It’s Friday once again folks, which means another round of picks are coming your way! This week we’ve got new tracks from a wide range of artists namely Tate McRae & Khalid, The Killers feat. Bruce Springsteen, Portugal. The Man, Jennifer Hudson & NEEDTOBREATHE! All that and more so scroll on down to get the scoop…
“working” by Tate McRae & Khalid
17-year-old pop artist, Tate McRae dropped a fresh new track with 23-year-old R&B musician, Khalid! Together they have provided a potential summertime hit! It’s quite the departure in sound for McRae, as she typically sings melancholic songs. She tweeted, “oh hey. this new song is a summer boppity. like who am i singing a somewhat happy song. but i been writing some tear jerkers lately so this is new for me.”
From my POV, in “working,” the two sing about an imperfect relationship which is pretty human in nature and relatable for those dating. There’s always going to be moments when the relationship will get placed under a microscope. Couples will question whether or not their relationship is working or not working.
Sonically speaking, the post-chorus is quite addicting and the overall melody is quite infectious after several times playing the song! I thought their vocals paired well with one another. How about you?
Check out some behind the scenes photos with the two musicians in Khalid’s latest IG post:
The “you broke me first” singer is slated to perform in numerous festivals this summer and early fall including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Firefly Music Festival, and Governor’s Ball in NYC!
6x Grammy-nominated, Khalid is set to celebrate the two year anniversary of his album, Free Spirit by releasing a special limited edition vinyl on July 17th! On July 24th, he’s planning a virtual concert event. Tickets for that can be bought, here.
“Dustland” by The Killers feat. Bruce Springsteen
Hit rock group, The Killers surprised fans earlier this week with a new version of their 2008 single, “A Dustland Fairytale” from their album, Day & Age with 20x Grammy-winner/New Jersey native, Bruce Springsteen. Now called “Dustland,” the updated track features “The Boss” singing the second verse plus the chorus and bridge sections alongside The Killers’ lead singer, Brandon Flowers.
The collaboration came about after Flowers received an unbelievable text from Springsteen proposing to him to record a new version of “Dustland.” At first he thought he was being fooled, but after a series of texts to Bruce’s son Evan, he got the confirmation that this was legit going to happen!
Check out the full letter in The Killer’s tweet below which also reveals the inspiration for the song. A very touching and vulnerable read:
I thought this collaboration hit it right out of the park! I loved the energies and convictions each of them brought to the table. You can tell how much the lyrics meant to Springsteen and I’m glad he recognized this Killers’ classic and brought it back into the spotlight in 2021! I hope the two artists get a chance to perform this live in concert this year. It would be a magical moment!
I would also like to add that I really loved the accompanying strings. It’s great to have a full band join them in a music video performance again.
The band is expected to release their seventh studio album later this summer! Check out this teaser article here from NME where drummer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr. explains more about the new experimental record.
“Feel It Still – Live/Stripped Session” by Portugal. The Man
Grammy-winning rock band, Portugal. The Man gave fans a special treat this week. A four track EP which includes the 2017 earworm, “Feel It Still.” I can’t believe it’s been four years since the 5x Platinum dropped. Time sure flies!! It was that very song which made me a fan of theirs by the way. How about you?
Since this is just the first volume, I predict there will be more volumes later in the future. Which songs you hope to get a live, stripped down version next?
FACT: The band is going to be performing a 12 city tour this year, tickets can be purchased here. They will begin their tour on Sunday, July 25th in Kirtland, Ohio at WonderStruck Music Festival.
Will you be seeing them in concert? Let me know in the comments below.
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” by Jennifer Hudson
We all know Grammy and Oscar winner, Jennifer Hudson has the vocal chops and this song proves once again that she’s a force to be reckoned with! In “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home),” she showcases her dynamic power and range on this soaring original track as part of the upcoming film soundtrack, Respect. She will be playing the late great “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin in said biopic film out in theaters August 13th.
Did You Know? 4x Grammy-winner, Carole King co-wrote the song. She also co-wrote the 1967 Franklin classic, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”
Did You Know? 7x Grammy-winner, Black Eyed Peas‘ member, will.i.am produced the track.
You can expect this song to be nominated for Best Original Song in next year’s Oscars ceremony! Mark my words!
Check out the Respect trailer, here.
“Sunshine” by NEEDTOBREATHE
Instrumentally, this song by Christian rockers, NEEDTOBREATHE, is like running through a field of flowers on a bright sunny day! I thoroughly enjoyed this next teaser track off their forthcoming eighth studio album, Into The Mystery (out July 30th).
Lyrically it’s similar to the first pick, the Tate McRae/Khalid track in that it’s dealing with an imperfect relationship. I feel like this is a reassurance anthem that one might play for their significant other after a petty argument, a silly disagreement, or a simple misunderstanding between one another. A new day post-fight can bring in a wave of forgiveness and or happiness again. In the grand scheme of things, you find more positive things to say about your relationship than negative things.
Thanks for reading my thoughts in this week’s New Music Friday post! I hope you enjoyed these picks as much as I did! Comment below your thoughts, give a like and follow me to get notified when the next post is up!
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Stay safe and happy listening! 😊
Philip's Music Corner 