This week has brought us some catchy singles as well as complete bodies of work. SZA, for instance, has dropped her second full-length album on short notice. Titled SOS , the LP is already on its way to being her first No. 1 album, making the “Good Days” singer an unmatched force in the R&B scene. We also have The Single Life EP by rapper Saweetie. Acting as a precursor to her highly awaited debut album Pretty B**** Music, it has some pretty sounds which the L.A. rapper presents alongside her highly improved vocals.
Another pop act dropping a mini body of work while we wait for her major album debut is British star Bree Runway. The “ATM” singer and rapper surprise drop her mini EP, Woah, What a Blur! that boasts of a collab track with rap star Stormzy and is bookended by her September hit, “THAT Girl”.
And finally, there’s London’s Josie Man, who has dropped her third extended play, Me at 23. Although the artist is now 24, this particular collection of songs meant the most to her at the age of 23. It has three adorable love songs that will brighten your Valentine’s Day playlist.
New tracks include those by Lost Girl, Indo-Australian singer Celina Sharma, bands Paramore and Gorillaz, rapper Ivorian Doll and more.
- Lost Girl – Trust Issues
The London-based R&B and garage artist showed promise with her 2021 debut mini-project, “Est. 1999”. Initially giving us dance tracks, the last number on the EP was the sad but stunning R&B track “Arizona”. Lost Girl walks down the same sonic lane with her new slow-tempo single, “Trust Issues”. It’s a catchy, sexy and cool track that she’s been teasing on TikTok for a while. And we are happy to see it finally out in the sun.
- Celina Sharma – Not Enough
Fans who swear by Coldplay’s The Scientist will find something to swoon about in Indian-Australian singer Celina Sharma’s new piano ballad, “Not Enough”. Co-penned by Sharma, Aaron Ferrucci, Emile Ghantous and Lauren Dyson, the song is about a love that is fading and how sometimes romance is not enough to make one happy. There’s beautiful metaphor and imagery in the songwriting, especially with these lines: “It’s like karma got its hand stuck on the steering wheel. Pulled us back then pushed us right off track” and “Loving you felt like jumping out a plane. No parachute but somehow I still felt safe”. It wouldn’t hurt to see the “24/7” singer explore this sound further.
- SZA – Kill Bill
Although mostly R&B, SZA’s new album SOS has some tracks where she explores a different genre. “Kill Bill” is one such song that is a lounge soul number that has SZA at her most dramatic and vengeful, referencing the Tarantino revenge film et al. According to Complex, SOS will earn “between 275,000 and 300,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, which would make it the sixth or seventh biggest debut of the year”.
- Paramore – The News
Pop punk legend Paramore’s new song, “The News” is about being more empathetic to others. Shutting your eyes won’t make the terrible things going on around us stop. So open your eyes, be more aware and show compassion. “The News” has that classic 2000s sound that Paramore fans will recognize and adore, though the single has some new sonics mixed in as well.
- Gorillaz – Skinny Ape
The Damon Albarn-led visual band has done it again. “Skinny Ape” is, at once, melancholic and hopeful in its depiction of a bullied and jaded kid who acknowledges that things will get better for him. Albarn and Greg Kurstin have a way of songwriting that is poetic but not overly sentimental. Look out for the band’s upcoming album, Cracker Island, out on February 24 next year.
- Ivorian Doll – Petty
The British rapper is back to remind us of the fun that was missing in the rap scene with this Swifta Beater-produced track. Going out of the drill box to tackle a medium tempo hip hop beat, Doll is merciless in her lyrical jabs: “What was you doin’ at twenty-one?, I see that poppin’ babies ain’t for everyone”, “Your mum should’ve swallowed you, I wish she took the pill” and “Twenty-one, I was pushin’ pen, not no babies…. Older girls always seem to hate, they movin’ shady”.
Then she references Pinocchio when describing the liars who hate on her, during which we hear a cartoonish sound effect of a nose being pulled. That just reminds us of the “Rumour’” rapper’s intrinsic humour that is in all of her music.
- YEИDRY – KI-KI (feat. ENNY)
Dominican-Italian singer Yendry delivers a punchy track with London rapper ENNY. “KI-KI” is a bilingual Spanish-English track that has a sporty vibe thanks to its irresistible energy.
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