Bop Shop: Songs From Ari Lennox, Denzel Curry, Crumb, Alvvays, And More

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  Ari Lennox: "Chicago Boy"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=u2PwE2HVXrY
  
  
  
  What separates Ari Lennox from the bevy of modern female R&B singers is largely that her voice, which she's previously described as "imperfect," doesn't sacrifice sharpness to produce soul. There's raw, lusty power hiding within, which makes her odes to the different faces of romance feel more urban and realer than several of her peers. Her debut studio album, Shea Butter Baby, works because of its blue-faced soul, its tender embrace, and its rougher edge. And one of its highlights is album opener, "Chicago Boy."
  
  
  Confidence is sexy. Here, because the song starts, a long, confident trumpet recedes for a smooth, Don Cornelius level of soul to wash over. Lennox finds the source – a male in a CVS whose essence she downs like moonshine. Lust in her eyes, she sings with urgency, desperate to create plans with him. Because the tension heats up, the trumpet returns. However it's not actually an instrument: It's her voice. It cuts by way of the soft soul and turns the plea into a urgent request. Under the night sky, "Chicago Boy" hangs like fresh a fresh evening haze, a reminder of vivid attraction and starved lust. It's steamy. It's sexy. Also it sounds proper. —Trey Alston
  
  
  
  
  



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  Shawn Mendes: "If I Can't Have You"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=oTJ-oqwxdZY
  
  
  
  "If I Can't Have You" sounds like a B-side, like a song primed for remixing, like the sort of deep cut you rely on to wake you back up halfway through listening through an album. It's not really a sole sort of song. It's staccato and abrupt, like the sort of song you'd yell along to rather than sing or hum, a brilliant song for a summer night whenever you're with your companions and acting a little bit foolish and attempting to be as loud as you possibly can. Nevertheless isn't that what summertime is for? The initial release from Shawn Mendes's new era reminds me of infatuation, and feeling something so deeply you sort of just have to yell it out on the street, no matter who is listening. You want each person to listen. It's surprise as well as a declaration all in one, along with a return to copping to feelings in a global that would rather we tamper them down.
  
  
  It grows on you, also, with a build and falsetto play that mark a progression in Mendes's songwriting. He's never been a writer to take on chill topics — "Life of the Party" and "In My Blood" own up to anxiety, and "Lost in Japan" is a promise of impulse rather than logic. The obsession and commitment in "If I Can't Have You" is more of that same sensibility. He doesn't work in metaphor so much as he says what's on both his and the listener's mind. May summer 2019 inspire more of that same honesty from us all. —Ella Cerón
  
  
  
  
  



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  VINCINT: "Please Don't Fall in Love"
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/6ooxOORHnwg
  
  
  
  VINCINT’s latest heartbreak banger, "Please Don't Fall in Love," is a song to wail at full throttle — at the best of your lungs with the window down. It's a song about passion in which the signer pleads a past lover not to fall in love with someone new, and Whenever I first heard the lines yet please don't, please don't" hit in the chorus, I started violently whipping my non-existent ponytail. VINCINT recently called "Please Don't Fall in Love" "probably the most selfish song I've ever written." It shows: The unabashed honesty in his lyrics is as refreshing as it is raw, as it lays bare the emotional struggle of a lost relationship. It instantly jolts me back to that moment at the end of a relationship where I find myself finally able to calm my overthinking by clinging to the idea that things will be OK as long as my former significant other doesn’t fall in love. I also convince myself that I am going to get through this as long as they stay single. VINCINT is proof that queer black excellence keeps it up and continues to thrive. The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter has another single out this month and also a full EP coming in June. —Daniel Head
  
  
  
  
  



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  Ariana Grande: "Honeymoon Avenue"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=-maUEbkg4qQ
  
  
  
  Ariana Grande brought me to the moon and back this week. I saw the Sweetener World Tour any time it rolled through L.A. On Tuesday, and she “brought a whole-ass moon” (her words, not mine) to the show, singing under a massive lunar orb for an especially dreamy portion of the evening. Afterwards, my boyfriend and I ate french toast at a diner near the Staples Center while debating our top five Ariana songs. “Honeymoon Avenue” — the initial track of Ari’s 2013 debut album, Yours Truly — is a no-brainer for me. It packs a lot into its five-minute, 40-second run time: doo-wop vocals, R&B beats, cinematic strings, a woozy breakdown, and Ariana’s untouchable vocals, somehow breezy and world-weary at the same time. There’s habitually something new to catch your ear, which makes it a thrill to listen to, even six years and several moons later. —Madeline Roth
  
  
  
  
  



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  Alvvays: "Archie, Marry Me"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=ZAn3JdtSrnY
  
  
  
  This week, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (a.K.A. Harry and Meghan) reported they'd named their firstborn son Archie (full name: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor). People have their theories on why — They're secret Riverdale fans! They're subverting the history of regal-sounding names like "Archibald!" — Yet my theory is certainly the correct one. It's simple, really: Harry and Meghan are huge Alvvays supporters. Each person should be! Additionally to being a brilliant song, the Canadian band's 2014 introductory hit "Archie, Marry Me" is also the best beginning point for their romantic indie-pop power. For now, the musical group hasn't weighed in publicly on the big news. In the meantime, I'll imagine these luxurious three minutes their official comment. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Crumb: "Ghostride"
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/HS4aJ_51qNQ
  
  
  
  Boston-to-Brooklyn-based four-piece Crumb might not directly have released an album nevertheless, although the best comment on almost every one of their YouTube uploads is something along the lines of "I'm listening to this musical group in 2019 before they were HUGE!" In just a number of years of existence, Crumb has built a wildly devoted fanbase with their regularly vibe-y brand of indie psych, and it's hard to not hear tracks like the newly released "Ghostride" and think, "Wow, they guys are gonna be the next Tame Impala." What sets Crumb apart is Lila Ramani's warm, jazz lounge-y vocals that will undoubtedly allocate the best summer soundtrack once the band's debut full-length Jinx drops next month. —Bob Marshall
  
  
  
  
  



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  Denzel Curry: "Ricky"
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/3WHm6tfvKlk
  
  
  
  Like David Blaine, Denzel Curry is a magician, yet he's not peddling slightly elevated levitation methods or coughing up cards as proof of the arcane arts. Curry as a substitute immerses himself in rap's large playground, keeping a trustworthy rap fashion while manipulating the physical composition of its surrounding story. Look no further than the juxtaposition between the retro-funk of last year's "Black Balloons" and his latest throat-punching tune, "Ricky."
  
  
  "Ricky" sounds like Fight Club 2019 (maybe with Cole Sprouse as Brad Pitt's replacement), knucking and bucking with rowdy voices pushing for space in the background. It shakes the brain around like a ping pong ball with its upset bounce. If it sounds dated, that's intentional: "Ricky" is a fierce ode to Curry's childhood and pays homage to the lessons that his parents taught him. "Treat young women like your mother," his father says, wagging his finger at him. "Trust no ho, use a rubber," his mother says, yanking at an exposed ear. The rapper's brashness is a product of his environment, and "Ricky" shows why this is a virtue. In a rough and tough world, it's OK to get rowdy. —Trey Alston
  
  
  
  
  



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  Dude York: "Falling"
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/xKT-jmxALIQ
  
  
  
  For those who were stoked to find out that the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack is finally streaming, may I direct your attention to Dude York. "Falling," the title track to the band's forthcoming third LP (out in July), is an ode both to the rush of falling in love and the anxiety that comes with the realization that it doesn't feel quite like the movies told you it would. Oh, along with consuming food takeout and watching The Bachelorette, which is something each person can get beyond. Propulsive power-pop for getting all up in your feels. —Bob Marshall
  
  
  
  
  



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  WayV: "Take Off"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=irXZve4QRos
  
  
  
  Can I be sincere? There's something special about WayV, the seven-member Chinese boy sort from Korea's SM Entertainment and its China-exclusive label, Label V. Their latest single "Take Off" — and its sleek, fashionable visual — isn't only a fierce demonstration of the group's confident swagger and charismatic efficiency, nevertheless it's also a little rebellious in the way that ties NCT and its various sub-units with each other. (WayV is NCT's China-based unit.) The decorating is chic; the bass line is bumping. It's a phenomenal anomaly: chill trap with heavy guitars. Rappers Lucas, Yangyang, and Hendery bring the attitude and heat to the verses, while the vocalists take off on the catchy, melodic hook. Xiaojun, in particular, shows off his soulful vocals, a richer tone among the group's crystalline tenors. Nevertheless once it comes to WayV — a crowd with a defined aesthetic that can best be described as wealthy — the song is only segment of the appeal. The corresponding visuals are striking. Dancer Ten is especially mesmerizing any time while he takes the center while in the track's electric dance break, quirking his rhinestone-encrusted eyebrows as if to mention, "There's more where that came from." And I, for one, can't wait. —Crystal Bell