The Best Five Songs Released This Past Week, Pt. 29

Noteworthy album & EP releases:

In chronological order:

“Scooter” – Lolo Zouai
Release date – November 3

Not much of Lolo Zouai’s music has stuck with me in the past, but when I was doing my weekly ritual of listening to Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist this past week, this song instantly caught my ear. I have a weird relationship with hyperpop (see more below) but I feel like this song is such a perfect marriage between more traditional pop and hyperpop.

The track has so much energy baked into it, from the swiftness of the lyrics to the beat to the way that Lolo enunciates the words, I will be shocked if you listen to this and don’t automatically feel completely hyped up to finish whatever tasks you have to cross off your to-do list for the day.

“Crying In Public – MUNA Remix” – Madi Diaz
Release date – November 3

MUNA and Madi Diaz is the unexpected collaboration we NEEDED and I am so obsessed! Now that I hear the otherwise sad song reimagined in a much more fact-paced, upbeat tempo, it sounds like it could absolutely be a song written by the members of MUNA, so much so that I would LOVE to hear lead singer Katie’s vocals on a MUNA version.

I’m curious how this remix came to be and would definitely NOT be mad if Diaz enlisted the band to remix the rest of her incredible 2021 album, History of A Feeling.

“New Shapes” – Charli XCX, Christine and the Queens, Caroline Polachek
Release date – November 4

I’ve admitted more than once that Charli XCX’s music tends to be hit or miss for me, and though I eventually was able to get behind the hyperpop era during “How I’m Feeling Now,” I definitely prefer her more…”subdued” style of music she creates. I figured that once she announced a new track featuring the incredible Christine and the Queens AND Caroline Polachek, it would be more of the sound I prefer and less of the machine-sounding stuff. After all, her track with Christine from 2019, “Gone,” was one of my most streamed of the year.

I love the direction Charli seems to moving in with this track and I think the featured artists were used almost perfectly in their roles.

“Staircase” – Amy Allen
Release date – November 5

When I realized the name Amy Allen sounded familiar, it’s because she’s an incredibly successful songwriter who’s worked with the likes of Camila Cabello, Halsey, and, wait for it: Harry Styles (“Adore You”). I had no idea she was releasing music as a solo artist, but I knew from her track record as a songwriter, I’d love her individual work as well. “Staircase,” the fifth song on her new EP AWW!, has such unbelievably sharp and smart lyrics, a catchy rhythm, and an overall effortless energy to it that reminds me of the laidback pop music of the early 2000s.

After my first listen, this is definitely my favorite track off the EP, but I have a feeling I’ll enjoy the others just as much.

“The Dress” – Dijon
Release date – November 5

Just a few weeks ago, I heard Los Angeles native Dijon Duenas’ single “Many Times” and became completely enthralled with his sound. To my pleasurable surprise, he released a full length project this past week, titled “Absolutely,” – an album so full of reimagined takes on R&B, funk, pop and hip-hop that I wish I could put into words how satisfying it is to hear these genres interlaced so seamlessly.

“The Dress,” a song that instantly reminded me of a Leon Bridges track (less 1960s, more early 2000s), comparable to the melodies of James Blake and the cheesy, melodramatic-yet-romantic lyricism of artists like Usher and Mario (“Let Me Love You” comes to mind). Dijon’s set to tour with Bon Iver next year. My advice? Get him on your radar ASAP.