I'm not sure it was my favourite. It was boppy but still not quite there for me. Maybe it's partially in the vocals I didn't fully enjoy this? 6/10