New Music Friday: Imagine Dragons, jxdn & More!

New Music Friday: July 2, 2021

Yeah, so it's been a few weeks since I've come out with one of these posts, but luckily, I won't fall behind, because it's not really something that I feel pressured to catch up on. All that being said though, there was an obvious reason why I got enough drive to get this one out. So let's jump into it.

Our first song this week comes from my absolute favourite artists of all time, Imagine Dragons. They're releasing their third single from their upcoming album, Mercury - Act 1 this week. This song's called Wrecked. Have a listen below.

Wrecked - Imagine Dragons

Wow, this might actually be my favourite Imagine Dragons song of all time. It's just... unbelievably good. First, I'll break down a bit about the lyrics. It's about Dan Reynolds' sister-in-law, who passed away after battling cancer for about a year. The emotional intensity of the song is insane and you can hear Dan's emotions just seeping through his vocals. His falsetto in the verses and the pre-chorus is very good, then you get to the chorus, and his vocals there are just insane. This song switches between being a little calmer, and then being pretty heavy rock. I doubt this'll be much of a radio hit, but I still hope it is. I really love this song, and I would highly recommend that you give it a listen. This is 4:04 of pure perfection.

My Opinion: 10/5 = Absolutely Outstanding

I was originally going to include a new Bebe Rexha song here, called American Citizen, but I started listening to it and I really didn't want to keep listening to it, so I'm choosing the Cash Cash remix of AJR's Way Less Sad instead. Have a listen below.

Way Less Sad (Remix) - AJR/Cash Cash

This is a fun remix. I love the original song, but Cash Cash make it a little more upbeat and add a pretty decent drop. I do like the original production quite a bit, so I'm a little sad that Cash Cash didn't keep any of it, but then again, that's what makes it fresh. The one downside is that it removes the bridge, which is fantastic. Overall, I'd say that the original is better, but this a fun alternate version that I might revisit from time to time.

My Opinion: 5/5 = Great

So, Taylor Swift has a new song, but it's actually not a single from Red (Taylor's Version). It's a collaboration with rock band Big Red Machine called Renegade. Have a listen below.

Renegade - Big Red Machine/Taylor Swift

I'm not 100% sure that Big Red Machine has a vocalist, as Taylor Swift's really the only one that sings here, and it sounds like a solo song from folklore/evermore. Oh, okay, I just looked it up, and apparently Big Red Machine is a band consisting of Justin Vernon (from Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner, both of whom worked on folklore and evermore. Overall, this is a solid song. I like the production here, and Taylor sounds great as always. The song's not too memorable, but I don't really care.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

Finally, we have a new song from jxdn, a collaboration with Machine Gun Kelly, WANNA BE. Have a listen below.

WANNA BE - jxdn/Machine Gun Kelly

I've been enjoying pop-punk a decent amount lately, so I got kind of excited when I saw that this collaboration was coming out. Both jxdn and Machine Gun Kelly sound really good here, and the instrumentation is also really good. The chorus is decently catchy and I enjoy the verses. I'd like to see this on Hits 1 sometime, and I have almost no doubts that it'll make it there.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

My favourite new release of the week is easily Wrecked by Imagine Dragons. There's no contest.

My pick of the week this week goes to Dua Lipa, who just keeps milking her album Future Nostalgia, as it seems that she's pushing Love Again as a single. Have a listen below.

Love Again - Dua Lipa

Yeah, this is just another great Dua Lipa song. I'm not sure what that sample is, but it works really well with the song. Dua sounds great here, and the song is ridiculously catchy. Both the hook and the verses' melodies are really well-constructed and I love them. I really hope that this song can manage to become another hit from Dua, because it's really good.

Well, that's it! I'll try to get one more New Music Friday post in next week before I leave for a few weeks. Kwaheri, everybody and see you all in the next one.

New Music Friday: Doja Cat, Lorde & More!

New Music Friday: June 11, 2021

Hey guys! I'm gonna be away this weekend, so my regular Saturday posts will actually end up coming out on Sunday, but I'll be leaving you guys today with my New Music Friday post. Now, I'm aware that I've been falling behind a lot on the 2020 Ultimate Rank and the 2021 Weekend Countdown Olympics, but I promise, I'll start getting that stuff coming out more often (y'know... until I leave for three weeks in July). But enough about that, we had a very interesting New Music Friday! There were tons of big releases this week, so I'm not actually able to talk about all of the songs that I want to, but it's alright.

We'll kick this off with Doja Cat's second single from her upcoming album Planet Her. This song's coming a few months after the first single, Kiss Me More was released. This new one's called Need To Know. Have a listen below.

Need To Know - Doja Cat

Right off the bat, one of the first things that I notice is that this song follows a bit more of an R&B sound than, say, Kiss Me More. I've never been a huge fan of R&B, and this really isn't too much of an exception. Doja sounds good, but for the most part, I find the song kind of uninteresting. I really can't see this doing too well on radio, which I'm fine with, because none of this sticks out to me very much.

My Opinion: 2/5 = Mediocre

Ava Max had a pretty good debut album, as four singles from it did pretty well on radio. Today, she returns with yet another single, EveryTime I Cry. Have a listen below.

EveryTime I Cry - Ava Max

Quick note: this song was actually released on Wednesday for whatever reason. Anyways, right from the bat, this is just another bop from Ava Max. It's got a solid dance beat, which has been a trend for nearly all of her singles so far, but I would say that this has the best beat so far. I know Ava has a good voice, and personally, I don't think she showcases it very well in this song, but it's okay, because the chorus is definitely catchy. Overall, this is just a really solid Ava Max song that I think will do well on radio, even if it takes a bit to start gaining momentum.

My Opinion: 5/5 = Great

So originally, I was gonna feature Maroon 5's new single from their new album, JORDI, Lost, but upon further reflection, I realized that I would probably end up reviewing it again very soon, so instead I've chosen a new one from Topic and Bebe Rexha. This song's called Chain My Heart. Have a listen below.

Chain My Heart - Topic/Bebe Rexha

I'm pretty glad with the choice I've made. I really enjoyed Topic's previous top 40 hit, Breaking Me and he hasn't really changed his production style, which is good. Bebe Rexha's voice is great and I think it works with a lot of different production styles, which is also good. The pre-chorus in this song is really well-constructed and is easily the best part of this song. The drop isn't the best that I've ever heard, but I don't care that much. I think this'll make for a good radio single, and I hope that it can make onto Hits 1.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

Our last new song this week comes from Lorde, who hasn't had a big song in a really long time. But, today, she's returning with a new single, Solar Power. Have a listen below.

Solar Power - Lorde

This song starts off pretty slow, and you expect it to pick up after the first chorus... then it doesn't. But don't worry, it does pick up. I like Lorde's voice and once the song picks up this song's actually kind of enjoyable. But, the issue is that I find it kind of boring for the first half of the song. I don't know, this might grow on me. I guess we'll see.

My Opinion: 2/5 = Mediocre

My favourite new song this week is easily Ava Max's EveryTime I Cry, and I look forward to being able to hear more of it in the future.

Now it's time for a new segment, the throwback pick of the week. Working through that giant list of Hits 1 songs that I published to my blog as a tab about a week back, I realized that there are tons of great songs that I've never talked about before. So right here will serve as my solution to that.

My first throwback pick goes to none other than Taylor Swift. I loved her album 1989, and most of the singles to come from it were great, but sometimes, your song just needs a remix to make it an absolute masterpiece. So today, I present to you Bad Blood by Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar. Revisit the song below.

Bad Blood - Taylor Swift/Kendrick Lamar

Now, I loved this song originally. It was just a really solid old Taylor Swift song with a great hook a fantastic bridge and some really solid production. But Kendrick Lamar just took all that and completely elevated it. He changed up the production a bit to make it more trap-like, which I love, he handles the verses instead of Taylor, which I thought were the weakest parts of the song anyways, and he adds a fantastic line to the bridge: "You forgive, you forget, but you never let it... go!". Overall, this just an amazing song and I really enjoyed hearing it again.

I was kind of struggling with what to put as my pick of the week this week, so I took a stroll over to my most listened to songs of the month. There, I found way too much AJR, so that wasn't very helpful. Then, I took a stroll to my release radar, (where I found a version of The Way You Felt by Alec Benjamin in mandarin, I'm pretty sure, and a remix of Peaches by Justin Bieber with Usher, Snoop Dogg and Ludacris like it's fricking 2009) and I found it. Ty Dolla $ign, Jack Harlow and 24kGoldn on I Won. have a listen below.

I Won - Ty Dolla $ign/Jack Harlow/24kGoldn

The production on this song is kind of slower and creepy, which I really like. Ty Dolla $ign does a really good job with the hook and both Jack Harlow and 24kGoldn have great verses here, with Jack's being a bit better. Yeah, I don't really have much else to say about it. It's from F9, and it's doing decently on streaming, so it might be a hit. Who knows?

Thanks for reading this edition of New Music Friday, everyone! Kwaheri, and I'll see you on Sunday!

New Music Friday: Roddy Ricch, Calvin Harris & More!

New Music Friday: June 4, 2021

Hello, everyone! Welcome to the first June edition of New Music Friday! I only have one quick announcement today and it's that event one of the Weekend Countdown Olympics will be announced soon, so if you haven't signed up already for that, you definitely should. Anyways, our New Music Friday this week is definitely more eventful than last week's (which did end up coming out by the way, just click the "New Music Friday" label, and you can see all past editions of this), as we had a bunch of big names release songs this week.

We'll kick things off with an artist that I really like, Roddy Ricch. You probably remember him from his past Hot 100 #1 hits, The Box and ROCKSTAR with DaBaby, but today he returns with his brand new song, Late At Night. Have a listen below.

Late At Night - Roddy Ricch

I've been a pretty big fan of what Roddy's brought us before, so I was pretty excited for this new song. I'm not disappointed. I think Roddy has good flow here and the hook is definitely good. While I don't think it's as good as the two singles that I mentioned earlier, as it doesn't have the same catchy, pop-friendly hook, it's definitely still good. My one and only issue with the song is that it's very short.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

So this next song actually wasn't released today, but rather this past Wednesday. I'm still counting it as being eligible though, as it wasn't around last week. This seems to be a trend with Billie Eilish, refraining from releasing on Fridays for whatever reason. Anyways, this is the fourth single from Billie's upcoming album, Happier Than Ever. It's called Lost Cause. Have a listen below.

Lost Cause - Billie Eilish

Well... I guess this is more interesting than Your Power? That's pretty much my only compliment for this song. This honestly just feels like a much less good version of all the good girls go to hell. It's just not that interesting, Billie doesn't sound fantastic and while the melody's interesting, the hook isn't too catchy.

My Opinion: 0/5 = Awful

Next up are two artists that Hits 1 have been liking a lot lately, blackbear and Tate McRae. They're collaborating on a song today called u love u. Have a listen below.

u love u - blackbear/Tate McRae

I've liked blackbear's stuff recently, but I'm not a ridiculous fan of Tate McRae, so I really wasn't sure what to expect when coming into this. It starts off as just a really solid blackbear song. When the hook hits, blackbear sounds really good and there's some really cool production. Then, Tate McRae comes in and she actually sounds decent. Her voice and blackbear's voice actually work pretty well together. I'd love to see this do well on Hits 1, because I really like it.

My Opinion: 5/5 = Great

So, Calvin Harris has delivered us a few songs recently, but none of them have been that memorable. Tom Grennan, on the other hand, has only had one song that's circulated pop radio. But today, they collaborate on By Your Side, which is gearing up to have the potential to be a hit. Have a listen below.

By Your Side - Calvin Harris/Tom Grennan

I've been really enjoying Little Bit of Love recently, so the fact that this might push it off of the radio makes me kind of sad. But it's okay, because based on first impressions, this song's pretty good. Tom Grennan sounds decent here and it almost seems like Calvin Harris is going back to what some of his older songs sounded like, which I definitely appreciate. The drop's alright and the hook is decently catchy. Overall, this is just a really solid song that might grow on me.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

That was a very solid New Music Friday! Y'know... aside from Billie Eilish. My favourite song has to go to blackbear and Tate McRae for u love u, though.

My picks of the week have been pretty all over the place, and today I'm continuing that trend. I'll be highlighting a song that's actually been circulating around pop radio lately. Could I end up reviewing this again tomorrow? It's definitely possible. Anyways, the song I've chosen today is the Dopamine Re-Edit of Friday by Riton, Nightcrawlers and Mufasa & Hypeman. Have a listen below.

Friday (Re-Edit) - Riton/Nightcrawlers/Mufasa & Hypeman/Dopamine

I've known about this song for a while now, but recently, I've really grown into it. This is honestly just a really solid EDM song. Whoever's singing does a really good job here and all of the people working on the production do really well with it. It's super upbeat and really just makes you want to dance. The hook is extremely catchy and the rest of the song is really fun too. I really love this song and I really want it to be on Hits 1 sooner rather than later.

Yeah! Hope you guys had fun in yet another edition of New Music Friday. Kwaheri, everybody and see you all in the next one.

New Music Friday: Galantis, Tiësto & More!

New Music Friday: March 28, 2021

Hello! I know this is slightly late, but it's here and that's all that really matters. This New Music Friday was ridiculously uneventful, and hopefully we have a more eventful week next week, as I was kind of struggling to figure out what to feature this week. But all is well, because I've found four new songs that I want to feature!

We'll be starting this off with a new one from electronic duo Galantis, who are teaming up with David Guetta and Little Mix on this new track, Heartbreak Anthem. Have a listen below.

Heartbreak Anthem - Galantis/David Guetta/Little Mix

Little Mix haven't brought us too many top 40 hits lately, but I think it's definitely possible that this could end up being their first since Woman Like Me three years ago. Galantis and David Guetta's production works well with all of their voices and I like the drop even if chopped-up vocal drops aren't my favourite. The hook is pretty catchy and the girls sound good. Overall, this is good, but it's not fantastic.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

Next is Jason Derulo, who's been releasing a lot of music lately. I highly doubt this will be a big hit, because I hadn't heard that this was coming out until it popped up on my Spotify this week, and it's a collaboration with a not well-known artist, Tesher. But, you never know. This song's called Jalebi Baby. Have a listen below.

Jalebi Baby - Tesher/Jason Derulo

Right from the start, we have a crazier than normal "Jaaaason Derulooooo", so that's always a good song. As I mentioned before, Tesher isn't a very well-known artist, so I'm not really familiar with his stuff, but he sounds good here. Jason Derulo sounds great as always and it's got a pretty catchy chorus. My problem with this though is that the production is very all over the place. Especially at the chorus. It's not bad enough to drop it below decent, but it definitely keeps it from being good.

My Opinion: 3/5 = Decent

Now, I featured Marshmello on last week's post with his new song with the Jonas Brothers, but he released a new song this week and since I have nothing better to feature, I've decided to feature it anyways. It's a collaboration with Carnage called Back In Time. Have a listen below.

Back In Time - Marshmello/Carnage

Oh no. This is another one of those songs where all of the vocals are pitched weirdly. They're pitched awkwardly up for the entire song and it really doesn't sound good. Pair that with a really weird drop and it just makes for a really weird song. There's no way this is gonna be a hit and I'm glad, because I really don't feel the need to hear it again.

My Opinion: 0/5 = Awful

Finally, we have Tiësto, who delivered us The Business earlier this year which was quite bad, but this week he returns with a remix to a previously released song, Imagine by Ben Platt. Have a listen below.

Imagine (Remix) - Tiësto/Ben Platt

So... there's an upside to this song and a downside to this song. The upside: Ben Platt's vocals aren't pitch-shifted. The downside: There's way too much reverb on his voice. Ugh. Other than that, the production's decent, but I really can't get over the reverb. I much prefer the original version of this song.

My Opinion: 2/5 = Mediocre

Now it's time for my pick of the week! This one's a little older, but there's a reason, I swear. I recently decided to go and listen to all of AJR's discography, because I really like them and I've never really listened to any of their albums. The song I picked today comes from their fourth album, OK ORCHESTRA, which came out in March of earlier this year (yes, this is the album with Bang!, Bummerland and Way Less Sad). It's called 3 O'Clock Things and I think it has a capacity to be released as a single. Have a listen below.

3 O'Clock Things - AJR

This song follows a really similar carnival vibe that we had in Bang!, full with the old-timey backup vocals and everything. I really like the chorus here and I think it's super catchy. The horns really bring it home and Jack Met's vocals are great too. The best part of this song is easily the writing, though. It gets into some political topics, so if you're not into that kind of stuff, feel free to not listen to this, but even if you aren't into politics, I think you'll still like the song because of the instrumentation and the melody and stuff. Overall, I really like this song and it was one of my favourites from that album (If you want more of my recommendations from this album, check out Adventure Is Out There, Humpty Dumpty and World's Smallest Violin).

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.

New Music Friday: Marshmello, Lil Nas X & More!

New Music Friday: May 21, 2021

Hey folks! I'm back with the third edition of New Music Friday, but before we start reviewing some brand new songs and my... interesting pick of the week, I have one announcement. It's the fact that I have continued reveals for the 2020 Ultimate Rank. If you want to do the current Community Rankings, the link can be found here. I'll be doing the next set of reveals relatively soon, so you don't have a whole lot of time. Before we jump into the post, just one quick reminder that the song titles are also YouTube links to the songs.

So our first brand new song today comes from our good buddy Marshmello, who's actually collaborated with the Jonas Brothers on this new song. This is the JoBros' first song since X from last year. The song's called Leave Before You Love Me. Have a listen below.

Leave Before You Love Me - Marshmello/Jonas Brothers

If I'm being honest here, I don't really see what Marshmello did with this song and I'm not sure why he's the lead artist here and not just credited with producing the song. It just sounds like a Jonas Brothers song. I mean, there's not even a drop. I'm not exactly complaining though, as this is still quite a good song. All of the Jonas Brothers (by that, I mean Joe and Nick, because Kevin doesn't exactly sing... sorry, Kevin) sound good here. The song's nice and chill and I think it works pretty well, even if it's only slightly uninteresting. Overall, this song's solid, but I'm not sure it'll be a big top 40 hit.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

I was pretty conflicted with which song I should feature here, because I had three songs that I definitely wanted to feature, then two that I was debating between. But honestly, I'm more intrigued by the sound of this one, and I have a good feeling that I'll just have to review the new Anne-Marie and Niall Horan song tomorrow anyways, so I went with Mike Posner and blackbear. The song's called Jealousy. Have a listen below.

Jealousy - Mike Posner/blackbear

I've always liked blackbear, and I like a couple of Mike Posner's songs, so I was definitely interested as to what this song would sound like. Overall, I'm thoroughly underwhelmed and I regret my decision. Mike Posner doesn't sound good here. He seems to be singing too high for his voice and it's not like the production backs him up too much. It's pretty simplistic and not in a good way. blackbear's verse is solid, but it's not enough to bring this song up much. Yeah, this really isn't my thing.

My Opinion: 1/5 = Bad

I think you guys would've been surprised if I didn't choose this next song, as I can already tell it's gonna be a huge hit. I've heard snippets of the song and I have no doubts. Last year, BTS brought us Dynamite, which ended up being their first really big radio song. Today, they seem to be bringing the follow-up to Dynamite, Butter. Have a listen below.

Butter - BTS

This song has HUGE summer vibes. It's also all in english, which always helps me enjoy k-pop songs, because it's easier to appreciate the songwriting when I can actually sing along without just mumbling gibberish. Anyways, all of the guys here sound pretty good and the song's pretty catchy too. There's no doubt that this is Dynamite 2.0, just slightly less catchy and with more happening in the production. Honestly, I think it's safe to say that BTS is growing on me. I actually like this song and I'm excited to see what it does on radio.

My Opinion: 5/5 = Great

For our final brand new song today, we have Lil Nas X releasing yet another song, likely due to him performing on Saturday Night Live tomorrow night. The song's called SUN GOES DOWN. Have a listen below.

SUN GOES DOWN - Lil Nas X

Based on the album cover, Montero's leaning away from the whole controversial devil thing with this song. This song's actually super chill and his voice works shockingly well with it. I've really liked all of his singles so far and based on first impressions, this would probably land in between Panini and HOLIDAY for my third-favourite song from him. The writing on this one is insane too. I really don't know how to describe it, so I'd suggest you just go look it up and see for yourself. This song's great and I hope it becomes as big as Old Town Road or MONTERO.

My Opinion: 5/5 = Great

My favourite New Music Friday song for this week would have to go to Lil Nas X for SUN GOES DOWN, even if BTS put up a good fight.

Now it's time for my pick of the week. This one's a bit of an oddball. It's not exactly from a well-known artist like DJ Khaled or Bebe Rexha, it's actually from an emerging indie rock band from England, called Lovejoy. Yes, I can hear you now saying "But Beluga, why would you pick a random song from a new indie rock band from England?" Well, I'll give you one reason, and his name is Wilbur Soot. This is Lovejoy with One Day. Have a listen below.

One Day - Lovejoy

So if you're not aware, Wilbur Soot is a Twitch streamer who occasionally will upload edited versions of his streams to YouTube and I've been getting into his videos lately, which is how I found out about this. When I heard that he was the lead singer of a new band, I went into it fully expecting it to be a meme song, but it's actually quite good. I really like their sound and while Wilbur isn't the greatest singer, his voice really works with the sound of the band. The hook is also really good. I would definitely recommend this to anybody and I'm really excited for what else Lovejoy has to offer aside from this four-song EP.

Yeah, so that's it! Hope you guys enjoyed this week's edition of New Music Friday. See you guys tomorrow.

...

Oh crap, I forgot the kwaheri line. Whatever, it's fine.

New Music Friday: Olivia Rodrigo, Katy Perry & More!

New Music Friday: May 14, 2021

Hey guys! I'm back with another edition of New Music Friday. Last week, I featured four brand new songs and my pick of the week, so today, I'll be doing that again. Once again, the song titles are links to the songs themselves on YouTube.

Our first new song comes from Olivia Rodrigo, who's debut album, SOUR will be released next Friday. She's already brought us two singles from that album, drivers license and deja vu, and now she's releasing the third single, good 4 u. Have a listen below.

good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

I really wasn't sure what to expect with another song from Olivia, as deja vu was pretty different from drivers license. But I definitely wasn't expecting this. This song is full-on pop-punk. Yeah, you read that right. I read somewhere that her album is gonna be a mix of folk, pop-punk and pop, which just makes me 10% more intrigued to hear the album. Anyways, I've always been a fan of pop-rock and pop-punk and this is definitely no exception. Her voice fits so well with the production, which is something I never expected. The writing here is incredible as always and you can really hear the emotion in her voice in the verses. The chorus is super catchy too. Ah, I just love this song. I have no doubts that it'll debut in the top 10 on the Hot 100.

My Opinion: 5/5 = Great

I wasn't entirely sure which songs I wanted to pick for these next two features, because I choose the songs before listening to them, so that I get a good variety of songs. I'm pretty confident in my choices though, as they're coming from some pretty big names that I tend to like. This next one is actually a remix of a pre-existing song by Weezer. AJR have gone on to remix Weezer's song All My Favorite Songs. Have a listen below.

All My Favorite Songs - Weezer/AJR

So this actually isn't the first time AJR and Weezer have associated themselves with each other, as Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer of Weezer featured on AJR's song Sober Up. I really love that song, so I had pretty high expectations for this. I had heard the original, so I knew what I was in for, but I had no clue that they would AJR-ify the production. It's just slightly more blown-up and definitely less chill. I like both Rivers Cuomo and Jack Met's voices and I think they work well together here. I don't have much else to say here, as the song's just a little boring, but this is still good.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

This next song is by Tones And I, who broke out with her song Dance Monkey and has had a few non-hits that were on Hits 1 since then. But now she returns with her new song, Won't Sleep. Have a listen below.

Won't Sleep - Tones And I

This song strays from Tones And I's usual formula, the bouncy and light piano line. It's actually quite dark and brooding. There's some really weird pitch-shifting that happens in the intro and in the chorus and I really don't like it. I don't think it fits very well with the song. I feel like there could've been more substance in the production, as there's really not much going on. On top of that, Tones And I's voice is her usual weird voice, so I'm not so sure I like this one.

My Opinion: 0/5 = Awful

A few months ago, we got the very first song associated with the 25th anniversary of Pokémon. It was a cover of a Hootie & The Blowfish song, Only Wanna Be With You by Post Malone. Today, we get the second song from that album, Electric by Katy Perry. Have a listen below.

Electric - Katy Perry

Katy Perry's recent songs haven't exactly been my favourite, but this song's solid. It's pretty chill and the production doesn't have much going on in it, but Katy Perry sounds good and the song's decently catchy. Yeah, I don't really have much else to say about this one, it's just fine. I think it'll have a run on pop radio, but I'm not so sure it'll be a fantastic run.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

Well, that was a pretty decent New Music Friday. 3/4 of the songs were good, but my favourite definitely has to go to Olivia Rodrigo with good 4 u and I'm excited to listen to that one more.

Now it's time for my pick of the week. One problem with me picking the songs I want to feature here before I hear them is that occasionally I'll skip over a really good song. That's definitely the case this week, as Bebe Rexha released an album last Friday called Better Mistakes and the newest single from it, Break My Heart Myself featuring Travis Barker is really good, so I'm featuring it here today. Have a listen below.

Break My Heart Myself - Bebe Rexha/Travis Barker

The first two singles from this album, Baby, I'm Jealous and Sacrifice were only good, which is probably why I skipped over this last week. But this is really good. Bebe sounds really great here and Travis Barker handles the production pretty well. The song's pretty catchy and I like the chorus in particular. Overall, this is just a solid little song and I would recommend it.

Well, I hope you guys had a good time with the second edition of New Music Friday. I certainly did, and I had a blast writing it and listening to the songs.

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.

New Music Friday: Coldplay, Conan Gray & More!

Hey guys! So I was falling behind on my Hot 100 posts and I was also feeling a distinct lack of motivation, so I decided to drop the Hot 100 posts for the time being. However, I have a replacement that I'll be showing you guys today.

I figured that I would do a "New Music Friday" post, where every Friday, I'll be going through four brand new songs and my personal pick of the week, which will be a song that wasn't necessarily released on the Friday that the post comes out. I hope you guys understand what I'm trying to say, but if you don't, it's fine, because I'll be laying it out today.

Our first New Music Friday song comes from Coldplay, who will likely end up releasing their ninth studio album relatively soon. This week, we get our first taste of the album with this new song, Higher Power. Have a listen below.

Higher Power - Coldplay

This song is going for a bit of an 80s sound, which has been a bit of a trend lately. It got popularized by Dua Lipa and The Weeknd last year, but recently, more artists have tried their hands at it, most notably Twenty One Pilots and now Coldplay. I think this sound works decently well with the band. The verses are slightly boring, but I like the chorus and I've always liked Chris Martin's voice. That key change near the end fits quite well with the song and I like it. Honestly, I just hope that Coldplay can get another hit, because it's been a while since they've had a song circulating around radio.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

Next up is OneRepublic, who keep delaying their album Human, but it could possibly be coming soon, as we now have another single from it. This one's called Run. Have a listen below.

Run - OneRepublic

There are really only a couple of songs that have been released from this album that I really loved (considering Lose Somebody won't make an appearance), so I didn't have ridiculously high expectations for this, but I'm definitely not disappointed with this song. It's not the best I've heard from them, but it's interesting enough to keep my attention for the entire song. There's nothing too different or unique about this one, but I'm alright with that, because I really like OneRepublic's formula. Overall, this is good, but it's far from their best.

My Opinion: 4/5 = Good

We have P!nk next, who's releasing a documentary called All I Know So Far. So today, she released a single from the documentary, called, you guessed it, All I Know So Far. Have a listen below.

All I Know So Far - P!nk

This song follows a similar trend to how her music's been lately, so it's relatively slow. Don't get me wrong, that's not a bad thing, but I do miss songs that sound like Raise Your Glass. P!nk has a really good voice, I don't think anybody can deny that, and it really shines here, especially in the chorus. I don't this will be a big radio song though, as it's pretty slow. It kind of picks up in the second verse, as a beat comes in, but it's not really enough to keep me too interested. Again, P!nk sounds good though, so this still isn't bad.

My Opinion: 3/5 = Decent

This next artist, Conan Gray broke out last year with his debut album, Kid Krow and he seems to be gearing up to a release of his second album. We've already gotten one taste of it with Overdrive, and now he gives us the second single from that album, Astronomy. Have a listen below.

Astronomy - Conan Gray

Oh no. Ahhh, I should've featured Bebe Rexha or JP Saxe instead. Anyways, coming after Overdrive, I kind of expected this song to be pretty upbeat, but I was sorely mistaken. I hope that Hits 1 doesn't decide to pick this up, as it really sounds like Heather. It's pretty slow, which doesn't fit ridiculously well with Conan's voice and while the melody's slightly more interesting, I just find it really boring. Yeah, I really don't like this.

My Opinion: 0/5 = Awful

Now it's time for My Pick of the Week. This song was actually released last week, but since I'm just starting this this week, I didn't get to review this last week. DJ Khaled released another album last Friday and the new single from it features a star-studded roster of him, Post Malone, DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion and Lil Baby. The song's called I DID IT. Have a listen below.

I DID IT - DJ Khaled/Post Malone/DaBaby/Megan Thee Stallion/Lil Baby

I adore this song. This is leagues better than both of the Drake collabs from this album. DJ Khaled yelling his name is still annoying, but that's pretty much my only complaint here. Post Malone destroys it in the hook, Megan's verse is awesome, DaBaby's verse one of the best I've heard from him and even Lil Baby delivers a solid verse here and I don't really care that he's here. He honestly adds something to the song, which is surprising, as I don't normally like him. DJ Khaled really pulled this entire thing together to make it the masterpiece that it is, though. The electric guitar in the chorus is really good and the rest of the production fits so well with the song. I really really hope that this becomes a hit.

Yeah, so that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed that and I look forward to doing it every week, because it was really fun. Could one or two of these songs debut Hit-Bound and I have to review them tomorrow? It's entirely possible, but I don't really care.

Kwaheri, everybody! See you all in the next one.