Bop Shop: Songs From Alex Cameron, Comethazine, Ava Max, And More

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  Alex Cameron: "Divorce"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=pyoaidmynOk
  
  
  
  "I got companions in Kansas City with a motherfucking futon couch, if that's how you wanna play it," poet laureate of sleaze Alex Cameron proclaims on his song "Divorce." It's crucial to say that 1) This is hilarious, and 2) It's seemingly meant in at least half-jest, like much of the wet insight Sydney songwriter spills. Like Father John Misty before him, Cameron's persona — a louche caricature rubbing up against tropes of toxic masculinity — feels like a construct, however one through which he can reveal uncomfortable truths about himself. He says his new album, Miami Memory, out September 13, is grounded in reality and calls it "the story of a couple balancing sex with contemporary family member values." Could it be his Tunnel of Love? Let the glockenspiel answer that question. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Kindness ft. Jazmine Sullivan: "Hard to Believe"
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/HIcoWjfDMY0
  
  
  
  As we spend the upcoming weeks trudging through peak summer heat, why not get down to a song that actually makes sweating feel good? Well companions, Adam Bainbridge, a.K.A. British-based vocalist and producer Kindness, has a new track called "Hard to Believe," and it's just the sort of steamy dance song that your July needs. Featuring the vocal prowess of R&B singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan, the duet reaches its climax in the chorus with a singalong chorus that goes "Gimme your love, all your love, all your love right now / I know it's hard to believe how I get down." Kindness's first album in five years, Something Like a War, is out September 6. —Bob Marshall
  
  
  
  
  



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  Grace VanderWaal: "Ur So Beautiful"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=yMsW8T99KPs
  
  
  
  Grace VanderWaal was only 12 whenever she auditioned for America’s Got Talent with her ukulele ode to being an outcast, "I Don't Know My Name." Not only was she crowned the Season 11 winner, nevertheless three years later, it seems she is aware herself better than ever before, as especially evident on her new single, "Ur So Cute Through understated production and her signature rasp, Grace shows incredible growth and mastery of sound – and fully has me in my feels.
  
  
  The song is a visual experience that begs you to add it to your rainy-day playlist with its initial lines, "Lower East Side and it's pouring out / Don't you look right at me right now With undeniably cool confidence and introspection that reads in back of her years, Grace contemplates a pretty person taking up real estate in her head and the nerve that comes with the intrigue. The chorus is simple although efficient as VanderWaal croons over and over, "Damn, you're so cute / And don't know you it," reiterating the cyclical nature of attraction and the way a lover's face tends to replay in our heads, just like you'll hope to replay this bop. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  


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  Comethazine: "Just Saying"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=PyLEx_S6Xck
  
  
  
  Comethazine was the surprise pick for XXL's 2019 Freshman Class. He had a minor hit in "Walk" that peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. He also boasts four mixtapes' worth of material, comparisons to Playboi Carti MadeinTYO, plus a couple videos shot by Lyrical Lemonade's Cole Bennett — putting him in the liminal space between being taken seriously by hip-hop's fanbase and being written off as a cartoonish personality.
  
  
  Nevertheless what makes his music so enthralling is the fact that the sounds made by this former auto mechanic ("I could take apart a whole vehicle in like a hour and put that shit back," he's revealed) don't sound tinkered with. His songs often just be a number of sneering and sneaky raps that connected by a string of anger. His latest release, "Just Saying," continues the trend of loose, never sloppy rap for villain roundtables. There's not necessarily anything risqué about it lyrically, and the production is simple and inviting, hesitant to really adjust its boilerplate setup. However Comethazine, unlike several rappers, honestly relies on the twist and snarl of his lips through each word, how they sit like fire in the ears. "Just Saying" is like consuming food cake while knowing you have to have dinner first. —Trey Alston
  
  
  
  
  



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  Rina Sawayama: "Cyber Stockholm Syndrome"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=HKLxvdFtlZE
  
  
  
  Out of all of my main go to artists, no one has ever been able to capture the feeling of being in love and being Exceedingly Online most of my life. I've spent so several hours instant messaging, emailing, and texting with others, creating an intimate world in which it feels like we're the only ones there. Here, Sawayama's sentiment "Came here on my own / Party on my phone" hits so close to house it's uncanny. Learning that I'm far more comfortable communicating through text and online was a pivotal piece of grown-up for me, and Sawayama's song reminds me I'm not alone in that regard. Plus, it's also much like an early 2000s R&B bop, and that's what I love the most about it. Don't sleep on Rina. —Brittany Vincent
  
  
  
  
  



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  Ava Max ft. NCT 127: "So Am I"
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/IFvQsWT9gYM
  
  
  
  What do you get any time whenever you mix a budding pop princess with an audience of K-pop phenoms? A certified bop, that's what. For her follow-up to breakout smash "Sweet Nevertheless Psycho," Ava Max continued championing outsiders on "So Am I," which right now has a buzzy remix featuring NCT 127. Max cooly crushes societal norms with her growly verses, while the guys contribute some fresh bars, singing, "Baby you're lit, so am I / I think you're real, so am I / I like your walk and your vibe." It's a misfit anthem international flair, along with a rallying cry we can all get in back of. Let that freak flag fly! —Madeline Roth
  
  
  
  
  



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  Chung Ha: "Young in Love"
  
  
  
  
  
  Summer songs are usually regarding massive drops and productive trop-pop beats, yet there's something to be mentioned for the feel-good, mid-tempo jam. Chung Ha's "Young in Love" captures the simple feeling of a lazy summer afternoon without all of the noise; it's just funky synths, chill guitars, and the Korean pop star's soft, soulful voice. Co-written by R&B songstress Yerin Baek — that guitar riff is her signature — the breezy song is brilliant for rooftop soirées and laid-back nights with a chilled beverage. And as soon as it is about time to turn up with a fierce, catchy anthem, Chung Ha has a song for that too: "Snapping." —Crystal Bell