Yes, yes: Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj “Say So (Remix)” – I love me a psychedelic skate-rink song, a breathy, candylicious bop you can daydream to. So this is right up my alley. Doja was smart to borrow Nicki for this; she shouts out her own ass shots and raps, as slick and timely as ever, “I got dressed just to sit in the house.” Funny ’cause it’s true. —Clover Hope
Ya: JoJo feat. Tory Lanez & 30 Roc, “Comeback” – Anyone expecting a 2020 JoJo song featuring Tory Lanez and 30 Roc titled “Comeback” to be a self-referential ode to her career’s rebirth is sorely mistaken. This R&B slow burn is an ode to getting that good dick—completely with gratuitous bed squeaking sample and lines like, “You make me come so fast”—a far cry from the songs that launched her career 16 years ago. It’s nice to see her grow into her artistry. It’s also nice to hear she’s getting that good d, something I wish for everyone who wants it. —Maria Sherman
Nah: Evanescence, “Wasted On You” – With Y2K/mall goth nostalgia at its peak, the return of Evanescence (the band that brought the world “Bring Me to Life”) couldn’t have come at a better time. Unfortunately for them, the genre doesn’t age well. Amy Lee and co’s new song, “Wasted On You,” registers like Christian Rock. As John Jeremiah Sullivan once wrote in GQ, that is music that has “excellence-proofed itself,” and this is far from excellent. —MS
I’m into it: MOURN, “Call You Back” – Barcelona post-punk band Mourn, once a quartet, lost a member and became an emo act in the process. “Call You Back,” is early-aughts alt at its finest (unlike, say, the track directly above this one) though its message of feeling anxious on the phone feels oddly prophetic given the state of the world. I’m surprised by their sonic shift, but I’m not disappointed. —MS
Y: 2nd Grade, “Dennis Hopper In Easy Rider,” – I’ve mentioned Philadelphia band 2nd Grade in this space before, and because I find their cheery, quick, lackadaisical indie pop to be something of a balm, I can’t stop listening to their latest, “Dannie Hopper in Easy Rider.” I love it so much, I’ll probably watch Easy Rider, a movie I have not thought about…. ever. That’s the power of music, right? —MS
Y: serpentwithfeet, “This Hill” – Any of the three songs from Jez fav serpentwithfeet’s new EP Apparition would have earned an enthusiastic Y in this space. My only complaint is that the collection, which clocks in at fewer than 10 minutes, is too short. It’s the most delicate project the avant-R&B singer-songwriter has released, and I’m spotlighting “This Hill” because of its sumptuous harmonies, but the whole thing is another total win from an artist that we’re lucky to have. What a salve for these times. —Rich Juzwiak
Y, cry time: Big Thief, “Love In Mine” – What can I say? Big Thief makes crybaby music for little bitches like me, and this song is no different. Ready to look out a window and cry through the weekend, lads, gripped by a nostalgia that I can’t quite pinpoint but certainly feel. “Put your love in mine/Let your body sing when your words won’t/Tell me everything,” lead singer Adrianne Lenker warbles. Wow, yeah. —Ashley Reese
Ya: JoJo feat. Tory Lanez & 30 Roc, “Comeback” – Anyone expecting a 2020 JoJo song featuring Tory Lanez and 30 Roc titled “Comeback” to be a self-referential ode to her career’s rebirth is sorely mistaken. This R&B slow burn is an ode to getting that good dick—completely with gratuitous bed squeaking sample and lines like, “You make me come so fast”—a far cry from the songs that launched her career 16 years ago. It’s nice to see her grow into her artistry. It’s also nice to hear she’s getting that good d, something I wish for everyone who wants it. —Maria Sherman
Nah: Evanescence, “Wasted On You” – With Y2K/mall goth nostalgia at its peak, the return of Evanescence (the band that brought the world “Bring Me to Life”) couldn’t have come at a better time. Unfortunately for them, the genre doesn’t age well. Amy Lee and co’s new song, “Wasted On You,” registers like Christian Rock. As John Jeremiah Sullivan once wrote in GQ, that is music that has “excellence-proofed itself,” and this is far from excellent. —MS
I’m into it: MOURN, “Call You Back” – Barcelona post-punk band Mourn, once a quartet, lost a member and became an emo act in the process. “Call You Back,” is early-aughts alt at its finest (unlike, say, the track directly above this one) though its message of feeling anxious on the phone feels oddly prophetic given the state of the world. I’m surprised by their sonic shift, but I’m not disappointed. —MS
Y: 2nd Grade, “Dennis Hopper In Easy Rider,” – I’ve mentioned Philadelphia band 2nd Grade in this space before, and because I find their cheery, quick, lackadaisical indie pop to be something of a balm, I can’t stop listening to their latest, “Dannie Hopper in Easy Rider.” I love it so much, I’ll probably watch Easy Rider, a movie I have not thought about…. ever. That’s the power of music, right? —MS
Y: serpentwithfeet, “This Hill” – Any of the three songs from Jez fav serpentwithfeet’s new EP Apparition would have earned an enthusiastic Y in this space. My only complaint is that the collection, which clocks in at fewer than 10 minutes, is too short. It’s the most delicate project the avant-R&B singer-songwriter has released, and I’m spotlighting “This Hill” because of its sumptuous harmonies, but the whole thing is another total win from an artist that we’re lucky to have. What a salve for these times. —Rich Juzwiak
Y, cry time: Big Thief, “Love In Mine” – What can I say? Big Thief makes crybaby music for little bitches like me, and this song is no different. Ready to look out a window and cry through the weekend, lads, gripped by a nostalgia that I can’t quite pinpoint but certainly feel. “Put your love in mine/Let your body sing when your words won’t/Tell me everything,” lead singer Adrianne Lenker warbles. Wow, yeah. —Ashley Reese
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