Bop Shop: Songs From Caroline Polachek, Kevin Abstract, And More

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  Aurora: "Cure for Me"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=K17df81RL9Y
  
  
  
  "Cure for Me" finds glittering Norwegian pop phenom Aurora leaning into the deep reverberations of a playful rhythm, even because the tune embodies a bold statement of self. "I don't require a cure for me," she sings repeatedly on the song she recently said was "very inspired by the gay community" and drag queens. As such, it expertly blends that overjoyed declaration with the sweet and needed release of losing yourself in the beat. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Chvrches: “Good Girls”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=du4kNAyjVCg
  
  
  
  Chvrches’s Lauren Mayberry won’t modify who she is to be perceived as one of the “Good Girls.” On this defiant new track, Mayberry’s crisp vocals shine against the shimmering synths that put the Scottish indie-pop musical group on the map, setting the stage for her emotional (and timely) realization: “Killing your idols is a chore / And it’s such a fucking bore / However we don’t need them anymore / We don’t need them anymore.” —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Law: “Controller”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=wHEW4r-0PVA&t=9s
  
  
  
  Bringing early 2000s R&B vibes, singer-songwriter Law declares she doesn't want a controller and isnt't taking shit from anyone attempting to dictate her life. “Mamma didn’t raise no puppet / And Daddy did not raise no timid girl / So I’mma mention what’s on my mind,” she sings. Her assertive voice is simple and clear: “I did not ask your advice, so how come I gotta think twice about what I do?” Law serves a hot and smooth empowerment anthem for the females, her fans, and all of the besties. —Athena Serrano
  
  
  
  
  



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  TC Superstar: “Nothing to Believe In”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=qKvsexELXSM
  
  
  
  Austin synth-pop outfit TC Superstar returns with a new bop about the digital age, although it couldn’t sound more retro. “Nothing to Believe In,” the opening taste of their forthcoming album, As Seen on TV, examines how consumer culture has overtaken entertainment and binge-watching has become the cure-all, especially soon after per year spent indoor. “My TV shows / My HBO / My Netflix / And my Hulu / I can watch them all,” frontperson Connor McCampbell croons in a low register that could rival Wham! The musing beyond the message is masked in handclaps, disco synths, and groovy stutters, making a track perhaps just as addictive as streaming itself. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Caroline Polachek: “Bunny Is a Rider”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/yQ5y2GMVVNQ
  
  
  
  Bunny isn't just another girl in a sweater. She's the elusive, coolly-off-the-grid proxy Caroline Polachek summons in her sideways bid for song of the summer. "Bunny is a rider / Satellite can't find her," she sings of the persona, as producer Danny L. Harle's bass works overtime between periodic marimba thuds and fertile breaks in sound. This song reminds me how good it felt to delete my Instagram. —Coco Romack
  
  
  
  
  



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  Kevin Abstract ft. $Not and Slowthai: “Slugger”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=1vZdv6IYinM
  
  
  
  It's a new era for Kevin Abstract. The Brockhampton leader has partnered with dynamos $not and Slowthai for "Slugger," an infectious cut dripping with interesting sounds and plenty of attitude. Take a sample. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Pizzagirl: “By the Way”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=CIZWnJJ48Sc
  
  
  
  In this acoustic-electronica ballad, vocalist Liam Brown pours out his emotions as he lets go of a love interest. What is more tragic is how the subject would give mixed signals: “You mentioned we’re companions / Won’t lie, it hurt.” Yet theirs usually be more like a therapist-client relationship than a romance: “You're like a shrink / And I'm on the couch / You begin to sigh as I pour it out to you.” As a result of his heartbreak and expectations damaged, Brown, better referred to as Liverpool’s Pizzagirl, wants to be “reborn as something better.” This is a bittersweet summer song to play once you're mourning a relationship. —Athena Serrano
  
  
  
  
  


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  BTS: “Permission to Dance”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=CuklIb9d3fI
  
  
  
  It’s not day-to-day that you hear a song that immediately feels like sunshine on your skin, nevertheless that’s exactly what BTS invoke with their newest single, “Permission to Dance.” Commemorating the July 9 anniversary of their fandom, the song stays true to the band’s latest funky, retro, feel-good stylings. Accompanied by a spirited, Wild West-tinged music video that features people of all backgrounds, BTS continue to bring people with each other through their music and create inclusive spaces for each person. Soon after each year of isolation, “Permission to Dance” reminds us that we are finally back in control of our joy. —Sarina Bhutani
  
  
  
  
  



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  Samia: “Big Wheel”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=Kwalypwvd8I
  
  
  
  Amidst changes, growth, and mess, Samia cuts by way of the noise with instantly calming track “Big Wheel.” Though her lyrics read as a mix between admissions of failure and mantras of faith, her confident and educated voice shows she’s resolved to do anything however give up. “I got a big wheel in Montana / And he informed me yesterday / That per year ago he looked me in the eyes / And lied to me,” she plainly admits, before a heavenly chorus rains down with “I got bad news, yet I didn’t fight.” Existential disasters or all-encompassing depression aside, the razor-sharp production shows this indie-pop singer isn’t going anywhere: furthermore to her latest single “Show Up,” she’s set to take her big wheel on tour with Sylvan Esso later this year. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Natalie Imbruglia: “Maybe It’s Great”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=nTfAqIYxS4A
  
  
  
  Is this Natalie Imbruglia or the soundtrack for a ‘80s arcade game? You may question yourself this any time while you hear “Maybe It’s Great,” Imbruglia’s new single from her upcoming album, Firebird. The retro track was co-written with Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. And producer Gus Oberg, and the result is a synth-wave power ballad that sounds like a Bonnie Tyler B-side or the ideal soundtrack for a road-trip movie. Imbruglia singing about how “maybe it’s wonderful once there’s nothing left to lose” will release your inner rebel, leaving you with a strong urge to hop on a motorcycle and race into the sunset, or perhaps you’ll just hit repeat once the song ends. Either way, put 1/4 in the jukebox and pump up the volume. —Chris Rudolph
  
  
  
  
  



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  Willow ft. Travis Barker: "Gaslight"
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/yTXmdaGCrG8
  
  
  
  With her new album Lately I Feel Everything, Willow Smith is torching the expectations of these who still think of her because the little girl in the "Fireball" video. She drops a flurry of F-bombs in "Fuck You," and on "Gaslight," she rages over a flawed, queer love. The latter spotlights Travis Barker's fearsome drumming, which slingshots the song from verse to refrain as Willow pleads with a partner to "stop messing with my head / And love me alternatively It's the pop-punk revival in its purest distillation, and at under two minutes, the song burns up as speedily as an ethanol flame. Catch Willow's Watch With each other efficiency of her album today on Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook. —Coco Romack
  
  
  
  
  



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  Daniel Loumpiridis: “U Don’t Give A Fuck”
  
  
  
  
  
  “I don’t understand where the problem is,” Daniel Loumpouridis sings. This emo electronic song is about a love interest who doesn’t care about him anymore. The Chicago-based artist points out our culture’s tendency to routinely be on our phones while refusing to actually communicate: “'Cause day-to-day you’re on your phone and I don’t understand why you can’t hit me back.” And he’s not wrong. All he wants is for his love interest to just call him up once in a while. —Athena Serrano
  
  
  
  
  


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  Wye Oak: "Electricity"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=xEKL_BGrIcU
  
  
  
  A decade ago, shape-shifting Baltimore musical group Wye Oak released Civilian, an exceptional indie-rock album that presaged the wonders musical group member Jenn Wasner would bring about by means of the rest of the 2010s — listen to her Flock of Dimes project and contributions to Bon Iver for proof. In October, Wasner and bandmate Andy Stack will release Cut all of the Wires: 2009–2011, an anniversary edition of Civilian that comes with 12 b-sides from the era that didn't make the cut. One of these, "Electricity," is so unbelievably good that it can anchor a lesser band's entire career. It's almost cliché, although if this is what they left in the studio, think about how good that makes the finished album. Listen to the rush of "Electricity," then go dig into Civilian. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Conan Gray: “People Watching”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=goqqohUitmw
  
  
  
  Back with another song that can make you burst into tears before the end of the opening verse, bedroom-pop star Conan Gray makes a real impact with “People Watching.” Written alongside resident sad-girl Julia Michaels and produced by Dan Nigro (of Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour), there genuinely couldn’t be a song more lyrically decided than “People Watching,” a bop that hits you right where it hurts. They mention the songs that are the most specific are usually the most universal. “People Watching” is a prime example. —Sarina Bhutani