Bop Shop: Songs From Joy Oladokun, Denzel Curry, Euphoria, And More

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  Charli XCX: "Beg for You" (ft. Rina Sawayama)
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/7OhqYJyZcvM
  
  
  
  Longtime companions Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama teased the hell out of “Beg for You,” and for good reason. The London-based pop queens’ amorous collab samples September’s 2005 dance-pop hit “Cry for You,” infusing some early-aughts nostalgia into the club-ready banger. “Oh, don't you leave me this way / Won't you wait another hour or two?” A desperate Charli implores on the chorus. “You know I need you to stay / Don't make me beg for you, 'cause I'll beg for you.” Crash, Charli’s rather anticipated fifth studio album, arrives in March, so there’s no reason to beg for more. —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Denzel Curry: "Walkin"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=fOO1mWLGhh8
  
  
  
  Denzel Curry's tenacity is undeniable. In the video for his first new single of 2022, he stands alone in the desert, dripping sweat, proclaiming, "Clear a path as I keep on walkin' / Ain't no stopping / In this dirty, filthy, rotten, nasty little world we call our residence The subject matter (and accompanying visual) is relentless, however the music is laidback and smooth, allowing all of the urgency to emanate from Curry's rapid-fire delivery. The refrain "keep on walkin'" becomes like a mantra, something to repeat in the midst of ongoing crisis. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Joy Oladokun: "Keeping the Light On"
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/kQiHFEnjGM8
  
  
  
  It makes sense that Tracy Chapman inspired Joy Oladokun to pick up a guitar as the Nashville-based singer’s new single is a slice of pop empowerment, sounding like a mix of Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” and India.Arie. Case in point, “Keeping the Light On” could be the best soundtrack for a rom-com trailer — the highest of compliments! Oladokun says the song is “my little musical way of saying it’s really hard to keep trying however I think piece of life is doing so anyway and seeing what magic comes out of it.” A reminder to keep going, even while in these stressful times. It’s a message I think Tracy Chapman would approve of. —Chris Rudolph
  
  
  
  
  


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  Tove Lo: "How Long"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=6cFtWUz77F0
  
  
  
  Regrets, heartbreak, plus a dance-floor beat keep the record spinning in Tove Lo’s new cut for the Euphoria Season 2 soundtrack. There’s something eerie and unsettling yet totally addictive about the track, which finds the narrator learning about a cheating lover in real time. “You’re a sincere man whenever you’re drunk / Wish I never asked ya / However it’s killin’ me to wonder,” she sings before launching into a drunken stream of consciousness. While the song might spell out mess for one of Euphoria’s choice couples, it’s at least ecstasy to the ears. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Lana Del Rey: "Watercolor Eyes"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=GBxs3W_Y8MU
  
  
  
  Speaking of HBO's Euphoria, it's a show that regularly confounds me in just how good it really is. The effortlessly good performances, the dizzying pivots from real-life grit to rather stylized and dreamlike sequences, and naturally, the music. What other than a vaporous new Lana Del Rey song could appropriately end an episode like last week's? "Watercolor Eyes" is as light and bleary as its title, easy on the ears and tinged with just a little bit of heartbreak. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  The Maine: "Loved You A little bit (ft. Taking Back Sunday, Charlotte Sands)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=MAiG9eMRc64
  
  
  
  The new emo revival is in full swing, and I am here for it. “Loved You a Little” is an epic group effort from option mainstays The Maine and Taking Back Sunday, and also relative newcomer Charlotte Sands. The song stacks three powerhouse vocalists who effortlessly bounce off each other to build an energetic, although emotionally brutal breakup anthem that graces us just in time for Valentine’s Day. “This song is for anyone feeling like they wasted their time on a feeling,” The Maine frontman John O’Callaghan mentioned in a statement. I love this track a lot, so here’s hoping we get to hear it live throughout the When We Were Young festival, which boasts sets from The Maine, Taking Back Sunday, and several more. —Farah Zermane
  
  
  
  
  



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  Soak: "Last July"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=mSb-wY3yxBo
  
  
  
  The cover of the new album from songwriter Bridie Monds-Watson, who releases music as Soak usually styled in all caps), is blurry and smeared, like a memory. However their music is crystalline in its clarity: riffy guitars make "Last July" instantly memorable, and their direct lyrics hone in on a proper ache. "I don't wanna be a souvenir / I don't wanna be a Polaroid," they declare, heart open. "I wanna purchase your groceries." That mixture of general and specific is present on the song titles on Soak's upcoming album, also, where "Pretzel" and "Swear Jar" mingle with "Guts" and "Get Well Soon." If I Never Know You Like This Again is out May 20. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Darren Hayes: "Let's Try Being in Love"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=m8FUtMI8644
  
  
  
  Darren Hayes embraces every segment of himself on “Let’s Try Being in Love,” the former Savage Garden frontman’s first single in a decade. It might only be winter, yet it’s hard not to imagine this disco and falsetto-soaked track on repeat while in the sweaty and sexy summer months. With a beat that won’t quit and sultry, whispered verses, Hayes sings with palpable tension about enthusiastic and all-consuming feelings that might just be worth the risk: “Am I five decades / Am I 24 / Laden with desire never felt before.” The video is a wink at the past life of Hayes — who wedded his partner in 2005 — following him at a meal party with his partner while fantasizing about the hunky host, played by none other than Chris Evans’s brother Scott Evans. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Lauv: “26”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=0OzHDHfr5f8
  
  
  
  Lauv has routinely put himself on the line, sharing his innermost thoughts and feelings without consideration of how sad or lonely or dark) with his fans around the world. His newest release, “26,” not only follows suit, yet expands upon that level of honesty. The Philadelphia native layers a upbeat synthpop melody with heartfelt, emotional lyrics reflecting on the pain of growing older, a feeling that any twentysomething understands all also well. If the track is anything like what’s to come for L2, let’s just mention we’re in it for it. —Sarina Bhutani