Looking for a little more encouragement to get you through the first few days of another work week? We understand, and we've prepared some great new pop tunes for you.
"House on Fire," by Mimi Webb
Mimi Webb has released a wonderful, piercing pop music ahead of her first-ever U.S. tour in support of Tate McRae, which could help her break through in the same way that "You Broke Me First" did for McRae last year. In this story of heartbroken arson, Webb sings, "I saw you out, it was zero degrees / And you had your hands right under her sleeves / Oh, you had your hands right under her sleeves / Oh, you had your hands right under her
Hanson, “Child at Heart”
Although Hanson’s decades-long run as adult pop crowd-pleasers has been consistently rewarding, the three brothers will sometimes sneak in some left-of-center fare on projects to keep their formula fresh. “Child at Heart,” from the upcoming Red Green Blue album, is wider than Hanson’s normal stance, a showy pop-rock ballad with strings, epic lyricism and the type of big-top hook that begs to be hummed by its second time out.
Maeve Steele, “Tycho”
Searching for a dream-pop jam that personifies a lunar crater approximately 108 million years old? Rising Bay Area singer-songwriter Maeve Steele has you covered: “Tycho” reflects on natural beauty, loneliness and the passage of time with an astute eye and warm, inviting sound, as Steele offers some smooth playlist fodder even for those who don’t care about the moon.
"Where The Light Used To Lay," Yumi Zouma
Yumi Zouma from New Zealand creates alternative pop music that sounds as if Christie Simpson can harvest melodies from vapors and give them to the masses. Although Simpson's new track "Where The Light Used To Lay" is about a breakup, the sonorous tone, soothing synths, inconspicuous kick beat, and wispy backing vocals make it feel like the calmest heartbreak possible.
"Slow Song," by The Knocks and Dragonette
The Knocks' new collaboration with Dragonette, like Meghan Trainor's breakthrough smash, is all about the bass: the disco pastiche sparkles with Dragonette's experienced charm — she wraps her voice around the words "I'ma PLAY you!" with supreme devotion — and a cool cushion of synths, but the track gathers momentum due to the Knocks’ bass line, jagged in its arrival and effective in its light funk.
Bad Boy Chiller Crew feat. Becce J, “Always Be My Baby Boy”
Yorkshire trio Bad Boy Chiller Crew have their formula down pat: house samples, pop hooks, rapid-fire rap bars that lean into the thickness of their British accents, rinse, repeat. New album Disrespectful offers plenty of euphoric moments thanks to that blueprint, and the sugary “Always Be My Baby Boy” — with Becce J supplying the aforementioned pop hook this time — is likely the track that will help more listeners across the pond catch on.
Porsh Bet$, “Here”
“Here” is a summery, blissed-out and slightly warped highlight from Things In the Way, the second EP from Harlem-born L.A. transplant Porsh Bet$. The project is an eclectic snapshot of the promising singer-songwriter as he discovers his sonic palette, which encompasses backpack rap, emo, alt-rock and R&B – at the moment, it doesn’t seem like there’s much he can’t do.
Metronomy, “Right on Time”
Pandemic blues – not to mention electronic musical influences – are in the rear view mirror on “Right on Time,” a buoyant sing-along from Metronomy. The long-running English indie group seems to have matured without growing jaded or stale, returning with top-notch songcraft and a confidence that’s sure to lift your spirits.
"The Boat I Row" by Tame Impala
Kevin Parker of Tame Impala has released a new series of remixes and B-sides from the project The Slow Rush, which was released in 2020. "The Boat I Row" is the psychedelic pop singer's latest single (after the previously released track "No Choice"), and it finds him digging deeper into his characteristic style - funky and irresistible.
"I Think I Met You In a Dream," by COIN
COIN, the indie-pop band comprised of singer Chase Lawrence, drummer Ryan Winnen, and bassist Joe Memmel, have returned with "I Think I Met You In a Dream," a summer-ready ballad that blends '90s and psychedelic rock inspirations with a dreamy, modern twist. Lawrence's vocals drift over a steady rhythmic beats and intricate acoustic guitar work, as he fantasizes of the best moments spent with his lover, now only a distant memory
