Olivia Rodrigo's Roaring Return, Lil Nas X's Celestial CGI, And More Songs We Love

Olivia Rodrigo's Roaring Return, Lil Nas X's Celestial CGI, And More Songs We Love




The search for the ever-elusive "bop" is challenging. Playlists and streaming-service suggestions can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?


Enter Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. This weekly collection doesn't discriminate by genre and could contribute anything — it's a snapshot of what's on our minds and what sounds good. We'll keep it fresh with the latest music, however expect a couple of oldies nevertheless goodies) every once in a while, too.


Get ready: The Bop Shop is currently open for business.





  • Olivia Rodrigo: “Deja Vu”



    As we've come to expect from Olivia Rodrigo, specifics make all of the variation. On "Deja Vu," the slightly psychedelic follow-up to 2021-defining hit "Drivers License," the following pop-culture detritus is shouted out by name: Glee reruns, Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl," strawberry ice cream, and Malibu day trips. It's all in service of the larger narrative of heartbreak and hard questions that permeate such an endlessly listenable song. And that outro? It just might give you deja vu. —Patrick Hosken






  • Lil Nas X: “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”



    If Lil Nas X, national treasure and overjoyed peddler of the gay yeehaw agenda, is going to hell, then he’s getting there in fashion. A lusty bop with nods to the rapper’s given name and Luca Guadagnino’s popular 2017 gay drama, “Montero” sees the chart-topping rapper of “Old Town Road” fame assure his lover that he can “call me while you want, call me once you need / Call me out by your name, I’ll be on the way.” However his overt references to queerness don’t end there. The single’s celestial CGI visuals visualize a scantily clad Nas X descend by way of the stripper pole into the underworld and give the devil a lap dance. Unsurprisingly, “Montero” has attracted the ire of the religious right — and as far as Nas X is concerned, they can stay furious. —Sam Manzella






  • The Musical group Camino: “1 Last Cigarette”



    The Musical group Camino at their most raucous is them at their absolute best: “1 Last Cigarette” screeches with resentment for waking up lost, friendless, and hungover, although damn, being a totally reckless fuckboy isn’t supposed to feel this thrilling. It’s the soundtrack to the morning that precedes a night you’ll never remember: anthemic mantras (“All my companions! They hate me again!!! I get also drunk!!! Any time While I get depressed!!!”) That read like self-loathing misery, however hit your ear in raging, breathless screams, like sworn promises, like no other life could ever be more glorious. —Terron Moore






  • Lana Del Rey: “White Dress”



    Lana Del Rey pushes her patented aesthetic further Midwest with her latest album, Chemtrails Over the Nation Club, crafting a collection that sounds like her previous records paid for a cowboy hat, cracked open a carton of cigarettes on a long drive, and reflected on it all. Alternatively opposed to starting with a bop, she opts for the slow burn with “White Dress,” weaving a lyrical tapestry of nostalgia over references to Kings of Leon, the White Stripes, plus a gold-hued era of anonymity that wasn’t that long ago. With a breathy and heavy whisper, she reminds us how she’s become the melancholy queen we know her to be. Who else should make a lyric like “down at the Males in Music Organization Conference” sound like the tipping point for all-consuming wistfulness? —Carson Mlnarik






  • BTS: “Film Out”



    BTS return immediately after virtually no break (seriously, team no sleep) with “Film Out,” the initial single off their new Japanese-language album, BTS, the Best. Co-written by the Golden Maknae himself, Jungkook, the rest of the members explore time, space, and memory, both sonically and visually, in “Film Out,” with heart-wrenching lyrics contrasting a melody that builds in tempo — a race against a hourglass. Without consideration of language or location, the Bangtan Males habitually find a way to pull right at the heartstrings of ARMY all around the world. —Sarina Bhutani






  • Janette King: "Airplane"



    you should let Janette King do it her way. An enthralling listen, new single "Airplane" draws its power from a steady synth rhythm and an icy home beat that pair up to help King's voice bounce off the rafters. —Patrick Hosken






  • Isaac Dunbar: “Kissy Kissy”



    It’s marvelous just how deeply “Kissy Kissy” swells and crashes with '90s punk rock nostalgia, as 18-year-old Isaac Dunbar croons over soaring electric guitars for even the slightest bit of attention, as if the promise of true love literally hangs on his vocal cords. It hits every emotion key to the pure teenage cynical angst of a unrequited crush: raw, newfound desire, brimming with fear, punctured by feigned nonchalance, all building into pure sonic bliss. “Write your name in my journal,” he sweetly sighs to himself. Then: “I should burn it, right?” —Terron Moore






  • Flock of Dimes: "One More Hour"



    A new Flock of Dimes album means another chance to hear Jenn Wasner do what she does best: construct dreamy choruses from her incredibly adaptive voice while exploring a handful of musical styles. On "One More Hour," the through-line is vibrant, kaleidoscopic synth patterns; elsewhere on Head of Roses (out today), there's plenty more ear candy to indulge in. —Patrick Hosken






  • The Orphan The Poet: “The Moxie”



    Spring has finally arrived, which means we’re all literally and figuratively melting in our own way. Thankfully, Ohio option outfit The Orphan The Poet’s new track “The Moxie” is exceptionally alive and rocks hard enough to shake away your winter blues. With casual references to Keanu Reeves, guitar licks that spin, handclaps, and tastes of a heavenly chorus, it’s almost unfathomable that they were able to squeeze so much into this sonic journey, nevertheless it’s not a total surprise. Immediately considering that, they’ve got it: the moxie. —Carson Mlnarik






  • St. Lenox: "Deliverance"



    Here on Good Friday, Andrew Choi stands alone. His latest album as St. Lenox, Ten Songs of Worship and Praise for Our Tumultuous Times, is inherently religious, although as "Deliverance" reveals, his POV is much less someone kneeling in the pews than standing in the parking lot, weighing whether or not to prepare an entrance. Shades of Stephin Merritt and John Darnielle abound here, both in the storytelling and the direct vocals, although Choi is also his own sort of performer – muscly, not showy, economical, and fully unforgettable. —Patrick Hosken













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