The Best Five Songs Released This Past Week Pt. 38

Happy Mitski album release weekend to those who celebrate!

Noteworthy album & EP releases:

Time Skiffs, Animal Collective
Give Me The Future, Bastille
Lighten Up, Erin Rae
LP3, Hippo Campus
Inside Voices / Outside Voices, K.Flay
Laurel Hell, Mitski
Where Silence Feels Good, WizTheMC

In chronological order:

“Resentment (New Feelings Version)” – Madi Diaz ft. Waxahatchee
Release date – January 31

The song once penned for Kesha, then released by one of its co-writers (Madi Diaz) is back in another new form featuring backup vocals from Waxahatchee.

The single comes ahead of a new EP Same History, New Feelings, featuring collaborations with Waxahatchee, Angel Olsen, Courtney Marie Andrews, and Natalie Hemby, out March 4th on ANTI-.

A song that seemingly couldn’t get more beautiful did that just that: Diaz and Waxahatchee (also known as the project by Katie Crutchfield), blend their vocals seamlessly together: and since Diaz is touring with Waxahatchee, I can see them playing this version of the track live together in the near future. – Kristin

“emo girl” – Machine Gun Kelly ft. Willow
Release date – February 4

If you heard a few years ago that Machine Gun Kelly was releasing a song with Willow Smith, you’d probably think “hm, weird.” Fast forward a few years, and the pairing not only makes perfect sense but also makes a really fun song with the former rapper/current pop punk hitmaker’s latest single “emo girl”. In the past few years both MGK and Willow (now stylized as WILLOW) have completely rebranded themselves, rather successfully, and serve as two of the biggest names in the current pop punk revival.

The lyrics in “emo girl” are a little cheesy, and no one’s buying that MGK’s fiancee Megan Fox is an emo girl, but what pop punk isn’t a bit cheesy? It’s a fun indicator of where the genre, previously dependent on nostalgia, is going to continue on to. – Erin

“Fat Funny Friend” – Maddie Zahm
Release date – February 4

After Googling Maddie Zahm’s name, I realize she was a contestant on Season 16 of American Idol, a season I did in fact watch, and I loved that an artist who I admired several years ago came back into my life unexpectedly! Zahm, who has nearly 14 million likes on TikTok and half a million followers, has released “Fat Funny Friend” and the title is pretty self-explanatory. The song is unbelievably personal, Zahm commenting on the insecurities she deals with in regards to body image and how it seeps into every aspect of her life.

I applaud her ability to be so vulnerable in her storytelling and I think songs like this is exactly what makes music so special. – Kristin 

“Stay Soft” – Mitski
Release date – February 4

While I’m definitely still trying to determine which song of off Mitski’s 6th album Laurel Hell is my pick for standout track (minus the previously-released singles), I have found myself continuously returning to listening to “Stay Soft,” the third track on the album and arguably the song that marks an audible shift in Mitski’s sound from Be The Cowboy.

Floating between a song that (seemingly) feels like a lustful ode to a partner (“I am facedown on my bed, still not quite awake yet, thinking of you, I tuck my hand under my weight, just tell me what you want to do, tell me what you want to do“), and one that is clear commentary on Mitski’s battle between her public and personal personas as a human and an artist, (“You stay soft, get eaten, only natural to harden up“), I leave this song feeling as confused as ever with Mitski’s messaging on Laurel Hell, but it sure is a straight banger. – Kristin

“Original Sin” – Sofi Tukker
Release date – February 4

If you’re in the mood for an undeniable low-key club banger, Sofi Tukker’s delivered for you. The duo’s new song “Original Sin” comes ahead of their upcoming sophomore album WET TENNIS, set to drop on April 29.

The band describes the meaning of the upcoming album: “WET TENNIS is about forward movement, optimism and positive growth, no matter what the challenge. Negativity will happen, but it won’t stick around for long when we fully embrace and flow through it. WET TENNIS is a dedication to constantly evolving and celebrating aliveness. WET TENNIS is a lifestyle.” – Kristin