Bop Shop: Songs From Apink, Kurt Vile, Jazmine Sullivan, And More

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  Apink: “Dilemma”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=RP4lbSymeZ4
  
  
  
  Soon after nearly two years, K-pop girl categorize Apink make their rather anticipated comeback with “Dilemma,” an edgy heartbreak anthem that keeps fans on their toes. Because the title track off their new special album, Horn, it finds the veteran superstars exploring a darker concept. Synth and electronic sounds combination with grounded guitar and bass to make construct a dynamic track that takes listeners on a sonic journey. With its several peaks and valleys, brilliant pop chorus, and high-energy dance break, “Dilemma” is a song made for stadiums. Accompanied by a dramatic, dance-heavy music video, “Dilemma” further proves Apink’s strength and power as a team, because the order keeps it up and continues to break boundaries and take their artistry to the next level with each comeback. There’s a reason why this order has made it way past K-pop’s seven-year curse, so you could visualize it clearly with “Dilemma.” —Sarina Bhutani
  
  
  
  
  



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  Kurt Vile: "Like Exploding Stones"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=Oz52D43VRSE
  
  
  
  There's something positively delightful about Kurt Vile, guitar god and poet laureate of the stoner thought, filming a seven-minute music video in a roller rink, his long brown curls buoyant as ever as he barely tries to pantomime strumming. "Thoughts running round in my cranium like pinball machine-a-mania," he sings, and boy isn't that habitually the case. With saxophone work from Sun Ra Arkestra's James Stewart and lightly psychedelic flairs in the video, what's not to love? —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Doja Cat: “Celebrity Skin”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=G7JEyMDyGZ8
  
  
  
  I’ve been on a serious ‘90s alt-rock kick soon after binge-watching Showtime’s Yellowjackets, so Doja Cat’s cover of this grunge classic from Hole comes at the ideal time. The “Kiss Me More” songstress streams her inner riot grrrl with raspy, rock-infused vocals, emulating lead singer Courtney Love’s prolonged snarl on the next verse (“My name is ‘Might’ve Been’ / My name is ‘Never Was’ / My name’s forgotten”). The cover aired while in a Super Bowl commercial, so Doja did make some minor tweaks to the original lyrics with Love’s blessing. It takes one “rock goddess” to recognize another. —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Magnolia Park: “Kids Like Us”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=bviINETYMH4
  
  
  
  Orlando-based Magnolia Park are one of the most exhilarating new bands in the scene. They’ve been releasing so much good music within the past year that it’s honestly hard to pick one song to talk about. That mentioned, “Kids Like Us” is a real standout for me as well as a total gut punch. It’s a heartfelt display of vulnerability that sends a message of solidarity to anyone who has experienced bullying or abuse at the hands of their peers or an authority figure like the police. The track also discusses the devastating emotional distress that comes with these experiences while defiantly refusing to be “a victim of society.” “Regardless of what anyone says, you and your life matter,” the musical group wrote on Twitter. “You are never alone in your hardships.” —Farah Zermane
  
  
  
  
  



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  Lion Babe: “Harder” (with Busta Rhymes)
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/SHLnZf6mwow
  
  
  
  Mix an infectious uptempo snare with a little bit funk, a sprinkle of disco, and then some lo-fi, and you've got a brilliant jam — the likes of which duo Lion Babe have mastered over the years. Escapist music has been a balm while in the pandemic, and this song hits just as it should. The beat drops, the hook snaps, and songstress Jillian Hervey simultaneously nods to the greats like Stevie Wonder while also championing Black women: “Looking at my Black girl tribe, no surprise / Still we rise, ancient ties realize / Routinely gonna push it, got my ribbon in the sky / Everybody fight us, however we shine in the night / Grind in the night, so fine in the night.” The song hasn't even ended, and I've already made plans to play it on repeat. —Virginia Lowman
  
  
  
  
  



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  Wonho: “Eye on You”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/mFMnsRx6nhk
  
  
  
  In his first release of 2022, Captain Korea, a.K.A. Wonho, is back with an earworm of an individual, “Eye on You.” The self-composed track immediately takes us to Wonho’s POV with a dark and driving bassline (similar to his debut hit “Open Mind”). Its lyrics are inspired by how he feels being surrounded by the gaze of prejudice and why, in case you took a closer look, you’d visualize him for who he is. “Sometimes there really are people who look at others with stereotypes, as if they were wearing colored glasses,” Wonho said about the track. And while “Eye on You” is about taking those colored glasses off, it’s also a track about an intoxicating love story: “I need your love, I need your touch / I got my eye on you / Engrave me deep over your body.” I mean, OK, yes? The duality of Wonho is one of the several charms I love about him and is why Wenee are usually keeping an eye out for what he’ll do next. —Daniel Head
  
  
  
  
  



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  Jazmine Sullivan: "Roster"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=K82mkL26Zcc
  
  
  
  A lovely and minimal cut from the recently released deluxe edition of her good 2021 album Heaux Tales, "Roster" finds Jazmine Sullivan getting weak. "The world's also big to think so small," she wails over chiming acoustic guitar, "Well, I've got room to love 'em all," reassuring a number of objects of her affection that there's no allowance to her love. To experience it, though, "you just gotta fall in line." —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Orville Peck: “C’mon Baby, Cry”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/DY_jTTOkGUo
  
  
  
  The masked nation crooner is back with a rockin’ new tune, “C’mon Baby, Cry,” the opening single from his upcoming album, Bronco. With a upbeat retro vibe, you would expect to find “C’mon Baby, Cry” playing on the jukebox at your local honky tonk. The song may inspire some boot stompin’, nevertheless the lyrics reveal it as a siren song to all of the fellow sad cowboys out there, with Peck issuing his shoulder to cry on. So grab some tissues and slice some onions, because once Orville Peck tells you to cry, you better begin shedding some tears! —Chris Rudolph
  
  
  
  
  



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  Richie Quake: “That’s Not Love!”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=QiL4hmatpk0
  
  
  
  Richie Quake is crushing hard, yet not hard enough to forget his own worth. On this synth-driven, psych rock-inspired cut, the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter makes himself dizzy by “swervin’ [in circles]” to prepare an one-sided romance work. Yet in his heart of hearts, Quake is aware he deserves more: “You only ever call me as soon as you’re drunk / That’s not love, that’s not love!” —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Duelsign: “Come on Over”
  
  
  
  
  
  Brooklyn indie duo Duelsign find the rhythm for all-too-familiar late-night feelings of yearning on their new release “Come on Over.” The synth-driven track bounces between plea and promise with eerie calmness, rooting itself in an invitation for a lover to “Come on over / Baby, I might smoke you out.” The stakes may have never felt higher — “Taking shots and taking chances / Saving screenshots, saving dances” — although lead singer Rose Campbell’s vocals are truthful and brimming with depth, making it clear this isn’t a hookup anthem. It’s an invitation for connection at a time as soon as the world never usually quiet down. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Jack Harlow: “Nail Tech”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/e2AeKIzfQus
  
  
  
  Horns aren't what think of any time as soon as you imagine a nail salon, nevertheless they are the opening sound to usher you into Jack Harlow's anthemic track, "Nail Tech," which plays like equal parts hip-hop and folklore. The song is marked by bravado-heavy lyrics that walk the line between cocky and confident: "I don't wish for my success, I speak it" and later, "Fam over Gram, that's my M.O." The Instagram captions write themselves. It's an earworm with a catchy rhyme scheme that put Jack's lyrical prowess on full display, particularly as he plays with cadence and pitch in a way that is reminiscent of early Drake. Jack is coming into into his own, further honing his own sound, and setting himself apart in the rap game, or as he puts it: "I'm not on top of this shit however however I'm that guy though." I tend to agree. —Virginia Lowman
  
  
  
  
  



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  Silk Sonic: "Love Train" (Con Funk Shun cover)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=eEQMtIX61LA
  
  
  
  Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are continuing their funk/soul nostalgia project Silk Sonic by covering "Love's Train," a locomotive however gentle) R&B jam that originated with 1970s and '80s categorize Con Funk Shun. It dropped on Valentine's Day, certainly, although you could keep it on repeat as long as you need. It's just that sort of vibe. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Chappell Roan: “Naked in Manhattan”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=nXZuv1T8bfg
  
  
  
  Right after taking us to WeHo’s “Pink Pony Club” back in 2020, indie pop queen Chappell Roan resurfaces on the East Coast with flirty and infectious new single “Naked in Manhattan.” A not-so-coy ode to bisexuality — “Boys suck / And ladies I’ve never tried,” she teases — Roan packs in references to queer-coded staples like Mulholland Drive, Mean Women, and astrology while laying the tension on thick. It all explodes in an addictive and clubby chorus of “touch me”s as a drunken evening with a friend takes a frisky turn. It’s a well welcomed return for a rising star who’s already demonstrated her songwriting prowess keeps it up and continues to swing big. Soon considering that, “In New York, you could try things.” —Carson Mlnarik