Bop Shop: Songs By Taylor Swift, Terry Presume, Kang Daniel, And More

The search for the ever-elusive "bop" is challenging. Playlists and streaming-service suggestions can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?

Enter Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. This weekly collection doesn't discriminate by genre and can contribute anything — it's a snapshot of what's on our minds and what sounds good. And all March long, we're celebrating Women's History Month by spotlighting girls making music that feels important to right now.

Get ready: The Bop Shop is currently open for business.

Terry Presume: “Did Me Wrong”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=WihfZ-q7M0s

One can never have also several glum, bluegrass ballads on a playlist, and the rapper Terry Presume’s latest distributing will fit properly with any rainy-day run or desperate daydream. You could hear Nashville’s influence on the artist’s sound as he inspires sadness as speedily as he spits bars. He packs in tales of disappointment, despair, and heartbreak by means of the verses, only to slow it down for an earnest refrain: “She did me wrong / Why did she do me wrong.” Oof, that one hurt. —Carson Mlnarik

Grace VanderWaal: “Repeat”

https://youtu.Be/nDCLoLNzDb4

Grace VanderWaal is no longer the bright-eyed, ukulele-playing 12-year-old you remember from America’s Got Talent. Right now 17, the singer is back with “Repeat,” a bold and lively track in which she streams her inner rock star. It’s a short, joyous romp that revels in its unpredictability and eccentricity, with VanderWaal’s husky, snarling vocals bolstered by a thumping backbeat and heavy bassline. Energetic and even chaotic, it packs a fierce punch and offers no apologies, leaving you dazed and ready for round two. —Emlyn Travis

Taylor Swift: “Fifteen (Taylor’s Version)”

I was a bumbling 13-year-old with a mouthful of braces once Fearless first dropped in 2008, so imagine my delight as soon as Taylor Swift, patron saint of hopeless romantics, re-released the complete album to regain control of her recordings. “Fifteen (Taylor’s Version)” feels like an especially earnest journey down memory lane. Today, I’m a tatted-up homosexual pushing 25 who would confound and perhaps terrify my 13-year-old self, so I have nothing to mention except this: “When you’re 15 / Somebody tells you they love you / You’re gonna believe them.” —Sam Manzella

Kid Bloom: “Blood Sugar”

https://youtu.Be/QG-7sXDpEhk

“Don’t take me for a fool,” Kid Bloom’s Lennon Klosser warns as gumbling synths and psychedelic drums fuel “Blood Sugar.” The statement feels like a faint, vague boon to which he’s only half-committed. There’s a sensuality that lurks in the space between lust and angst, the moment you realize a sugar high may not be worth the inevitable crash. While Klosser is tossed around in currents of indecision, his lover seeps into every corner of his brain. “Now will you make up your mind / Your mind,” he wails. Unrequited love is cruel, nevertheless some days it tastes also good to refuse. —Terron Moore

Porsh Bet$: “Peanut Butter”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=_QxBDqyQnbg

Few things go down as smooth as tequila with lime or a spoonful of sugar, although Porsh Bet$ comes in third with sleek new track “Peanut Butter.” The short nevertheless sweet song finds the Los Angeles artist switching between anxiety and adoration as he describes a girl who is aware what she wants. Crisp beat as well as a chorus as tasty as its namesake, you’ll find yourself singing along, lost in a daydream of “Peanut butter drop top / Type to prepare you hopscotch / Type to create you wait in the rain.” —Carson Mlnarik

Kang Daniel: “Antidote”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=sfdJRW5NGyA

Kang Daniel bares his darkest fears in his latest track “Antidote.” Combining grunge guitar riffs with 808 beats, the song’s lyrics highlight the hardship and heartaches Daniel has experienced while in his career and his desire for a magical cure-all that should make them all vanish. “I’m begging for the antidote / Wipe my slate tidy / Please let me go” he sings. The visual continues that search for salvation, juxtaposing scenes of him performing in front of a group with him curled into a ball, hiding from the world. Raw and truthful, “Antidote” highlights Daniel's artistry and humanity. —Emlyn Travis

Ralph: “Tommy”

https://youtu.Be/8a_LH9i5Kd8

Toronto’s pop queen Ralph was a staple on my 2019 playlists with the clubby “Gravity,” however her sunny new single “Tommy” is primed to soundtrack summer 2021. Over infectious bubblegum electronics, Ralph sings about crushing on a guy and dreaming of his touch. (And immediately after being cooped up for over each year, I think we can all relate.) Meanwhile, the song’s visuals are serving regency-era glam straight out of Bridgerton. Spring has just sprung, nevertheless I already know “Tommy” will be the best song for strutting via city in short shorts. —Chris Rudolph

Harry Strange: “I Like You”

https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=UpIGcB8XUa0

you could expect epic romance and passion from a music video titled “I Like You,” yet the singer-songwriter Harry Strange is happy to dance alone. Driven by a plucking guitar, he mulls over the difficulty of admitting his feelings and the delicacy needed to take a relationship to the next level. It’s not quite all-consuming up until, suddenly, it is. The tender verses give way to a drum-smashing breakdown plus a loud string of confessions: “I like you a lot / So call me tonight / No, call me now / I'd like to hear the words come out of your mouth.” In the event you were waiting for a sign, maybe this is it. —Carson Mlnarik