Looking for some motivation to power through the start of another work week? We're feeling you and with some amazing new pop songs, we've got you covered. These tracks from artists including Jeremy Zucker & Chelsea Cutler, Mt. Joy, Yukimi and others will give you energy to carry on through the week.
Most Beautiful Pop Song of the Week: Bishop Briggs, “Good For Me”
“I dream all I ever wanted,” Bishop Briggs sings, stretching out the word “dream” to slip a little longer before following it up again with, “was it ever good for me?”
The chorus on “Good For Me,” a darkly beautiful meditation on achieving long-term goals as your identity evolves, reinforces Briggs' tone with a dream-pop arrangement based on a driving beat and progressively deeper guitar chugs. Her voice, which has often been used as a hurricane-level force in the past, bends and fades here, simmering on the question rather than finding a statement.
Eight years ago, the UK native hit it big with “River,” a soul-rock anthem that crossed over to alternative radio and reached the top 5 on the Rock Airplay chart. Briggs continued to find success in the format, with seven entries on the Hot Rock & Alternative chart across her first two studio albums (2018 Church of Scars and of 2019 Champion) on Island Records. half a decade later, the singer-songwriter is now in her thirties, a new parent, still grieving the tragic loss of her sister, Kate McLaughlin, and operating outside the major label system while delivering her most revealing and emotionally resonant songs her career.
“Good For Me”, the latest offering from the new album Tell my therapist I'm fine (out this Friday via Virgin Music Group), crystallizes the album's fascinating juxtaposition of Briggs exploring the possibilities of the next phase of her career while settling into her own skin. Songs like “My Serotonin” and “Shut It Off” allow Briggs to keep rocking, but now she turns up the volume to emphasize her lyrical darts instead of shouting over them. Meanwhile, Briggs mourns her sister and also uses her grief to propel herself forward—on “Mona Lisa on a Mattress,” for example, she doubles her voice and sings about a broken romance, “ Kate would always say, I have to go, as a means of finding resolution through a memory.
At the center of the album is 'Good For Me', the subtleties of its production and the maturity of its lyrical perspective slowly blossoming and captivating the listener. Briggs has experienced quite a few changes in her life since her last album and wonders what she's after anymore – but the care put into this exploration makes the host song and album worth fully absorbing.
Here are some new pop songs worth checking out this week…
-
Jeremy Zucker & Chelsea Cutler, “A-Frame”
Unsurprisingly, a duet titled “A-Frame” released in mid-October has every intention of soundtracking your cozy fall moments, and Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler continue their prolific collaboration with a gorgeous song about the escape to cabins and fires.
-
Camden Cox, “Lost and Found”
London dance star Camden Cox specializes in hands-on euphoria, and “Lost and Found” spins from a dramatic spoken-word intro to one of the fall's best drops without breaking a sweat (okay, maybe you weren't).
-
Yukimi, “Break Me Down”
Yukimi Nagano has spent years helping Little Dragon create danceable indie-rock, and on her debut solo single, she grooves instead of pushing the beat, letting the production and piano chords drive the conversation on the impressive “Break Me Down ». “
-
Dom Dolla feat. Tove Lo, “CAVE”
Dom Dolla thrives next to a capable singer and Tove Lo can sink her teeth into any dance production next to the house. Together, they turn “CAVE” into a shuffling, shape-shifting ode to full-body longing that gives plenty of space to the singer's feelings of desire.
-
Mt. Joy, “She Wants to Go Dancing”
As Mt. Joy has grown by leaps and bounds as a live act, the band continuing to polish their studio product: “She Wants to Go Dancing” is lilting and upbeat but proudly idiosyncratic as Matt Quinn's voice morphs into a pleading quiver in the middle. .
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/lists/cool-pop-songs-bishop-briggs-chelsea-cutler-jeremy-zucker/