Bop Shop: Songs By Charli XCX, Conan Gray, Alex Lahey, And More

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  Alex Lahey: "Spike the Punch"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=Xe5DNOeIFJs
  
  
  
  Any song that starts "I got my ass kicked / It was wonderful deserves special commendation. For Alex Lahey, it's her euphoric first single since soundtracking Netflix's animated hit The Mitchells vs. The Machines with the likewise bubbly "On My Way." As its name suggests, "Spike the Punch" opts for a harder edge, and all of the spiky guitar noise becomes the ideal counterpart to Lahey's title pleas. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Sir Babygirl: “Bed”
  
  
  
  
  
  In celebration of her 29th birthday — and the begin of Scorpio season — Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Sir Babygirl dropped a celebratory mixtape, their first release since 2019, and it’s as effervescent and unhinged because the buzzing and bombastic tunes that put them on the map. “Bed” begins with a slowed-down assertion, “You can’t reach me / I’m lying in my bed,” setting the tone for a meditation on depression, insecurity, and romance over heavy reverb. “Which side of my face do you aspire to replace / The side that laughs, the side that jokes / The one that scares you the most,” she spits before launching into a heavenly sincere chorus of, “Will you lay next to me up until I come back to my body.” It’s a fitting refrain for a track intimate because the furniture it takes its name from. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Charli XCX ft. Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek: “New Shapes”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/_yeNUltonbM
  
  
  
  “New Shapes” opens with the refrain, “What you want? / I ain’t got it,” which is prosperous coming from a trio of singers who are giving everything I might ever want from a pop song. For the evocative, synth-heavy banger, Charli XCX tapped her “demonically talented friends,” Chris of Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polacheck, to mirror on past relationships that didn’t work out. The ’80s-inspired “Charli, Carly, Chris” collab is a worthy follow-up to September’s “Good Ones,” and further proof that Charli’s next era is one to watch. —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Cedric Noel: "Dove"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=meC3m0ZWAn8
  
  
  
  "Dove," a brief and bath-warm tune from Montreal's Cedric Noel, is far less a song than a prayer. Over a circular strumming pattern, the instantly lovable rising artist sings only three lines, yet they linger: "I've attempted to care about trivial things like love / To care about trivial things like love / To waste away trivial things like love." The rest of the runtime is committed to cooing, overlapping harmonies, and also a sense of wonderful peace, even in the face of such stinging declarations. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Conan Gray: “Telepath”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/6kiYXT8frBo
  
  
  
  within the past few years Conan Gray has released some “maniacal” music, a steady stream of confessional alt-pop tunes collected on his Kid Krow album. Right now Gray has dialed up the power pop with a ’80s twist on recent singles like “Overdrive,” and his latest, “Telepath.” In the song, Gray sings about predicting that his crush will come back to him, and not only does the track have a propulsive dancy sound, nevertheless it contains a chorus with lyrics like, “You’ll be sending me trash you have to have left in the drafts.” Move over, Amanda Gorman, because this is poetry! —Chris Rudolph
  
  
  
  
  



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  HalfNoise: "Last Day on Earth"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=K2zfNeMLZ1o
  
  
  
  As soon as he's not banging the drums in Paramore, Zac Farro makes his own music as HalfNoise. For his latest release, Motif, he delved into the silky and expansive sounds of the late '60s and early '70s to prepare an entire vibe. The harmonies, the cathedral chorus, even the horn sounds all recall the sweeping grandeur of Dennis Wilson and George Harrison's solo work, especially in the winking slide guitar. It doesn't sound like pastiche or genre physical training. With this much attention to detail paid, Farro simply makes it sound good. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Jordy: “If He's in Your Bed”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=n6WP1sWPSTs
  
  
  
  Soon after skyrocketing to TikTok fame over quarantine thanks to his viral ode to a long-distance beau, Los Angeles pop singer Jordy marks his arrival with his debut album Mind Games, out today. He spares no gory detail about the struggles of gay dating — the glowing temptation of the apps, the longing for something more, and the cycles of repetition — during the full record, nevertheless "If He's In Your Bed" marks a new level of honesty. "I mentioned that in June I'd find love by December / Shit's still not with each other he confesses before confronting his aspire to feel some physical just to feel something at all. "Don't cancel all your plans / Just for some shitty head," he absolves, adding "'Cause you'll be just as lonely later / If he's in your bed." The females are listening. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Snoh Aalegra: "Do 4 Love" (Bobby Caldwell cover)
  
  
  
  
  
  It's not easy to take on a wonderful song and make it your own, which is why Snoh Aalegra opts not to emulate Bobby Caldwell on "Do 4 Love," her version of his 1978 smooth soul classic "What You Won't Do for Love." As an alternative, she finds the song's deep heart and lives there for a little, turning the room purple and fogging up the walls. Aalegra's take loses the original's bounce, swapping in atmospheric fluttering that makes you feel like you're floating. —Patrick Hosken