New Music Sunday: The Best 5 Songs Released This Past Week Pt. 8

Hey hey hey! Here are the best five songs released this past week. Check out the previous post in this series here. 

Noteworthy album & EP releases:

Separate Places, Dizzy
Orca (Deluxe), Gus Dapperton
What’s Your Pleasure? (The Platinum Pleasure Edition), Jessie Ware
SURVIVORS GUILT: THE MIXTAPE//, KennyHoopla
Inside Voices, K.Flay
Ancient Dreams in A Modern Land, Marina and the Diamonds
OMG I MADE IT, Pronoun
Love Lessons, Simone
Troubled Paradise, Slayyyter
Path of Wellness, Sleater-Kinney

In chronological order:

“Brando” – Lucy Dacus
Release date – June 8

Lucy Dacus’ highly anticipated new album Home Video is out in just a couple weeks (I’ve heard it, it’s great), and I would assume that “Brando” is the last single ahead of the album in logistical terms along with my opinion that it’s the best single she’s release for the Home Video so far. According to a press statement on the song, “Brando” is about an experience Dacus had in high school with a friend whose entire personality seemed to be about “the media he consumed,” she said. “I think he was more interested in using me as a scrapbook of his own tastes than actually getting to know me. He claimed to know me better than anyone else but I started to feel like all he wanted from me was to be a scene partner in the movie of his life.” 

It’s a slippery slope trying to bond with someone over your (seemingly) shared interests without coming across in the way that Dacus describes, especially when you’re on the receiving end of it. 

Home Video is out on June 25: stay tuned for our review.

“Can I Leave Me Too?” – The Greeting Committee
Release date – June 10

I think we can all relate to the feeling of being annoyed with ourselves during several points in our lives, whether that’s in relation to our friendships, career choices, or romantic relationships—and if you claim you can’t, you’re lying. In “Can I Leave Me Too?,” The Greeting Committee’s poignant new single and first in two years, tackles the hardships of a relationship ending and the fears of being alone and readjusting to a new normal. The track’s opening lines bring to life an anxiety that I think we can agree we all have: the feeling of being out in public and terrified that the one person you don’t want to run into may very well be driving right next to you: (Why does everybody drive the same car you do?) 

Lead singer Addie Sartino touches on this in a press release about the song: “My girlfriend drives a Nissan Rogue, and after we broke up I felt like I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing that car,” Addie explains. “I remember thinking, ‘There’s no way there are this many Nissan Rogues in Kansas City’ – but I think that’s a pretty universal thing to have happen when you’re going through a breakup.”

“Solar Power” – Lorde
Release date – June 10

And just like that, Lorde is back. After a few weeks of heavy rumors that she’d be dropping something new soon, “Solar Power” was officially released into the world this past Thursday (read more on our thoughts here). The song—while melodically and lyrically quite similar to what Lorde has released in the past, it’s a much more understated song when it comes to production—not to say underdeveloped, but a much more mellow take that we haven’t seen from Lorde yet, VERY similar to the sounds we heard on St. Vincent’s latest album, Daddy’s Home, an album also produced by Jack Antonoff (“Solar Power” credits Antonoff, the rest of the album’s production credits have not been announced). It’s also pretty CRUCIAL to share that the track features backup vocals from Phoebe Bridgers AND Clairo. Wild, right? I also find it relevant to share that Clairo’s new song, “Blouse,” was also dropped this past week, and also features production nods to Antonoff (insert meme of Taylor, St. Vincent, Lorde, and Lana fighting over Jack here). 

There’s no news on when Lorde’s new album of the same name is set to release, but she’s been hinting to fans to look for “natural clues.”

“Beatrice St. E” – Dizzy, Overcoats
Release date – June 11

Ontario-indie pop band Dizzy’s newest EP, Separate Places, is a collaborative project that was born on tour when the band was able to work with “some of their favorite artists from around the world.” “Beatrice St. E,” a song featuring Staged Haze’s longtime favorites Overcoats, is a beautiful piano ballad about a developing (or dwindling, you decide) relationship and the trip to meet up after the “can we talk?” text is sent. 

According to a press release, each track off the Separate Places EP are inspired by each featured artist: and this is where Overcoats’ (Hana Elion and JJ Mitchell) effortless harmonies shine. Their background vocals are subtle, but if you know the duo’s music, you can point it out instantly.

Stay tuned for more from Dizzy’s new EP soon. 

“Thot Shit” – Megan Thee Stallion
Release date – June 11 

If you’re reading this post and haven’t listened to Meg’s new song and/or seen the new video…please hurry and do so. I admittedly have been a pretty passive listener of Megan Thee Stallion—more so just cause I’m not super into rap as a genre. However, there was so much hype around this new song that I was very excited to listen to it, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Alongside Lorde’s new single, I have a good feeling that “Thot Shit” will make a big wave this summer, and I’m already awaiting to see a slew of TikTok dances to pop up on the app, specifically including the hook. The ever so relevant music video, a gloriously massive spectacle of a video, follows an (assumed), GOP Senator enjoying Megan’s video for “Body,” then immediately leaving a misogynistic, sexist comment on said video’s YouTube page. There’s more to the storyline than that, but I’ll end it here with hopes that it will encourage you to watch. 

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