New Music Friday: November 13

No bad mojo or superstitious vibes in any of these selections on this Friday the 13th! This week we have brand new tunes from alternative pop singer Billie Eilish, indie rock band Foster The People, Australian recording artist Tones And I, EDM artist Joe Stone & pop singer Ally Brooke, and last but not least alternative folk band, Judah & the Lion. All that and more in this week’s edition of New Music Friday here at Philip’s Music Corner…

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“Therefore I Am” by Billie Eilish

Grammy winning artist, Billie Eilish is back with another new single from her upcoming second studio album! It’s called “Therefore I Am” and from my interpretation it’s the 18-year-old singer-songwriter calling out her haters, her fake fans/friends who use her name to get things they want in life like fame. She’s letting you all know that she isn’t your doormat to step on, so please step aside!

The music video is a free-spirited run through an empty mall, the Glendale Galleria in California to be more precise. Watching this video unfold was fun and entertaining. Eilish got to roam free without anyone chasing after her (until the end of course — haha!). Let the chaotic behavior begin!

First up, she got access to the Wetzel’s Pretzels which strangely had no staff working at the counter/register. She “stole” a pretzel from them and carried on without any care.

Then she took a quick elevator trip down to “steal” a doughnut from another kiosk. Running parallel to the lyrics from the pre-chorus/chorus seen below:

Did you have fun?
I really couldn’t care less
And you can give ’em my best, but just know

I’m not your friend or anything
Damn, you think that you’re the man
I think, therefore, I am
I’m not your friend or anything
Damn, you think that you’re the man
I think, therefore, I am

…you can tell Eilish really doesn’t care what people say about her yet she’s still having a blast and having a good time by herself as she grabs more food, a drink at a hot dog joint then some Chipotle chips then back to the hot dog place for some fries and of course a hot dog. I was like, “She’s going to run out of hands at this rate to hold all the “free munchies!””

But morality sinks in and a security guard is heard screaming in the background to tell her to get out of the mall. In reality, Eilish most likely got permission to shoot this iPhone style video with a small crew and paid her dues for those snacks and gave a lot of publicity for the mall itself for her appearance inside there!

Overall, this is one of the most peppiest songs of hers in my opinion out of the two previous singles that dropped for this new era, post-When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?.

See “my future” for a more emotional and reflective Billie and “No Time To Die” for her orchestral James Bond anthem for the next Bond film of the same name which is slated for release in theaters next April.

The music video makes me miss the normalcy of being in a mall. It’s rather jarring to see an empty mall in 2020 and I hope 2021 will be brighter for the mall culture scene once this pandemic is over with.

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“Under The Moon” by Foster The People

Whenever a new Foster The People song comes out, it feels like Christmas morning to me! With this latest single, “Under The Moon,” also comes the announcement of their forthcoming EP, In The Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing which is slated for release on December 11th!

In the music video, lead singer Mark Foster is donning an all black outfit next to a black convertible as he sings in both low and high ranges. The song talks about a long distance relationship from my understanding. This song is for those who miss their better half. They could either be in an different state, country, time zone, what have you, for various reasons but the love they share can be equated to seeing the same moon under the night sky!

The lyrics to the song are poetic and the song from a production standpoint is nicely done with a lot of cool layers mixed in with Foster’s distinctive vocals. I enjoyed hearing the guitar chords mixed with the drums. It’s so soothing to the ears. Later in the song, it twists in sound. You really have to hear it for yourself to see how it evolves! That’s around the 3:20 mark.

Overall, it’s an all around feel-good track from the indie rock band that brought out hits like the fan favorite, “Pumped Up Kicks” which launched their success back in 2011 to more recent singles “Imagination,” “Pick U Up,” & “The Things We Do.”

I’m so excited to hear more from their upcoming EP next month. The aforementioned “The Things We Do,” plus “Lamb’s Wool” have been confirmed to be a part of the new EP’s track list. Let me know what your thoughts are about this song, feel free to comment below.

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“Fly Away” by Tones And I

Australian pop singer, Tones And I penned a new uptempo song that will have you dancing on your feet. This follows the previous single, “Ur So F**king Cool,” as well as her breakout hit last year “Dance Monkey” which has been certified multi-Platinum by the RIAA.

The lyrics to this new song delve into someone who just wants to break free from the status quo or someone who wants to go against the social norms that they grew up hearing or following, and just do whatever it is in life that they want to pursue.

This is a great song for those who are unsure or previously unsure what they want to accomplish in life or for those who have a fear of failure but are now ready to try again. You can get some confidence back in life after hearing a song like this one.

Take this for example, you just graduated from high school or college and have now entered the next chapter in life — adulthood! You want to spread your proverbial wings and fly away. Whether that’s moving away from your childhood home to live in your own apartment or getting married and starting your own family in a new home, there’s simply no two paths alike for everyone to take. Personal and professional choices vary greatly! We’re all unique human beings on this Earth, so embrace the beauty of life and do what makes YOU happy!

I love the message and theme of this song that Tones And I (real name: Toni Watson) created here and I think it will resonate with EDM, alternative, indie and pop fans alike. So go check out this single today!

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“Feeling Dynamite” by Joe Stone & Ally Brooke

The motivation train picks up steam with this pick called “Feeling Dynamite” by Spinnin’ Records artist, Joe Stone who collaborated with none other than pop singer-songwriter, Ally Brooke.

This is a high energy, positive, and uplifting anthem celebrating that blissful feeling when you’re feeling at your best either physically, emotionally, mentally, psychologically or all of the above.

Stone and Brooke produced and programmed the song together exceptionally well. The beats flow seamlessly alongside Brooke’s powerful vocals. The lyric video seen above has big bolded font set to a cosmic background that will enhance your “I’m on top of the world!” feelings. I applaud Brooke for expanding her reach into the world of EDM music.

Feel free to put this song on your gym/workout playlists this week and your party jams playlists too! Enjoy!

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“Spirit” by Judah & the Lion

Alternative folk rock band Judah & the Lion released an inspirational new song for us to hear. The band posted on their Twitter page tweeting, “2020 has been painful, but true beauty comes through pain. We hope this song encourages all of us to never give up on each other and never give up on life. Sing with us!”

And rightfully so, I truly think this is a feel good anthem that will inspire us all, that will help us feel unified as a country and that will ease our worries because unity is stronger than division!

You can really feel the impact of lead singer Judah Akers’ voice especially when he sings “We got spirit and I know you hear it/There’s no give up, give up, give up/Give up, give up, give up, give up, give up, in us.” For some reason, he kind of has a similar vocal stylings of American Authors’ front man, Zac Barnett.

I strongly believe if you love Mumford & Sons, Bon Iver or NEEDTOBREATHE, you’ll enjoy Judah & the Lion’s songs including this latest track.

It remains to be seen if this song or their previous song release, “Beautiful Anyway” will be a part of their next album or EP effort. But I have a hunch it could. Feel free to share your predictions below.

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That wraps up this week’s post! Thank you all for reading another edition of New Music Friday here at Philip’s Music Corner. If you liked what you read, kindly click on the follow button down below. Also if you like, please support my work by donating to my Paypal.

Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings about any of these picks in the comments box down below! You can also give the songs featured this week a thumbs up or a thumbs down using the buttons under each pick. As always, stay safe and happy listening!