new (and old) music friday #51: allie x, robyn, kiesza, griff, rina sawayama

honestly, i couldn't be more relieved to see this week come to an end. 

a combination of Work Stress, hormones and driving lesson-induced panic has just about finished me off, so i decided to do the one thing that consistently brings me joy in times of trouble; write about some of my favourite songs from the last few weeks. 

but before we begin, i must draw attention to the fact that love again - one of my top three carly rae jepsen songs - is finally on spotify after five! long! years!

originally a bonus track from jepsen's seminal sophomore album emotion, i fell in love with it instantly and was always mystified as to why it never appeared on the album, even just as a bonus track (though it did appear on the japanese edition). 

however my days of wondering are no longer as she announced via twitter that love again and never get to hold you would be available on spotify.

the Queen of The Gays delivered once again, dropping a "deluxe expanded edition" of her finest work on the streaming platform today, so that's my plans sorted for the next 48 hours. 

1. allie x

another pop icon whose debut EP has been receiving a new wave of adoration from fans since the queens from canada's drag race lip-synced to her song hello is allie x. 

i still remember being captivated by bitch and prime back in 2014, but re-listening to the EP the other day literally brought me to tears, so in awe i was over the impeccable synth-driven production. 

i've struggled to listen to good as its lyrics have always been a bit too Close To Home, but i managed to push my feelings aside and appreciate the song and its super dramatic outro, along with the CHVRCHES-inspired sound of catch and tumour. 

but my favourite has got to be sanctuary, with production so intense i couldn't contain my tears, and have played it endlessly since.

i hate to admit it, but i found her most recent album cape god a bit too subdued for my liking, so i'm glad to have coxlltion I to tide me over until her next release. 

2. astrid s 

another artist i've been obsessing over in the last few months is astrid s, whose uber-catchy bops have been a mainstay in my most played songs, and her latest single marilyn monroe doesn't disappoint.

i hate to use the word "sassy" but that's exactly what this song is, a defiant statement to anyone who dares to judge not only astrid but women in general. 

it sometimes feels like whatever decision we make is open to criticism, whether that's wearing make-up or going bare-faced, dating casually or settling down with one person, and dressing in a ~revealing~ way as opposed to covering up. 

but none of that matters as soon as i press play on this absolute banger, which i can't wait to blast at full volume on my Daily Walks (literally the only vaguely good habit i've developed during lockdown). 

3. robyn 

i've always felt that robyn hit her peak with 2010's body talk, the album which spawned the original Sad Banger, dancing on my own - and a diabolical cover that somehow reached number 2 in the UK charts a few years later - along with hits like call your girlfriend, hang with me, indestructible and the sorely underrated stars 4-ever.

that all changed with her latest track impact, a collaboration with producer SG lewis and channel tres. it's the high impact (i am SORRY) production robyn's more recent releases have been lacking and i can't wait for this song to be played at full volume in Tha Club once we're allowed back on the dancefloor. 

4. kiesza 

Gay Twitter has been buzzing about the release of kiesza's latest offerings for the last few months, and with their 80s-inspired production and a Big Chorus or two, it's easy to see why. 

she first became known for her song hideaway back in 2014, which brings back somewhat distressing memories of nights out at uni as the song was played on loop in every single bar, so naturally i'm delighted she's moved towards a more pop sound. 

i'd highly recommend all of the feelings, crave, run renegade, and my favourite track love me with your lie, along with the MEDUN remix. 

5. FLETCHER 

i last wrote about FLETCHER when she released the alarmingly catchy track forever back in april, and her latest single if i hated you is another excellent break-up bop i've been playing non-stop. 

featuring a similar synth-laden chorus to forever, the track forms part of her upcoming EP the s(ex) tapes, set to be released on september 18th, which hopefully contains more of the same. 

6. the japanese house 

as someone who's always loved Big Pop Songs, i've found my enjoyment of the japanese house's low-key sound to be somewhat of an anomaly in my music taste, but ever since i first heard the pools to bathe in EP back in 2015, i've been a huge fan of amber bain. 

her latest EP chewing cotton wool follows her long-awaited full-length album good at falling, which was released last year and easily became one of my all-time favourite albums. 

upon first listen, i didn't love the EP's first single chewing cotton wool, but having re-listened, it's perfect for those times where i just need to be In My Feelings. 

opening track sharing beds harks back to amber's early days where her vocals were so distorted it was hard to tell if it was a man or woman singing, retaining that sharp electronic sound which had been missing from her more recent EPs, swim against the tide and 3/3. 

after taking what felt like a slightly more ~pop~ direction and stripping back the autotune on songs like you seemed so happy, somebody you found and good side in, i'm glad she's returned to her roots, as i still get the same goosebumps when i hear early tracks like still, clean and teeth, though that might just be the nostalgia talking. 

i instantly loved something has to change when it was released last september but my favourite track has to be dionne, a collaboration with justin vernon - aka bon iver - which no doubt sent Real Music fans (aka men who use beard oil non-ironically) into auto-drive. 

i could talk at length about how the use of autotune is praised when used by male artists like bon iver and francis and the lights but women such as charli xcx and amber herself face criticism for hiding their "real" voices with it, but i'd much rather talk about what an incredible track dionne is.

sonically it harks back to her earlier releases, but lyrically the track - and the EP as a whole - see amber exploring the aftermath of a breakup. 

on instagram she said these songs "punctuate the stages of coming out of a relationship and entering into a new phase", and her eloquent self-reflection is reflected in the lyrics of dionne, particularly "your past becomes your present if it's always on your mind", a feeling i know all too well as i've struggled to let certain people go in the past. 

7. griff

speaking of which, another artist who has been extolling the virtue of being kinder to yourself and Letting Go is griff. her track forgive myself hit me right where it hurts, so much so that i can't even choose a particular line that resonated the most. 

like the japanese house, it's a much more mellow sound than i generally gravitate towards, but as long as there's some synths thrown in i can get on board, particularly as she wrote and produced the whole track herself. 

her latest track say it again is slightly more upbeat in context, and i can feel myself developing a mild obsession with it in the coming weeks. 

think of it as a Dual Purpose Bop; perfect for playing in the background whilst working or doing a mundane task but transforming into a bit of a banger when played full volume with a hairbrush microphone in hand. 

8. rina sawayama

i must admit, when i saw rina sawayama support charli xcx in october last year, i wasn't particularly impressed, despite everyone on my twitter timeline professing their love for her. 

but during lockdown i became a regular attendee of queerantine, the virtual equivalent of girls night out, and one of the songs played was who's gonna save u now? by rina. 

this would make an excellent Karaoke Song, and i'm living for the day i can drunkenly scream along to it in a booth at my favourite bar. 

featuring a euphoric guitar solo and KEY CHANGE, it sounds like a modern day mash up of holding out for a hero and total eclipse of the heart by bonnie tyler, two of the most dramatic and iconic songs of all time, an honour i don't hand out to present day pop stars without good reason. 

i also really enjoy bad friend, a 1975-esque, auto-tuned Sad Bop that sees rina address her tendency to lose touch with once close friends. again, it's a familiar feeling, forcing me to accept that i too could have made more effort with friends i no longer speak to.

finally there's the brabo and pablo vittar remix of comme des garçons (like the boys) which i also discovered during one of the queerantine zoom nights and is an excellent song to make you feel like That Bitch.  

9. lesley roy

it wouldn't be a new music friday without a eurovision bop, and while this year's contest was cancelled due to coronavirus, i've been playing story of my life by lesley roy on repeat over the last couple of months. had the show gone ahead as planned, she would have represented ireland in the competition, and it's a travesty that we won't get to see it performed live. 

my only requirement for a eurovision song is that it's as "cheesy" as possible. while most people would consider this a bad thing, i gave up caring about what they think a long time ago, and this song fits the criteria perfectly with a Huge Chorus that wouldn't sound out of place on an early one direction song. 

10. the toppers

though not released this year, during one of the BBC's many eurovision-themed programmes they showed to try and compensate for the cancelled contest, i became aware of what is by far one of the cheesiest entries ever. 

representing the netherlands in 2009, the song is shine by a group called the toppers, which features alarmingly positive lyrics, a Big Chorus and multiple key changes, a winning formula that means i never get tired of hearing it. 

clearly the majority of people don't share my enthusiasm for the song as it failed to qualify for the eurovision final, but luckily we were blessed with a semi-final performance that includes a woman with an eerily resemblance to gemma collins on backing vocals and pretending to DJ, so if you need a serotonin boost, i'd highly recommend watching it here. 

11. samantha harvey

i can only assume it was popjustice who introduced me to british singer-songrwriter samantha harvey. 

she began posting covers on youtube back in 2017 before releasing her first EP in 2018, and while these generic, top-40 filler songs failed to thrill me, it was her 2019 single get to know you which caught my attention. 

gone were the Sad Piano Ballads and in their place, a much more 80s-inspired sound. 

get to know you is as catchy as they come, and she followed it up with a remix by ekko city, which gives the bubblegum pop masterpiece a club-ready edge. 

then in june this year she released hard to get, a slice of pop perfection with a chorus so good it still gives me chills every time i hear it.

hopefully there's more where that came from, and maybe she'll even sneak in a Key Change or two. 

new (and old) music friday #37: gia woods, robyn, georgia, BTS

last weekend, something incredible but also totally ridiculous happened. after a mildly stressful skype call on good friday, i'm now a ~narrative writer~ for the music streaming site VIBBIDI, which is currently undergoing a revamp before its official launch in the summer. their aim is to bring back the Good Old Days before music bloggers weren't an endangered species, which is where i come in, writing reviews about my favourite artists. 

somehow they stumbled across this blog and liked the look of my writing, and the idea that something i created nearly four (!) years ago as an escape from the stress of my uni course has led to an actual paid (!) job is still unbelievable to me. luckily my family were on holiday in wales so i had the house to myself all weekend, and spent the time yelling along to the songs i'm about to discuss below, partly in celebration but also complete disbelief that something so good has happened to me after one of the worst years i've had in recent memory. 

1. gia woods 

it's safe to say i've fallen hard for gia woods. after making waves with her 2015 track only a girl - the video of which served as her coming out - she's gone on to release a string of catchy synth-driven bops, each with a Big Chorus to boot. her latest release keep on coming was an instant favourite of mine, but unbelievably it did take me a few listens before i could fully appreciate the excellence of break-up banger new girlfriend and risk-it-all anthem jump the fence. all that's in the past now though and i've had all three on repeat this last week. 

2. dorian electra

every article i've read about dorian's incredible new single flamboyant has referred to them as a "charli xcx collaborator", but if you ask me, their brand of bold 80s inspired electro-pop has established them as a unique artist operating in their own lane. building on the sound of previous hits career boy, VIP and man to man before tearing them down to create something new, flamboyant - with its delightfully campy video that pays homage to liberace - veers dangerously close to a parody of pop, but as pitchfork said, it's clear electra is in on the joke. 

3. aly & aj

i know i've talked about this duo incessantly in the last few months, but can you really blame me when every single song they've released has been a banger? their latest track don't go changing is no exception, where a gentle bed of synths gives way to a drum beat belinda carlisle would be proud of. they also opened up to paper about their mental health issues during their days at disney, in which they had leading roles in phil of the future and the quite frankly iconic cow belles (supposedly inspired by the legendary simple life). as discussions about mental health are becoming more and more normalised, it's still reassuring to see that our favourite artists are human and face the same struggles as the rest of us. 

4. swimming girls 

ever since i saw them support pale waves last year, i've been obsessed with the bristol-based band, whose impeccable back catalogue just got a whole lot better with 1 2 many, their latest single. their irresistible blend of indie-pop soundtracks a story many of us will be familiar with as they try and fail to resist urge to drunk-text That Person, arriving at their door in the dead of night. with an EP in the works, i'm excited to see what they'll do next and am eagerly awaiting the next time they come to manchester. 

5. kim petras 

a significant departure from the sugary sweetness of the SOPHIE-assisted 1, 2, 3 dayz up, broken is decidedly more subdued, but kim's heavily autotuned vocals still pack an emotional punch; though she's in paris in mark jacobs, it's obvious the wounds still haven't healed. whether this song marks the direction of her next album remains to be seen, but i'm definitely here for it should she decide to go full 5 in the morning on us. 

5. georgia 

i first became aware of georgia when she dropped the critically acclaimed started out last year, and i couldn't get its melody out of my mind. the daughter of leftfield's neil barnes, their electronic sound has no doubt influenced her own work, and nowhere is this more apparent than on about work the dancefloor, an Absolute Bop reminiscent of robyn's early sound. whether i'm going out or staying in, this song has been on repeat pretty much since i heard it.

6. robyn

following my last post, i felt compelled to check out robyn's setlist from her alexandra palace gigs because though i love dancing on my own - imagine my distress when i realised i saw her perform it in 2012 supporting coldplay and have no recollection of it - and call your girlfriend, i was intrigued to see if she had any other bops i'd neglected, and it's safe to say i wasn't disappointed. ever the poptimist, i couldn't help favour her earlier tracks from 2010's body talk, including hang with me, indestructible and stars 4-ever, but i also rediscovered missing u from her newest album honey. i found the whole thing a bit hit and miss, but this ode to love and loss hit me right where it hurts. a classic Sad Bop - of which robyn has undoubtedly had a hand in bringing to the mainstream - i found myself yelling it at the top of my voice while tears streamed from my eyes, and if you ask me, that's the sign of a truly excellent pop song. 

7. ellie goulding

another hit and miss artist, i strongly believe miss goulding peaked with the release of her debut album lights, which contains gems such as wish i'd stayed, this love (will be your downfall) and your biggest mistake, as well as starry eyes, which despite being A Bop, fell foul of overplaying on every major radio station throughout 2010. 2015's delirium also spawned some hits such as army, don't panic and don't need nobody, while her contributions to both the fifty shades and bridget jones soundtracks were also excellent. while her third album has yet to see the light of day, she's released a smattering of sub-par singles in the last year, but that all changed with sixteen. 

much like robyn's dedication to the Sad Bop, ellie goulding has dealt largely with nostalgia ever since lights was released, often lamenting the early days of her teenage relationships before Real Life got in the way. nowhere is this more apparent than sixteen, which sees her reminiscing about "the reckless days of being a teenager", via billboard. while my own Teenage Years were as far from reckless as possible - i was distinctly unpopular and it would be years before their penchant for binge-drinking blue WKDs on the field behind their respective houses held any appeal for me - i can't get enough of this piano-driven bop, which unlike her previous releases flux and close to me features something akin to my beloved Big Chorus, and i'm praying her upcoming album will include more of the same. 

8. BTS/halsey

after weeks spent dodging boy with luv as it permeated every inch of my social media despite me not following any k-pop obsessives, i finally gave in and properly listened to it and my place on the bandwagon has been firmly established. prompted by a tweet from matty healy, i watched their performance of the song on SNL and found myself captivated by their dance moves and impeccably cut suits. though i've yet to delve into the depths of BTS' discography, i can't deny their ability to create a damn good song and while halsey's contribution is minimal, it's no doubt brought k-pop to a whole new audience who would never actively seek it out themselves, so maybe by my next new music friday post i'll be a fully fledged BTS stan.