new (and old) music friday #45: harry styles, LIZ, miley cyrus, mabel

this week i've experienced everything from almost getting a rescue dog to yet another frustrating almost-interview, in which i arrived only to be told the digital marketing position i'd applied for had been filled and my CV had somehow been mixed up with the people who were applying for another job that involved assisting the receptionists and answering phones, i.e. my worst nightmare. 

i also returned to the job centre, something that would have devastated me a few months ago, but with my new-found attitude of Not Having A Breakdown About Every Tiny Thing, i'm trying not to let it bother me. luckily i'm heading to malaga tomorrow until tuesday, and though i'm not someone who cares about going on holiday regularly, i think some time away is definitely needed. 

but before that i have a backlog of bangers that need to be discussed.

1. harry styles 

it's hard to believe that two years have gone by since harry styles released his incredible self-titled debut album, but new single lights up picks up where he left off, albeit slightly more mellow.  
his "step into the light" could have many meanings. first, the literal feeling of stepping into the morning light when a party ends, still slightly drunk. secondly, it could be seen as an opportunity to tell the world who he really is after years of speculation about his sexuality.

fans took this idea and ran with it after the song and its (excellent) video were released on national coming out day, but by this point we really should know better than to expect a straightforward answer from him. either way, it's definitely helped me to be more comfortable with my own sexuality, and when he asks "do you know who you are?" i feel like i'm edging ever closer to an answer*. 

(*this could also be thanks to tegan and sara's newly-released memoir high school, which i read cover to cover in just two days. it's easy to think of successful artists as just that, any struggles they've previously experienced erased once they sign their names on the dotted line of a recording contract, so reading about sara's ongoing struggles with her sexuality reassures me that Coming Out isn't a singular moment that solves all of one's problems but a lifelong process. it also lead to several revelations about my own high school experiences as i realise that i actually did have feelings for all the girls i simply "admired" and "wanted to be friends with".) 

2. miley cyrus

miley cyrus has been making headlines lately thanks to her divorce from liam hemsworth and rebound relationships with both kaitlynn carter and cody simpson, all of which coincided with the release of slide away. the song was largely unmemorable, but when i saw a youtube comment about how it was like the modern equivalent of her 2008 track bottom of the ocean, i immediately felt compelled to re-listen to the accompanying album, breakout.

my 13-year-old self played this on repeat, and i'll always be of the opinion that it's miley's best work to date. 

there's something for everyone, from karaoke-friendly bops such as her country take on girls just wanna have fun, title track breakout and of course the iconic 7 things. there's also a largely unchanged remix of see you again, which is undoubtedly the best song from the hannah montana 2/meet miley cyrus album, which i owned on CD (!).  

forget greta thunberg, as wake up america proves that miley was the true inventor of climate change protests. the inspiration for the song came from an episode of the miley and mandy show, a youtube series created by cyrus and her friend mandy jiroux, which i vividly remember watching as a teenager and being devastated about its ending. in this particular episode, the duo encourage everyone to recycle, save and reuse plastic bottles, and use organic products with no harsh chemicals. perhaps if more people had followed their advice back in 2008, we wouldn't be in such a predicament now. 

most millennials have become well acquainted with the idea of "burnout" thanks to an article by buzzfeed writer anne helen petersen, but miley was once again ahead of her time as this concept is explored on the track simple song. the constant pressure cyrus experienced during her hannah montana heyday forms the basis of this track, which also features a piano backing to rival elton john (yes, really).  

there are still plenty of classic break-up songs though; highlights include these four walls, goodbye and my personal favourites, the driveway - with its avril lavigne-inspired electric guitar and fantastically dramatic chorus - and full circle, which was written about her on again/off again relationship with nick jonas.  

3. SOPHIE/starrah

by far my most played this week, lock it up is yet another unreleased SOPHIE bop from 2016 which resurfaced online after being played on BBC radio 1's TNGNT show last week. why she refuses to release such bangers is beyond me, and several youtube channels have been set up as a place to find all of her unreleased songs in one place. perhaps she wants to be seen as a more ~serious~ artist as her debut album oil of every pearl's un-insides had a far more experimental feel and was nominated for a grammy this year. 

it's a world away from the carefully crafted bubblegum pop that sends fans into meltdown every time she unveils a new track, and this is no exception. featuring charli xcx collaborator starrah on vocals, my favourite thing about lock it up is the fact she uses female pronouns to describe her ~love interest~, something still rarely heard in pop music despite all the progress being made. whether we'll ever be blessed with an official version of this track remains to be seen, but for now i'll be playing it on loop and keeping my fingers crossed. 

4. kim petras 

miss petras came THROUGH with some more spooky bops with the release of turn off the light. rather than release it as volume 2, she decided to combine the songs from volume 1 to create a full length album, and i'm living for it. it's about as much enjoyment as i'll ever get from halloween, which is also my birthday, but to most people's amazement i despise dressing up and any kind of themed party. luckily death by sex, wrong turn and my favourite track there will be blood will make the occasion slightly more bearable this year, and i'm praying they'll be played at girls night out, the unofficial after party of charli xcx's manchester gig the night before halloween.  

i must also give an honourable mention to the impeccable video for icy, which is quite possibly my favourite song of the year so far, and after getting a ticket to see kim live next year i have a feeling this track will be the highlight of her set. 

5. mabel

i've never paid much attention to mabel as she's been releasing incredibly mediocre songs since 2015, and am still baffled as to why she supported harry styles on tour in 2017. her rather dull mix of pop and R&B felt totally at odds with the glam rock sound of david bowie and marc bolan which he channelled on his album. 

but everything changed with god is a dancer, a recent collaboration with tiesto. as soon as i heard this i knew it had potential to be a Huge Banger, and i can confirm that it Fucking Slaps, though that could have been thanks to the three (3) drinks i'd consumed before it was played in Tha Club. 

it's also an excellent walking-around-town song, guaranteed to make you feel like That Bitch, so i'm praying her next album will contain more of the same.

6. LIZ

last but not least it's LIZ, who i never fully got into until i heard sunscreen a few weeks ago. it's yet another unreleased bop with SOPHIE on production, but that could be set to change as LIZ replied to charli xcx's already infamous tweet asking if anyone had a link to taxi (part of me wants to believe she could be gearing up to release it but i'm trying not to get my hopes up) saying "it’s with sunscreen in PC purgatory". she later tweeted herself that she was "just kidding" as the song is "thriving" and "getting ready for its debut". this seems like a far more sincere statement than that of miss XCX, who has always enjoyed trolling her fans, so hopefully sunscreen will actually be released soon.

in the meantime i've been loving a)lottery - which is inspired by slayyyter and blackout-era britney spears in equal measure and features a flawless cameo from drag race alumni aja - and b) her latest release laguna nights which she described as "teenage dream and the one that got away mashed up together" (anyone with taste knows teenage dream is one of the best songs from the last decade) and was inspired by "the idea of lost and rekindled love, on the beach, and for one night only", while sonically it reminds me of fame-era lady gaga. 

new (and old) music friday #40: MUNA, chlöe howl, malou prytz, BANKS

after a particularly stressful week work-wise, the only thing keeping me going has been this selection of bops and bangers i'm about to share with you, so if you're also Going Thru It, i hope they bring you a vague semblance of joy.

1. MUNA

by far my most played song these last few days, number one fan is the ~self love~ anthem i never knew i needed. though i'd like to believe the days of hating myself are far behind me now, i still have moments where i feel like a potato with hair who's incapable of real human connection and genuine happiness, so it's reassuring to know MUNA feel that way too. after a whirlwind few years releasing their incredible debut album about u and touring the world with harry styles, the trio were struggling to apply such empowering lyrics to their own lives, and after a period of self-reflection, number one fan was born. encouraging us to be our own biggest stans amid a glorious chorus of synths and a bridge wilson phillips would be proud of, i'm hoping their second album saves the world - due september 6th - will contain more of the same. 

2. VINCINT 

since appearing on fox's the four, newcomer VINCINT has been steadily releasing his own electro-pop bops; highlights include middle of love, remember me and please don't fall in love. however, his latest release say is his best yet as he pays homage to his family's gospel roots. i'm of the strong belief that a gospel choir can make any song ten thousand times better (see: like a prayer and if i believe you) but say also features the best key change we've seen in pop since ariana's greedy back in 2016, and i can't wait to see what he does next. 

3. chlöe howl

it's been a while since i paid attention to chlöe howl, but her newest song in the middle (sad banger) deserves points for the name  alone - Sad Bops have always been my favourite sub-genre (see: ABBA'S entire discography). put simply, this is what robyn's latest album missing u was in fact missing; that perfect blend of a Big Chorus and devastatingly sad lyrics about a relationship gone wrong. howl's career so far has been a series of hits and misses - when she's good, she's really good, but when she's bad, it's... this. following her departure from sony music, she's now an independent artist and i'm praying her future releases won't leave me disappointed.

4. swimming girls 

the self-described "dark pop four piece" released their latest EP existenial fears earlier this month, bringing with it two new tracks, the moody synth-driven holy place, which pays homage to singer vanessa's spanish roots, and i don't wanna get to heaven, which i'd consider Classic Swimming Girls, along with 1 2 many, asking for it and beneath you. full to the brim with a series of heavenly (sorry) synths and a cure-esque guitar riff combined with lyrics about - you guessed it - "where we go when we die", it's what they do best, and i'm eagerly awaiting the day they return to manchester so i can yell every word at the top of my voice.

5. malou prytz 

another slice of synth-pop excellence courtesy of popjustice, which is fast becoming one of my favourite music sites. the 16-year-old swede first caught their attention with her song left & right, which wouldn't have sounded out of place at this year's eurovision amongst its sea of sub-par tracks and choruses that never quite get off the ground. however, while listening to it on youtube, i saw the next recommended video was for another one of her songs, titled i do me. this one is far more upbeat and features a ridiculously catchy chorus that's been stuck in my head for weeks. here's hoping her career trajectory is more dagny than duncan lawrence. 

6. tiesto/jonas blue/rita ora 

sticking with the popjustice theme, i was surprised to see that its founder peter robinson described tiesto's new rita ora assisted track ritual as "her best ever single" when bops such as how we do, i will never let you down, doing it and anywhere exist, but it's definitely A Banger and i've been playing it pretty much non-stop since i first heard it. another career which has seen its fair share of ups and downs, ora endured a lengthy legal battle with former label roc nation before finally parting ways with them and releasing phoneix last year, which most definitely did not live up to my expectations. perhaps this is what makes ritual so good, standing out in a sea of Sad Piano Ballads and desperate attempts to cling to whatever spotify's new music friday playlist deems relevant. rita's at her best when she bucks the trends, so if she decides to go in a more dance oriented direction on her next album, i definitely won't have any complaints.

7. BANKS/francis and the lights 

after the huge success of comeback single gimme, fans of BANKS seem divided by look what you're doing to me, her collaboration with francis and the lights, arguing that she sounds overproduced and lost in a sea of autotune. however i've been a fan of francis and the lights since january last year, and i also love a bit of autotune - i wrote about both of these things here - so naturally, i love the track and how refreshingly different it is from gimme. the latter is BANKS in her element, all moody synths and distorted vocals, and yes it Fucking Slaps, but i'm here for her genre-defying sound and the eventual Autotune Renaissance, spearheaded by charli xcx (who i got tickets to see in october!!!).

8. hatchie

ever since i saw the australian singer live at yes last thursday, i've had all her songs playing non stop. much like swimming girls and pale waves, she takes inspiration from the cure and cocteau twins to create a blend of nostalgic pop that still sounds fresh. picking a favourite is hard but the song i first fell in love with was without a blush. i'd also highly recommend her newest single obsessed, adored, stay with me, sleep and try. 

9. soju

following her appearance on season 11 of rupaul's drag race, soju  - who first found fame on youtube - is the latest queen to release a single and it certainly doesn't disappoint. as soon as i found out fall in love again was produced by socialchair - responsible for bops including speed and tension - i knew it was going to be good. put simply, it's an Absolute Bop that pays homage to her love of k-pop bands and i'm definitely going to be requesting it next time i go out. 

10. king princess/mark ronson

i have to admit, the last few releases from mark ronson's upcoming album late night feelings were distinctly underwhelming. as i mentioned earlier, i love a Sad Banger, but for some reason i just couldn't get into his collaborations with miley cyrus, camila cabello and lykke li. though there were faint shimmers of a disco-inspired bassline and a smattering of classic 80s synths, they failed to reach any kind of crescendo, lacking The Drama all good pop songs require for me to feel any type of way about them. 

similarly, the last few offerings from king princess post-pussy is god (i mean, could she ever really top that?) didn't thrill me either, so combining her silky smooth vocals with the aforementioned disco sound ronson has been enjoying lately was an excellent decision, culminating in pieces of us. while still a more low-key affair compared to the type of disco i usually favour, this song is perfect for that part of the night where everyone is slightly too drunk and In Their Feelings but not quite ready to leave the dancefloor.