Over the past few weeks, a variety of different artists have shared their talents with the world yet again, with a bunch of new releases across the board. From Kacey Musgraves to Vampire Weekend, there’s a wide array of new music to obsess over.
After a six-year hiatus, the popular indie-rock band Vampire Weekend has made their trek back into the studio, crafting another killer album. Some of their more notable releases, “A-Punk” and “Oxford Comma” have remained relevant in popular culture, despite being released over a decade ago. They’ve been teasing their new album, “Only God Was Above Us,” releasing a few new singles. The band dropped the first two in February: “Capricorn” and “Gen-X Cops.”
“Capricorn” is a bit slower with an insanely catchy chorus — it’s quickly become one of my favorites. The style of this piece is the epitome of Vampire Weekend’s sound. The polar opposite-sounding tune, “Gen-X Cops” has a grungier guitar and a bunch of experimental sounds hidden beneath the layers. Deciding to start with releasing these two songs was a great way of easing fans into the new era of music.
Soon after, two more singles (“Classical” and “Mary Boone”) were released, which include fans in the heart of this new album. “Classical” was quite different from anything I’ve ever heard, yet I was intrigued after the first listen-through. The title track was the most recent to touch the surface, and it’s an enchanting piece of music. From the soulful piano to a harmonious background chorus, this is music to enjoy on a rainy day. The album is being released April 5, allowing fans to experience the songs in completion.
On a more southern note, Kacey Musgraves released her new album “Deeper Well” on March 15. The album features 42 minutes of folky and ethereal tunes to cure the winter blues. Musgraves appeared on Saturday Night Live in typical barefoot fashion to debut a few of her new creations.
It’s rare for an album to change your mood entirely, but this one’s quite special. It feels like the artist evolved into a more well-rounded musician through this release.
One of the most popular songs from this album is “Dinner with Friends,” an homage to all the things that Musgraves adores. From fireflies to intimate experiences, she shares her deepest feelings with her audience. A detailed interview conducted by American Express that described the meaning behind her lyrics on this piece, was very enlightening. The interview showed her original sheet of lyrics, to which she made revisions with a Sharpie to showcase the creative process behind the song.
Another lovely song on this new album is “Anime Eyes,” which is a ditsy and silly song about looking at someone with so much affection that your eyes seem to become anime-like. I thought this concept was a bit millennial of Musgraves, but she supported the childlike lyrics with a casual and catchy background track. It’s the perfect poppy song to stroll to class to on a sunny day.
It would be shameful to discuss music and not touch upon Ariana Grande. The infamous “Queen of Pop” has dazzled the world yet again, dropping a concise album titled “eternal sunshine,” which encapsulates her feelings during her recent breakup. This album is similar to her older albums in terms of background tracks, with the typical whistle notes and boppy beats that fans adore.
In making this album, Grande shared with fans that she took inspiration from the famous film, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” The themes of this movie are paralleled in her music video for the song “we can’t be friends (wait for your love).” She and Evan Peters shared the screen in an interpretation of the film.
After their breakup in 2021, BROCKHAMPTON’s Matt Champion has been on his solo music journey, with his newest release on March 22. The album, “Mika’s Laundry,” is soulful and casual, encompassing feelings of a rainy day. Champion featured a few other artists on this release, from Dora Jar to Dijon. They added the perfect amount of complexity to this album. The most streamed song from this album, “Slow Motion,” is a ballad that fluctuates between slower beats and faster-paced moments. Something notable about this song is the beautiful harmonies, as Champion featured JENNIE as his counterpart. I’m still diving into this album, as each song is extremely unique.
It seems as though music has to circle through TikTok to be received by the masses, which is where I stumbled upon Hozier’s popular song “Too Sweet” from his new EP, “Unreal Unearth: Unheard.” Many people have been uploading videos of themselves singing along to the tune, as it’s quite catchy. The artist’s deep intentions are apparent in this piece, as he provides such passion through his singing.
Olivia Rodrigo’s new songs have also made their way onto social media platforms. The 21-year-old musician announced the news of a deluxe version of her album, “GUTS,” while performing at one of her concerts. Holding up a piece of paper reading “GUTS DELUXE OUT FRIDAY,” the audience was ecstatic. These five new tracks have been seen on special editions of her vinyl release, each corresponding to a different color.
In this slew of new music, Rodrigo shared her first romantic song, as opposed to her discography of angsty, teenage breakup songs. The song, “so american,” illuminates the way it feels to have intense feelings for someone that’s reciprocating them, despite cultural differences with them. It makes for a sweet, explosive tune that feels like the beginning of a relationship. It’s been a splendid time for the music industry, and the anticipation of more new releases is apparent.
