Another week over and it’s finally that time of the weekend again which means it’s time for this week’s installment of New Music! This week sees the highly anticipated rerecordings of Taylor Swift’s Fearless Album and to mark the occasion we have picked 13 artists to share with you this week.
If you prefer to head straight to the playlist, click here.
Ashe – ‘I’m Fine’
‘I’m Fine’ is about trying to fool the one person who really knows you into thinking you’re okay and being grateful that they know the truth that you’re really not. The song as a whole has a very old school pop vibe and it’s even more pronounced in the chorus. I can see this song getting plenty of radio play, much like her previous releases, which just goes to show that Ashe really has cracked how to write catchy pop music. This track will apparently be appearing on Ashe’s upcoming album ‘Ashlyn’ alongside previous releases like ‘Moral of the Story’ and ‘Till Forever Falls Apart’.
Avi Kaplan – ‘Song For The Thankful’
For those of you who have never heard of Avi Kaplan before, he was originally a part of acapella group Pentatonix before he went solo. This track immediately reminded me of Simon and Garfunkel and has such a calming tone to it and really making the most of Avi’s wonderful baritone vocals. It is an acoustic track and the song itself is about gratitude and finding it in everything that happens in life. The simplicity of this song has me sold and I love it.
Darren Criss – ‘f*kn around’
Drum roll please for our next act as it’s the wonderful Darren Criss! We have been fans of Darren since his Starkid days in ‘A Very Potter Musical’ and, if you’re not a massive Harry Potter nerd, he may look familiar from ‘Glee,’ the TV show. But, don’t let this introduction fool you, Darren is a talented artist and his new song ‘f*kn around’ shows exactly what he is capable of! ‘f*kn around’ is Darren’s first release since 2019 and, by gosh, was it worth the wait. From that catchy beat to the sleek sounding vocals, this song is going to have you dance from the opening beat until the end of the phone.
Doja Cat – ‘Kiss Me More’
With a kind of retro effect on a catchy backing track and a great bass, Doja Cat and SZA have created a feel-good bop. The song is flirty and fun, screams summer fun and it’s perfect for singing along with in the car on road trips. It’s Doja’s first release since her huge success, Say So, and it is an adorable concept to write about. It is literally asking that special someone to kiss you more because you can’t get enough of them. It really is that sugar sweet!
Jordan Fisher – ‘Morning Blues’
Jordan Fisher is an actor, singer, dancer and so much more. His latest release is acoustic and simple in comparison to his R&B inspired releases before now and shows the range of music he performs is as varied as the roles that he’s played on camera. This song feels like one of those ‘man and his guitar’ tracks and it suits Fisher well. I genuinely enjoyed this song for the simplicity and mellowness of it all but the track hasn’t appeared on Spotify just yet.
Justin Bieber – ‘Freedom’
To say that ‘Freedom’ is religious is an understatement; there are multiple references to the Messiah and God. The EP was a surprise release on Easter Sunday and even includes words from pastor Judah Smith and, honestly, it feels like someone tried to create ‘cool’ hymns for church. The EP consists of Bieber’s staple R&B vibes with some gospel style backing vocals and Justin even included a spoken prayer as an outro on one of his tracks. To be quite honest, I don’t actually know what to make of this EP. The music is typically Bieber but the religious message was….unexpected. Even the time on the album artwork is a reference to the famous passage John 3:16.
London Grammar – ‘America’
London Grammar are an English based trio who have truly taken the indie pop genre by storm. Their newest single ‘America’ focuses on Hannah’s coming to terms with ‘letting go of the past and beginning to write music after a difficult time with her mental health’. The use of comparing the American Dream to waving goodbye to things she didn’t need in her life anymore was extremely clever and executed well throughout the song. Long time listeners will hear a slight change in direction with this new era of London Grammar, yet I am excited to see where their new album ‘CalIfornia Soil’ takes them.
Luz – ‘Counting Houses’
Luz is finally back with her first single of 2021. ‘Counting Houses’ is slightly different to Luz’s previous releases with the key story behind this one being positive and telling a happy love story. Luz is one of our homegrown heroes and truly one of our own as she is from Offaly like one of us here at Our Muchness Guide. One aspect of Luz’s songs that always stand out is her vocals. ‘Counting Houses’ adds to her catalogue of stunning and amazing vocal performances; we cannot wait to hear this one live at her next gig!
Snaggletooth – ‘Snaggletooth’ EP
After the successful release of their debut single ‘Boohoo Baby’ last month, Snaggletooth released their debut EP entitled ‘Snaggletooth’ last Friday. This new band are truly surprising fans left, right and centre. With the storytelling in their EP taking a romantic turn that no one saw coming, when you listen to it, nothing else would have fit as perfectly! Snaggletooth are a London based rock band trio Adele Cooper, Connie Glynn and Sparkles*. The song above is by far my favourite on the entire EP, ‘Under The Skin’. Snaggletooth are truly in a league of their own and with only one EP out and their debut single, we are excited to continue on their musical journey with them.
Taylor Swift – ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ Album
All of the 2008 feels to the forefront for Swifties everywhere with this one! The very first of the rerecording of Taylor Swift’s albums came out on Friday and we are loving the new telling of these songs! Twenty six songs in total; six of which were from the vault meaning this is the first time they were released! Overall, the entire album is a more vocally mature performance from an artist who has grown a lot since the first time she penned these songs. Some of the songs, in my opinion, sound better including ‘Way I Loved You’, ‘White Horse’ and ‘Changes’. In terms of the vault songs, including ‘Mr. Perfectly Fine’ and ‘Bye Bye Baby’, they will make you question how they did not make the cut the first time round! ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ is a spellbinding performance throughout that will have you hanging on every lyric until the very end!
Twenty One Pilots – ‘Shy Away’
As, ‘Shy Away’ has taken a step away from the style Twenty One Pilots are known for. It has a synth-pop and electronic-funk style that we have seen before as these genres have trickled their way into a number of their previous songs. ‘Shy Away’ also has a killer opening that will catch the attention of any listener from the very start of the song and urge them to stay listening. It is great to hear a song from Twenty One Pilots after a little while of a break from releasing music. A new album is on the way so, the question I pose to fans is: Is a new era for Twenty One Pilots about to start? Only time will tell!
Years & Years – ‘Starstruck’
Starstruck is another catchy bop from Years and Years and it only took years and years to get here (get it? I’ll see myself out) but it’s worth the wait. This is the first track since Years and Years became a solo act and it is here to make you dance with a poppy groove and fantastic bass to get you moving. This is a classic Years and Years track with video game sound effects added to give it a retro vibe in the process with adorable lyrics about getting tongue tied around the person you like. Definitely a song to play loud as you get ready for a night out with the gang
Last, but certainly not least, this week is another pair of homegrown heroes, 1000 Beasts and Alex Tierney. Last year 1000 Beasts brought out his debut EP ‘On A Different Page’. This year he is releasing singles from his debut album, ‘Chapter 2,’ ‘For You & I’ is one of these singles. Another Irish artist, Alex Tierney, features on the single. This is the second time the duo have collaborated and, honestly, they are my favourite songs that 1000 Beasts has brought out. It is another absolute bop from 1000 Beasts.
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