#NewMusicFriday: Our Picks for the Week

This week’s New Music Friday will inspire listeners to pick up that guitar that’s been gathering dust in the corner. Sit back and embark into dreamland.

1. Twenty One Pilots: “The Craving (single version)”

Twenty One Pilots release “The Cravings,” another single from their upcoming album. It is a softer acoustic song reminiscent of Tumblr-era indie music. The song features a charming guitalele (guitar-ukelele), adding brightness. The lyrics talk about trying one’s best to catch a lover’s attention at the beginning of a relationship.

2. Ha Vay: “Pretty Baby”

Ha Vay presents “Pretty Baby,” a whimsical song with a matching music video. The footage is in a vintage square format, showing an eerie and fantastical wedding story. Her voice is airy and raspy with a whiny quality, adding to the vintage vibe. The lyrics say, “My pretty baby takes the long way home / I love his secrets, but his lies run cold.”

3. Raveena: “Lucky”

Raveena embraces a dreamy and floaty acoustic sound for “Lucky.” The music video is abstract, showing her in a cute relationship with a giant bug. Her voice smoothly guides the listener through the song, as she seductively sings: “No need to fight it, I know you love me / Hand up my skirt, now, don’t you feel lucky?”

4. Waxx, Pomme: “Blue Turns Grey”

Waxx and Pomme touch listeners’ hearts with “Blue Turns Grey.” The production shines with a crisp guitar, delicate, layered vocal harmonies, and faint orchestral elements. The middle section of the song is just instruments, encouraging the listener to close their eyes and run with their imagination. The duo sings, “And today, the blue turns grey / It brings me down / It will be hard for me to stay.”

5. Maggie Lindemann: “if it’s not with you”

Maggie Lindemann confesses her love in “if it’s not with you,” a track of the deluxe version of her recent EP, “HEADSPLIT.” Although she is known for high-energy pop-punk tracks, her slower songs like this one contend for the spotlight. The track glistens with tender emotion, as she serenades her lover: “This is a love that I never knew / Out of a dream and into the blue.”