It’s Friday, January 22, 2021 and another New Music Friday post has arrived for you to go check out! The following FIVE picks are ones that I highly recommend this week and they’re from alternative pop singer Tate McRae, pop rock band Weezer, house music duo Silk City feat. Ellie Goulding, pop singer Sabrina Carpenter & EDM artist 3lau w/ Norwegian DJ Funkin Matt & featured rising vocalist Frawley!
“rubberband” by Tate McRae
17-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Tate McRae continues to impress following her smash hit, “you broke me first” from last year. In “rubberband,” she talks about having regrets about a relationship.
She posted in the above video’s description that “snapping a rubberband is a way to get over something…. sometimes even a person. this song means a lot to me, i hope you guys love it.”
If you already broke up with the person you once dated and now have a ton of questions surrounding said breakup, then first off, you’re not the only one, and secondly, this song is suited for you to hear!
McRae really captures the essence of the struggle of post-breakup(s) in her choreographed moves. I appreciate her efforts for being vulnerable in crafting this song for her fans.
I predict this song will be a hit with the TikTok crowd. Young fans will likely be creating lip-synced videos of them snapping a rubber band (hopefully not too hard) on their wrists, as well as replicating her talented dance moves in their own creative clips.
It’s expected that this song will be a part of the young musician’s next EP which will drop later this year.
“All My Favorite Songs” by Weezer
Grammy-winning rock band, Weezer returns with surprise news of a new album not named Van Weezer. That album was suppose to drop last year to coincide with their coheadlining tour, the Hella Mega Tour with Fall Out Boy and Green Day, but has since been pushed to May 2021. Instead, they are going ahead and calling this new project, OK Human their new fourteenth studio album. The lead single, “All My Favorite Songs,” is out now and the video stars the band alongside fellow actor Sonny Golden (Modern Family), and actress/dancer Monroe Cline as they teeter in and out of the virtual and reality worlds in the music video.
Sonically, it’s an upbeat jam but lyrically it contradicts all the happiness. You might take it from a quarantine perspective because the pandemic has messed with our overall mental health over the past year and our plans have been altered or been put on pause. So it’s okay to feel disappointed by the crisis. It’s a natural human instinct. It makes one think, at least from my own thoughts, would this album be made or even sound like this if it weren’t for the pandemic?!? Sometimes there are hidden blessings behind a dark moment in time such as this one and also as evident by the ending of the music video where Golden’s character meets someone new online a.k.a. Cline’s character and eventually befriends her.
The album, OK Human is a reference to fellow Grammy-winning rock group Radiohead and their 1997 album, OK Computer. The band posted on their socials a little background info about the album citing it “was made at a time when humans-playing-instruments was a thing of the past. All we could do is look back on ancient times when humans really mattered and when the dark tech-takeover fantasy didn’t exist.” The instruments they used were tuned to the ’60s and 70’s styles and with the orchestra sounding like the 18th and 19th centuries. They added, “we had no click track or loops or hi-tech sounds. Not even an electric guitar.”
There will be a total of 12 new tracks, including this one, on the new record. Are you excited for two Weezer albums this year? Let me know in the comments below!
“New Love” by Silk City feat. Ellie Goulding
Need a new dance track to add to your playlists this week? Then you’re in luck! Look no further to house music duo, Silk City’s latest collaboration with fellow pop singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding. This track follows the group’s 2019 Platinum-certified hit “Electricity” with Dua Lipa.
In the music video for “New Love,” Goulding is seen singing and owning the stage with a big perm and donning trendy 1980s fashion! This is such a feel-good track that will have you dancing on your own living room floor! It will definitely raise your spirits/mood.
Lyrically, the song takes pride in showcasing the renewed self-love one has developed in their life. This could also branch out into overall self-image, body positivity and self-esteem as well as self-acceptance.
I give props to multi-Grammy winners Mark Ronson and Diplo, the masterminds behind this musical project. It’s another excellently produced single from them and having Goulding as their featured artist was the right choice!
Who knows?!? This could very well be eligible for numerous awards and accolades this year and in next year’s Grammy Awards! Thoughts?
“Skin” by Sabrina Carpenter
21-year-old singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter now signed under Island Records released her response track to the love triangle drama between her, actor Joshua Bassett (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) and Olivia Rodrigo (HSMTMTS.) Rodrigo’s “driver’s license” has seen a surge in mainstream popularity and success this month so it’s only fitting that Carpenter shared her side of the story.
Carpenter talks about how she’s happy with her relationship with Bassett and that Rodrigo shouldn’t “drive [herself] insane” about their romance. They could be friends but she doesn’t see they could even if they were to pretend to in another life. You can’t get under her skin while he’s on hers.
Overall, this is a fiery track and I applaud Carpenter’s candidness in telling her side of the story with her carefully crafted verses. She’s definitely showing her confidence and ability to not let others tell her how to feel. Expect this track to contend on the charts in the days and weeks to come.
As the songstress sings in the bridge, “I just hope that one day/We both can laugh about it/When it’s not in our face.” Hopefully this drama will get resolved publicly and they can remain at peace one day. At the end of the day, we should leave it up to the artists themselves to settle it and not let the fans misconstrue all the facts. Please be kind in their respective comments sections of their social media posts. 🙏
“Everything” by 3lau & Funkin Matt feat. Frawley
Singer-songwriter Frawley joins 3lau & Funkin Matt’s latest collaborative project in “Everything.” This is an up-tempo song that talks about the fake love one can detect in an ex-lover.
You know they’re lying to you and even they know they’re lying to you despite showing up at your doorstep trying to convince you to date them again.
Frawley’s vocals are solid on this track and this song in my opinion has what it takes to be a really big dance/club hit in 2021!
3lau is promoting his new single in the world of NFT or Nifty Gateway, a blockchain powered world where you can earn cool collectibles. Read this article to get a better understanding of this innovative technology.
He also started the “Everything” scholarship which is open to any high school or undergraduate student. Check that out here.
That does it for 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. I truly appreciate it!
Feel free to share your thoughts and feelings about any of these picks in the comments box down below! Cast your vote on the songs featured this week by giving them a thumbs up or a thumbs down. As always, stay safe and happy listening!
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