Happy New Music Friday on this 31st day of July! It’s hard to believe that July is almost done but we’ve got one more round of picks this month before we dive right into the dog days of summer in August soon! Multi-Platinum selling artist and Grammy winner, Billie Eilish dropped her latest single, alt-pop band Glass Animals released another new track from their upcoming Dreamland album, rising pop star Ava Max shares her new revenge song, Brit-pop band The Vamps are shining in this new joyful music comeback and finally we end with a new song from alternative rock band, The Neighbourhood that beckons some deep thought and hopefully something bright to add to your playlists this week. Scroll on down to read all the deets!
“my future” by Billie Eilish
5x Grammy-winning artist, Billie Eilish follows her epic James Bond theme song, “No Time To Die” with a brand new single called “my future.” This song will presumably be a part of her sophomore album effort slated to be released sometime in 2021. Eilish begins the song in her usual melancholic style reflecting upon her past but by the mid portion of the song, it starts to turn brighter and optimistic towards the future.
Kudos to the animators who made this beautiful music video. They really captured the essence of Eilish excellently all throughout. It kind of gives off this Japanese anime vibe or even a Hiyao Miyazaki vibe in my opinion (see: My Neighbor Totoro (1988)). Thoughts?
By the latter part of the video, the animators showcase new life and sunshine wrapping around the landscape and cartoon version of Eilish as beanstalk vines carry her up high in the sky. Symbolically, it represents all the creative things artists like Eilish are doing right now in quarantine. Tough times and darkness leads to growth, renewal, hope and resilience. Brighter days are certainly in our futures!
Eilish and her big brother/writer/producer, Finneas created this contemplative song in the early stages of quarantine life back in spring. It was conceived in a pretty rapid fashion as this was made when the two were in Finneas’ apartment on an actual rainy day as she revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music.
Finneas, whom turned 23-years-old this week, posted on his Instagram about the new song citing, “the first thing we made during quarantine was “my future”. I will forever cherish the rainy days I spent making this song with my sister.”
He added, “it’s been a scary year for so many reasons but I choose to be optimistic and so many of you make me feel so inspired about the future.”
Hopefully this song does the same for you just as much as it did for him. Feel free to add it to your quarantine playlists this week.
“It’s All So Incredibly Loud” by Glass Animals
Glass Animals follows the release of their song “Heat Waves” which has charted as high as #12 on the Billboard Hot Alternative Songs chart with another song off their upcoming album, Dreamland called “It’s All So Incredibly Loud.”
The alternative band is set to drop Dreamland next week on August 7th. With “It’s All So Incredibly Loud,” the song slowly builds up (a full minute) to this chilling and cathartic anthem about a couple in a relationship that winds up in an heated argument. Fiery words get traded in the heat of the moment and whether you like it or not, it’s officially out there. An inevitable breakup or temporary time apart from one another likely ensues.
The aftermath moment is where silence is most deafening to both parties. If you’ve experienced that in life, then this song is for you!
Overall, lead singer Dave Bayley has made an impressive song here. The music video was excellently executed. It looks simple yet sophisticated in the sense that it symbolically captures the theme of the lyrics all at once. By 2:47, you’ll get goosebumps watching the slo-mo dive by Bayley!
I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of the record real soon.
“Who’s Laughing Now” by Ava Max
Pop singer-songwriter Ava Max has a new song for those who want to show their strong, independent side after a breakup. “Who’s Laughing Now” takes a jab at one’s ex. The infectious whistling and the “ha ha ha ha’s” in this song makes for a spicy track. It will make you dance along to the beat of the song, for sure.
The plot of the above video showcases Ava Max getting laid off by her boss who asserted his “dominance” when in fact Max is portrayed as being the dominant one. Karma is real! Shrugging off the pink slip, she dances along in this fun choreographed routine with sheer confidence.
In the latter half of the video, Max seeks revenge on the man she once dated who was caught kissing another woman. Using a crowbar to damage his car was a cathartic moment to watch.
The other major plot point is Max being placed in confinement in a straitjacket for the actions she committed earlier as the doctor deems her “psycho and crazy.” She eventually uses her wits and powers to break free.
This song pairs well with Max’s previous smash hit single, “Sweet But Psycho.” Both of those songs along with 13 other tracks will be on her first full length album, Heaven & Hell releasing September 18th!
A lot to unravel but overall, this is a solid Ava Max song to add to your playlists this week.
“Married In Vegas” by The Vamps
Brit pop-rock band, The Vamps are making a comeback! “Married In Vegas” is the first single off their upcoming fourth studio album, Cherry Blossom. The band posted on their Twitter that this new era signifies rebirth and that it was a two-year process in the making.
They hope this song will inspire fans to propose to their girlfriend/boyfriend and having a spur of the moment wedding in the iconic city of Las Vegas. Nonetheless, this uptempo song will have you jamming along. If you need a good pick me up this week, this is a song you should listen to! Also if you’re fans of One Direction or 5 Seconds of Summer for example and you have yet to hear a song from The Vamps, then you should definitely give them a listen.
I look forward to their evolved sound in their upcoming record. How about you? In the meantime, check out this fun interview they did for Hunger TV.
“Cherry Flavoured” by The Neighbourhood
Need a mellow yet moody ’80s sounding track? Then this one’s for you! It’s the latest single from alternative rock band, The Neighbourhood. This is the first single (out now) off their upcoming fourth studio album titled Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones which is slated for release on September 25th. It’s also the first new song of 2020 for the band since their 2019 Death Stranding soundtrack song, “Yellow Box.”
I thought it was neat that they had a nostalgic Nickelodeon inspired splat logo in the lower right-hand corner of the music video which was done in animation. This song is great if you’re feeling down and need a little comfort to get your spirits up.
I’m looking forward to learning more about these alter-egos for the band members, Jesse Rutherford as Chip Chrome & Jeremy Freedman, Zach Abels, Mikey Margott & Brandon Alexander Fried as The Mono-Tones. I’m also wondering how their new album will sound like. What do you guys think/predict?
That does it for this week’s edition of New Music Friday! Leave a comment below letting me know what song(s) you’re jamming to this week and why. ‘Til next time, stay safe and happy listening!
Philip's Music Corner 