New Music Friday is here to help power through the week with some intense lyrics and sound design from new and old favorites.
1. Halsey: “The Great Impersonator”
Halsey recently came back with her highly curated album, The Great Impersonator, and the title track lives up to its reputation. It is whimsical and minimalist, with an eerie, growling edge that makes sporadic interjections. Down to the lyrics and vocal style, there is a veil of surrealism on the track. She inquires, “Does a story die with its narrator?”
2. Lady Gaga: “Disease”
Lady Gaga returned with “Disease,” the first single off a possible upcoming new album. This track is a gift to old and new fans alike, combining various Gaga signatures into a new and improved recipe. Dissonant vocal layers? Check. A thick electronic bassline? Check. Addictive melodies? Check. Vaguely unsettling metaphorical lyrics? Absolutely!
3. Amira Elfeky: “Will You Love Me When I’m Dead”
Amira Elfeky returned with the powerful track, “Will You Love Me When I’m Dead.” She mixes gravely, roaring guitar lines with airy, sensual vocals to create a unique emotional story. She sings in desperation, “I feel like nobody / I want you to want me.” The outro intensifies the energy by slowing the pace but adding heavier instrumentals.
4. Rabbitology: “Butcheress”
Rabbitology welcomed listeners into an edgy wonderland with “Butcheress.” The instrumentals and vocals are satisfyingly dry and cold, save from the post-chorus which adds a bright, resonant piano riff. Embellished by the sounds of sharpening knives, she poses the question, “could a girl unlearn false cries to sin?”
5. Nerv: “WASTED!”
Nerv came back with “WASTED!,” a cathartic track about the push-pull of a toxic relationship. Some highlights include the vocal mixing and an alarm-like, metallic guitar line in the post-chorus. With deep, stinging conviction, he sings “I’m crossed / I’ve said too much / Just face it, complacent / You’ve lost your touch.”
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