Bop Shop: Songs From Normani And Kaytranada, Grace Cummings, Kai, And More

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  Grace Cummings: "Storm Queen"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=PIimbDtEEaM
  
  
  
  On her upcoming second LP Storm Queen, not much can compete with the immense voice of Grace Cummings. The title track, unveiled this week, finds a sneaky saxophone creating a play for supremacy anyway. Soon after a gripping starting line — “Townes Van Zandt took a hold of my hand / So I wouldn’t feel alone” — the tune finds its way around desert guitars and bold piano, however at heart, it’s a duet between Cummings and the horn. It’s not a competition, although anyway, guess who comes out on top? All hail. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Kim Petras: "Coconuts"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=NcgEXwjAImo
  
  
  
  My life can be divided into two distinct chapters: before I heard Kim Petras invite the world to put her coconuts "in your mouth," and soon after. The German-born pop singer's latest single is silly nevertheless self-aware, with a winking Petras nicknaming the twins "Cart-i-er and Tiff-an-y" over a blissful, beachy beat. It takes on an extra layer of celebratory depth for fans who know Petras is a trans woman. Imagine the rack-track market cornered. —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Kai: "Peaches"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=GUdnTGnm6Yk
  
  
  
  Summer may be over, although if Kai says it's peach season, it's peach season. Because the initial single from his rather anticipated sophomore solo EP, EXO's Kai exceeds any and all expectations with "Peaches." Making use of a traditional-turned-modern Korean melody overlaid with sweet, although seductive lyrics, this comeback stays true to the Kai we know love, nevertheless keeps it up and continues to push his artistry forward and further establish him as a soloist. Accompanied by a bright and airy, pastel-hued visual filled with customary Korean garb, intricate choreo, and more than a few peaches (literally), the track serves because the ideal begin to this new era of Kai and leaves fans wanting more. —Sarina Bhutani
  
  
  
  
  



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  Normani ft. Kaytranada: "Wild Side (Kaytranada Remix)"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=HZCanXiv0yo
  
  
  
  Under an interpolation of Aaliyah’s "One in a Million," Normani's original "Wild Side" is deeply sensual, however a tad also patient. Even in its overtly sexual necessitates, the BPM clips at a careful pace; a request like "I wanna drive you crazy" feels truthful, however not wholly commanding. Kaytranada's interpretation punches the song up with his trademark fusion of electronic synths with hip-hop percussion, purging Cardi's verse for a solo journey. This time, while she hits that same line, the floor of the beat gives out: The heavenly synth suddenly darkens into a freaky, vibrating slink of a groove. Here, she's more in control. —Terron Moore
  
  
  
  
  



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  Lady Pills: "My Weight"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=hN1Op8HdXwE
  
  
  
  I try not to let music videos sway my connection with songs also much, although man, Boston's Ella Boissonnault really did something here. The talented artist at the center of Lady Pills played every musical instrument on new album What I Want, and in the impressive and very charming video for "My Weight," Boissonnault also leads a gleeful choreographed street routine with some companions. Their collective pep matches the song's flirtatious beckoning ("C'mon, let's get closer / We'll do it right forever") and the playfulness on show during, which makes "My Weight" especially infectious. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Lolo Zouaï: "Scooter"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=OQiy0vk6Ss4
  
  
  
  Electric scooters tend to evoke strong feelings from city dwellers for a multitude of reasons. Although Lolo Zouaï’s catchy new bop “Scooter” has made them cool again. The French-Algerian-American R&B-pop singer keeps it up and continues to present her versatility by trial and error with her voice and beats. On “Scooter,” Zouaï delivers bars at half-whisper over a beat that was produced using sounds created from her voice rather than instruments. In the accompanying video, she rides by way of the streets of Paris on a fuzzy, fuchsia scooter with swagger because the chorus declares, “Everybody starin' / I don't care and I'm feeling great.” It’s that attitude and fearlessness that make this artist so fun to watch. —Farah Zermane
  
  
  
  
  



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  Girlpool: "Faultline"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=fUOBScv_HjI
  
  
  
  Few bands have evolved as casually as Girlpool. Their early punky energy gave way to more widescreen indie rock on the excellent albums Powerplant and What Chaos Is Imaginary, and last year's one-off "Like I'm Winning It" felt like a darker, more cerebral turn. With "Faultline," led by Harmony Tividad's gilded vocals, the duo (rounded out by Avery Tucker) face the light; it's not a sunny day by any means ("I stay at this fault line / Between the edge of solitude and hope"), nevertheless Girlpool's latest showing still radiates with pure emotion. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Carpetgarden: "IDC"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=ffKPAo_FUQE
  
  
  
  Carpetgarden make a bold statement at the starting of their nihilistic, rousing, and rebelling new single: “My life’s a joke although at least it was pretty funny.” The lyric defines the L.A.-Based alt-pop musician’s attitude for the rest of the track as they drop zingers like “My body’s vacant like a 100-year-old house” and “Worms in my brain and both my eyes are filled with daisies” over a grungy and swinging beat. Listen a little bit closer, though, and you’ll realize they’re not just shredding the system, nevertheless also the haters, affirming themselves and their identity with every triumphant "I don’t care!" —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Jean Dawson ft. Mac DeMarco: "Menthol"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=_rq6dC2T6J8
  
  
  
  There's something inevitable about a team-up between Jean Dawson and Mac DeMarco. The latter has long mined watery guitar chords in service of more and more more introspective songs, and while Dawson's music is inarguably more urgent, a song like "Clear Bones" is certainly place on Earth from a lot of rumination. "Menthol," on the other hand, dips far further into the chaotic, igniting a slew of guitar distortion and plenty of F-bombs to deliver a specific message that DeMarco assists the out with: "Fuck out my face." —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Suzanna Son: "Bye Bye Bye" (NSYNC Cover)
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=pppoFutvTsg
  
  
  
  Suzanna Son stars as Strawberry in A24’s Red Rocket (out today), and if the film’s director Sean Baker and lead actor Simon Rex — a former MTV VJ! — Did not catch your attention, Son’s dramatic reinterpretation of this NSYNC classic for the soundtrack surely will. There really are no frills or stylized synths backing up Son as she gives a theatrical rendition of the early aughts break-up anthem, finding the power in lines like “Now I really come to be able to see / That life could be much better once you’re gone.” There’s a unsettling edge to the way she grips onto the words, begging the question: Is goodbye really good-“bye bye bye?” —Carson Mlnarik