Bop Shop: Songs From Lennon Stella, Monsta X, Wiz Khalifa, Tasha, And More

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  Tasha: “But There’s Still the Moon”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=q19EXdJJiww&feature=youtu.Be
  
  
  
  Maybe you’re bummed. Maybe it’s not an excellent idea to go outdoors. Maybe everything feels toxic. Nevertheless there’s still the moon. That’s the message at the heart of Chicago artist Tasha’s song of the same name, where the lunar beacon is “reliable, pretty, anchoring,” as she says in an accompanying statement. The grounded guitar strums here still gaze skyward, just as Tasha’s soaring voice drifts higher and higher. You want the moon? This optimistic bop gives it to you. All hail boptimism. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Lennon Stella: “Fear of Being Alone”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=rlgMM3E4lRA
  
  
  
  If you’ve ever contemplated a breakup although couldn’t quite pull the trigger, perhaps it’s because, deep down, you really do love each other. Then again, if you’re being sincere with yourself, maybe you just can’t stand the thought of being single. And no song knows that better than Lennon Stella’s “Fear of Being Alone.”
  
  
  Right after singing about “lifeless” and “empty” kisses on the sultry first verse, Stella starts to come out of denial on the pre-chorus. “When I hold you, I get the feeling I don't know you,” she sings. “I get the feeling it's not love that keeps us holding on.” And by the time the chorus hits, she understands they’re not in love, they’re comfortable. “It's the fear of being alone / Got me staying any time As soon as I know,” she sings in a brilliant falsetto. “It’s the fear of being alone / Got me never letting go.” —Jordyn Tilchen
  
  
  
  
  



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  Jelani Aryeh: “Stella Brown”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=pfax9iO6j9I
  
  
  
  I don’t know which I love more: “Stella Brown” or its quarantine-friendly new video. Jelani Aryeh’s new song about a fizzled-out relationship forces you to feel all warm and fuzzy indoors, as it sounds straight out of a late 2000s Michael Cera rom-com. His floating timbre hazily puffs out its lyrics as if he’s matching his lyrical annoyance with this mystery girl who isn’t amusing to him anymore. In its accompanying video, he enlists companions who are locked down to have some fun doing whichever they want. Some pull out Nintendo Switches and wink knowingly at the camera while others get with each other as a family member and prance around to the feel-good song. All around — except in its lyrics, obviously — “Stella Brown” ensures that you smile. —Trey Alston
  
  
  
  
  



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  Absofacto: “Dissolve”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=xe2FPP4lX14
  
  
  
  Any time you've fallen in love, you want your spouse (and each person else, for that matter) to know exactly how you feel all the time. You hope to be overwhelmed by that feeling, taking you over almost every second. You hope to, as Absofacto puts it, "dissolve slowly in a pool full of your love." Yet there's no way you could do that if there's trouble in paradise. This song is a ridiculously catchy ode to relationships that seem to be crumbling (and a TikTok anthem) that will "bubble up and cut right through" right into your psyche and bury itself there. You'll be singing the chorus for days. —Brittany Vincent
  
  
  
  
  



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  Fenix Flexin: “RIP Mac P Dawg”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/X2WvbixiuwA
  
  
  
  Shoreline Mafia’s Mac P Dawg was shot and killed last week, stunning the hip-hop community. He was an integral segment of the order, bringing chilling bars about a gritty reality with his abnormally nimble tongue, words I’d roll over my tongue front and back, side to side. Fellow Shoreline Mafia member Fenix Flexin’s new heart-wrenching ode to the late rapper bounces and rolls as it reflects on his memory. It covers the journey from ditching school as kids to the group’s glamorous rise. Flexin is understandably mad, nevertheless he’s also just happy to have had his time with Mac P Dawg. You could feel the emotion radiating from each line. — Trey Alston
  
  
  
  
  



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  Cravity: “Break all of the Rules”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/NFlceOv8LMU
  
  
  
  The latest boy categorize to debut under Starship Entertainment, Cravity, have come out swinging with their debut album. The nine-member order, the little brothers of Monsta X, have burst onto the scene with reckless abandon leaving beyond any rules that have contained their predecessors — just because the title of their lead single suggests. This is a surprisingly strong showing from a new categorize. The track is an exhilarating anthem about breaking away from that lethargic temptation of being content which never does anyone good. This is what carving out your own space in a crowded market looks like. V excited for what these young boys have in store for us. Watch this space. —Daniel Head
  
  
  
  
  



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  Retirement Party: “Runaway Dog”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/aC5vsqixGMc
  
  
  
  Chicago’s Retirement Party are making their triumphant return with the title track for their forthcoming sophomore album. The indie rock banger crescendos during, marked by a persistent drone-y guitar riff at the starting that the rest of the musical group builds off of. Vocalist Avery Springer starts apathetically, singing about how a lost dog is causing her to lose motivation, nevertheless it’s as soon as the vocals give out right following the opening chorus that the song truly blooms into something stunning and powerful. Runaway Dog, the album, is out May 15. —Bob Marshall
  
  
  
  
  



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  Starley: "Call On Me" (Ryan Riback Remix)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=I-VsisgVkHw
  
  
  
  Life’s a little bit peculiar at the moment, and I think we’re all attempting to find a way to dance through, sleep through, or just sustain our sanity as we practice social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19. An oldie although goodie, Starley’s “Call on Me” is the feel-good tune we relate to all also well right now as soon as we “need somebody to cling to” or if we simply “can’t stop the tears from falling down.” South African DJ Ryan Riback gave the bop a synth-pop refresh, elevating the song to ultimate club quarantine vibes that cater to the components of you that miss your companions and the emotional space we’re all reserving to summon the carefree vibes that only summer can bring. So whether you’re kickin’ it at house alone, with your family members, or learning to cohabitate with the roommates you barely knew three weeks prior, turn this beat all of the way up and dance up until feel a release. Or better although, Zoom your squad and dance with each other. —Virginia Lowman
  
  
  
  
  



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  Wiz Khalifa: “Mezmorized”
  
  
  
  
  
  This week marked the 10-year anniversary of Kush & Orange Juice, the project that transformed Wiz Khalifa from a rising talent into a budding superstar. It’s how I first discovered the rapper’s straight-forward punchlines set to interstellar elevator music-type beats, plus it soundtracked several of my high school endeavors. Songs like “Never Been” and “Up” present his span, from booming yelling to softly floating on weed clouds with all the urgency of a sloth NASCAR driver. From top to bottom, the project created an intense fascination with Wiz that endures to this day, even as he’s grown from a rising superstar into a genre titan.
  
  
  Today, the song that I’m stuck on is “Mezmorized,” one of the coolest tunes in rap history. If reflects were made out of music, they’d sound like this — ethereal and silky, slightly familiar and just out of sanity’s reach. Wiz, sensing the epic feel of the Cardo-produced instrumental, imbues the song with identically cool energy due to bars detailing just how awesome his life is. “Ion love em, I chase em, I duck em,” was in each tweet and every bio in 2010. As wonderful as this song is, it’s just one sliver of what makes Kush & OJ at large such a crucial segment of hip-hop culture. It’ll be a segment of the genre’s DNA forever. —Trey Alston
  
  
  
  
  



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  Monsta X: “You Can’t Hold My Heart”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=AWV3pIesd0Y
  
  
  
  Monsta X is back with a brand new music video for their latest single, “You Can’t Hold My Heart,” off their English language album All About Luv. In a dreamy Ariana Grande Vogue-esque video, the six members croon over a flush of red about how they require to let go of a toxic love. As soon as I first listened to it, it gave me a sense of unexpected validation. Letting go isn't routinely the missed possibility that each person makes it seem like it is. Some days, it’s simply better to move on whenever there really are no more words left to mention. However don't take it from me: Take it from Joohoney, who looks excellent in the color cream, BTW. —Daniel Head