Yeah, actually: Miley Cyrus’ “my future” (Billie Eilish cover) – It doesn’t seem like we’ll ever get a contemporary country-pop album out of Miley any time soon (but could you imagine if we did? Her rasp gets dustier and more robust as time goes on, and I love it more and more in the process.) Her cover of Billie Eilish’s languid “my future” gives Eilish’s lyrical optimism some muscularity—it’s brawny, it’s sexy, and now I’d do anything for a covers album from Cyrus. Miley, please, hear my call. —Maria Sherman
Y: Kevin Morby, “Campfire” ft. Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) – A crackling four-track, a pause, voices recorded high in the mix and in the space between brushed percussion—Kevin Morby’s “Campfire” is an exercise is expert songwriting, acknowledging voids and celebrating the beauty of big sky emptiness. It’s also a romance, featuring his partner, Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield. I’ve never wanted to run away with a country boy more. —MS
Ja: Agent blå, “Frustrated” – My admiration for Gothenburg’s Agent blå is well-documented in this space, and that’s because their particular brand of doomsday dream pop only seems to improve, traversing new depths of textured reverb and succinct sentiments. “Frustrated,” on the surface, appears to be about an undesired, unsetting, and far-too-common sexual encounter. And yet, it’s a gorgeous song, one that sits below your chest and lingers—an emotional haunting not often found in the indie pop space, but when has Agent blå ever taken the predictable path? —MS
Honestly, IDK: DJ Khaled ft. Drake, “Popstar” – Justin Bieber stars in this eight-minute-long music video in which covid-19 travel restrictions put a wrinkle in DJ Khaled’s plans to shoot a video with Drake for their new song. But Drake comes up with a plan: Get his boy Biebs to star in the video for him. So we, the humble viewers, get to see Justin Bieber lip-sync all of Drake’s lines while parading around a mansion and video set, surrounded by bad bitches, bros, and security detail. Hailey Bieber makes a cameo, too!
Frankly, it’s all a little much! The song itself is fine, and luckily for Drake, the beat is catchy as hell. It’ll probably turn into a TikTok meme soon enough. But regarding the video: the intro could have been edited down significantly with little to no loss to the plot (though the bloopers at the end were a nice touch). Also, I found it hard to fully enjoy the escapism of seeing Bieber strolling around his mansion, swarming with babes and booze, especially at a time like this. Covid-19 brain kicked in and I mostly wondered when this video was filmed (hopefully before March!) and thought about all the people who can barely afford rent right now. I get it, it’s hip-hop, and we love to see some luxury, but man… I don’t know.
Still, my biggest takeaway is this: I’m freakishly attracted to Bieber in this video, and I wonder if it’s this crunchy looking hair flip or just seeing him in pleather pants that did the trick. Help! —A.R.
Correction: A previous version of this post misidentified the 2015 Agent blå song, “Frustrerad” with their 2020 track, “Frustrated.” Jezebel apologizes for this error.