- Laughing, Screaming – Fox Academy (Indie, soft synth)
Laughing and screaming as a statement might leave you confused. Fox Academy’s
new single tackles that confusion at its feet. An echoing and heavy tone lead setting you in the thick of the romance. The track then shifts into a blissful tempo and lyrical performance, the same lead persists but a soft drum and uptick in tempo lighten the vibe. The track’s peak sees that crescendo falls into a soft and delicate piano that fades into a rhythmic silence.
- Leaving you – Riovaz (Techno RnB, Dancehall)
A song best played in a packed car, five to six people cramped in a car headed to the Crystal Lounge. This song has an actual heat to it, it throws you into its disposition and infects whatever your attitude may be when you hear it. From the jump this one simply rides, Riovaz wants nothing more than his listeners to move, and move you shall.
- Godspeed – Frank Ocean (Soothe RnB)
Frank Ocean’s “Blond” album is well known for good reason, defining and full of songs that hold real estate in the cultural zeitgeist. “Godspeed” ranks somewhat in the middle tier of the popularity of the album 17 track roster. In spite of that those who have a relationship with “Godspeed” will sing its praises. Playing like the end of church sermon two organs, one synth the other actual, slowly but gently coast you. Ocean’s voice on top is the tailwind behind that, he sings of grace and hope, not for himself but for a “You”.
- Chix – Jai Paul (Experimental Pop)
Jai Paul’s music is difficult to pin down, the English pop artist has paved the way for modern pop from the shadows. “Chix” is the pinnacle of this mastery, heavy and obscure but undeniably pop in nature. Jai Paul twists pop into his own creation, taking something dulled by repetition and magically adding something new.
- Crash Test Rating – Remo Drive (Manic Pixie Emo Rock)
A Rocky Professor I greatly respect recently told me about the angry walks they take in between classes to relieve any built-up frustration. It’s midterms so frustration being familiar in my mind led me to try taking angry walks of my own. The key to these walks is the music in which you walk, I thought of the angstiest song I knew, and “Crash Test Rating” came quickly. Remo Drive is a group centered around frustration with the chorus of this track singing “You only like me cuz I’m safe, with my four-star crash test rating”. Centered around the feeling of being someone’s safety net or third-place trophy, Remo Drive backs this idea with clever pacing and heavy hits.
- Off My Feet / Westside rider anthem – Matt Martians (experimental RnB)
Matt Martian’s music in one word is unpredictable. The sounds aren’t necessarily new to a first-time listener’s ear, shades of Steve Lacy or Thundercat, but his arrangements and direction are what feel fresh. The “Off My Feet” portion of the song plays elastically and warm then, as you may know, due to the slash, the song turns upside down. “Westside Rider” starts and what are feelings that produce warm hues the setting feels dark and isolated. While still having its own groove the tone feels more private or intimate than what was homey or open.
- Stay Away (It’s Like That) – TV Girl (Electric indie, Soft Dance)
TV Girl, the self-proclaimed best in the world, has the talent, personality, and fan base to give some credit to those claims. Stay Away works in large part due to its irony, the chorus singing “I want you to stay……stay the hell away from me”.
- Survival Tactics – Joey Bada$$ (Frustrated New York Rap)
Joey’s focus and poise keep all of his tracks usually lyrical and sharp. “Survival Tactics” diverge from this, sirens, horns, and gunshots line the track. Joey has a right to sound this confident, once seen as a fledgling, this album and song exclaim he is quite the opposite. With the martial high-step of the cipher-style quotables “I spit more than speech impediments,” the song is sharp, clean, and fierce enough to claim its sacred texts as peers.
- Godzilla – Yung Mal (Trap)
Yung Mal is like something out of a test tube, his flows, beats, and cadence are inherent. Building on the foundations of those before him like Young Thug and the late Lil Keed he holds a mastery of the new Atlanta trap world few do by his age. “Godzilla” is a flex of this deftness, three flows in three verses with a smooth and bumping chorus in between, if you like trap this has all you could want.
Links To Playlists:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-summit-pique/pl.u-9N9LvLdsoJvqEk
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5GWwszlcp0y8JyerDFlZRo?si=3e3JeYMGTx-xpzrpSHcbxg