Happy New Year readers!! Back here again with another mood edition post for New Music Friday, January 7th, 2022! I hope you all enjoy these picks! 😊
“Out Of Time” by The Weeknd
😊 This track contains 80s synthesizer vibes which I thought was cool! I love the instrumentation of the song which reminds me a little of Tame Impala. Very fresh in sound for 2022!
🎵 Did you know? There’s a sampling going on here! See “Midnight Pretenders” by Japanese artist, Tomoko Aran.
😮 Interesting to see actor Jim Carrey collaborating with the pop superstar! You can hear him in the outro part of this track. He also lends his voice to the first and last tracks: “Dawn FM” and “Phantom Regret By Jim.” Who knew Carrey had such a radio announcer’s voice!
🏆 This highly anticipated follow-up to The Weeknd’s successful 2x Platinum-selling album, After Hours deserves all the awards! *ahem, Recording Academy!* Anyways, enjoy this 51 minutes and 49 seconds journey! There are collaborations with rappers Lil Wayne and Tyler, The Creator. Experimental electronic producer Oneohtrix Point Never helped co-produce the record.
Notable Favorite Song Of Mine: “Less Than Zero”
“People disappear here” by Halsey
📝 Add two more songs to pop artist, Halsey’s latest album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (2021) which now has an extended version out now! In “People disappear here,” you get a sense of Halsey’s grittier rock side! In “Nightmare -reprise,” you can hear a Nine Inch Nails reimagined version of her 2019 track of the same name! Both are stunning!
🥁 I loved the drum-heavy beat at the start of the track before her vocals came into play.
🤔 The song really makes you think about your real-life state of mind and your dreaming state of mind.
🎹 The tail end of the song is beautiful with the added piano keys! The perfect way to close the track in my opinion.
“Circles Around This Town” by Maren Morris
🎸 The country darling that brought hits like “Chasing After You” with her husband, Ryan Hurd, “The Bones,” and “The Middle,” is back with her first single off her forthcoming third album!
😊 I loved how Maren Morris is writing about her music career journey thus far through the verses of this new song. It took a lot of work to break through the industry! Now that she’s made herself a household name, there’s no reason to stop! There’s definitely more to come from the country superstar!!
“Living My Best Life” by Ben Rector
🙌🏽 This is an amazing positive anthem that celebrates that euphoric feeling in life when everything is going your way! So raise your hands in the air and enjoy life’s happiest moments. For example, parenthood, landing a new job or a promotion, getting into your dream school, passing that big exam, or even finding your one true love, etc.
😊 This song along with the whimsical and inspirational “Dream On,” and the groovy/jazzy “Supernatural” featuring Dave Koz are part of his first chapter of his new era, The Joy of Music — out March 11th! The arrangements of all three are superb. Feel free to play them in any order and you will get a nice boost to your mood at anytime of the day! Excited to hear more from Ben Rector this year!
“Brave” by Ella Henderson
💗 Times can get really tough and it seems life isn’t fair. But you got to keep trying and keep trucking. Things will improve! Feel free to lean on your family, friends and peers when needed. The power of love and friendship will ease the pains that plague you.
💖 Ella Henderson’s vocals are powerful and her verses really hit your soul! Definitely add this song to your playlists if you want to feel uplifted during difficult times.
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 goes live!
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Stay safe, and happy listening!
Philip's Music Corner 