Our Songs of the Week column spotlights great new tunes and analyzes notable releases. Find our new favorites and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for other great songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, summer sounds diverge into two distinct roads.
New and Notable:
Two paths lie before me: One leads to an MJ Lenderman summer, a season characterized by long walks, wondering why the 6 p.m. golden hour makes you miss your childhood, and cracking open a cold one with your friends. The other is a Brat summer, which features hyperpop chaos, ugly crop tops that feel cute on the right day, rat-hot boyfriends, and general debauchery. Traveler, which path will you take? Choose wisely.
Many Artists Are Bolstering Our Uptempo Pop Playlists… But Camila Cabello Isn’t
While the dust continues to settle from the aforementioned Charli XCX album, more great and glitchy pop has started to emerge to really round out this summer’s soundtrack for anyone ready for playful tomfoolery. Tove Lo and longtime collaborator SG Lewis turned up the temperature with their joint HEAT EP, which they describe as a perfect companion for a main character moment in a queer nightclub. There’s also the more underground option of underscores, who released a deluxe version of her excellent, overwhelming 2023 project Wallsocket, with this expanded LP branded as her Director’s Cut.
But on the other end of the spectrum is Camila Cabello, whose foray into hyperpop has a bit of the energy of an identity crisis. She has the budget to nail the aesthetics, but C,XOXO is hyperpop in the same way that me playing dress up with my cooler, older cousin’s clothes as a pre-teen made me an artist in Boston. Even if we look past the fact that the album features not one but two Drake features at a time such as this, the tone of the project often eclipses Cabello’s trademark breathy delivery. There are moments here that work — “pretty when i cry” is much closer to her strike zone — but this pivot might not be one that sticks. — Mary Siroky
Meanwhile, MJ Lenderman Ushers in the Summer of Porch Beers
As noted, for some, this summer is going to be full of hyperpop bangers, clubs that play the Challengers score immediately followed by Charli XCX’s Brat, and Sabrina Carpenter’s infectious bops. For others, though, it’s bound to be a season of porch hangs, discount beer, and the sweet, reliable sounds of one mister MJ Lenderman.
The rising artist and Wednesday guitarist just announced a brand-spankin’ new album, Manning Fireworks, and the record’s newest single, “She’s Leaving You,” is already well on its way to becoming a future fan favorite — with good reason. Short of a sports reference, the tune is about as MJ Lenderman-ish as it can possible be: the lyrics are frank and intensely singable, the guitar work is rootsy and rockin’, and there’s even an appearance by Wednesday bandmate Karly Hartzman to boot.
The coming months will undoubtedly feature plenty of sweaty dancing and tennis-based love triangles, but it’ll also provide time for playing pool at the local dive bar, watching the sunset from a lawn chair, and strumming a Neil Young song on a six-string. In those moments, throw on “She’s Leaving You.” — Jonah Krueger
