The Good, Bad, and Ugly of This Week’s Girlie Pop Collabs and Other Songs of the Week
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The post The Good, Bad, and Ugly of This Week’s Girlie Pop Collabs and Other Songs of the Week appeared first on Consequence.
Our Songs of the Week column spotlights great new tunes and analyzes notable releases. Find our new favorites and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist, and for other great songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, a flurry of girlie pop collabs offer both unessential and extremely essential bops.
New and Notable:
Girl, Bury That Hatchet!
It’s easy to lose track of some of the Big Ideas™ that Charli XCX imbued into Brat — the neon-soaked, pulsating exterior of its many tracks are meant to bring you to the club before exposing their more vulnerable musings. “Girl, so confusing” strides that line well, though — Charli laments the complicated dynamics she feels with a fellow pop star, attempting to contextualize subtle behaviors and insecurities between the two with the grand thesis that girlhood is so much more knotty and complex than “Girlboss Feminism” would have you believe.
But Charli knew that “Girl, so confusing” was not allowed to live in a vacuum in this pop-as-confession digital age. Of course there’d be an elephant in the room — whether that was in Charli’s personal life or within her fanbase at large. So, there’s something particularly satisfying about Charli recruiting the song’s subject (Lorde) for the remix, essentially qualifying the original statement of “Girl, so confusing” with the idea that yes, Lorde was kind of feeling that way the whole time too.
Lorde qualifies her own avoidant behaviors — her issues with body image, her defense mechanisms, and her own culpability in projecting a more guarded persona. As with the rest of Brat, Lorde’s narration is that of a paragraph long text message, ignoring most rhyme schemes and focusing on unfiltered honesty.
The resulting remix is poignant and cathartic, yes, but it’s also dealt with in such a pedestrian, two-friends-hashing-it-out way. There hasn’t really been anything like it before, and the novelty is rewarding — meanwhile, it serves as a bit of a middle finger towards the war hawk fans in pop music who’d prefer reality show theatrics instead of genuinely nuanced takes. Charli strikes again, and as always, she sounds even better in company.
— Paolo Ragusa
The Boy Is…Fine?
While it’s plenty of fun seeing Brandy and Monica jump back together for a musical homage to their 1998 classic, the Ariana Grande version of the track doesn’t quite measure up to the magic of the original. To be fair, it’s a high bar to reach, and the sentiment of the 2024 version is a bit different. Where Brandy and Monica were at odds with one another a few decades ago, trading vocal runs to underscore the idea of outdoing each other, the reimagined take frames our narrator as confident and aloof. Ari isn’t concerned about her man being snapped up; she’s telling the story in a straightforward way.
Because of that perspective, there’s just not as much playful tension as the original — but Brandy and Monica at least breaths a bit more life into the track. — Mary Siroky
Gracie and Taylor Take Us to Long Pond
If the new collaboration from Gracie Abrams and her musical hero Taylor Swift strikes you as something that could’ve slotted into Swift’s folklore and evermore albums, there’s a reason for it. “us.” wasn’t just co-written with Swift and Aaron Dessner; it was also co-produced by Dessner and Jack Antonoff. And to top it all off, Abrams worked on a large chunk of the project at Long Pond, Dessner’s woodsy retreat that provided the backdrop for much of the creative work done on Swift’s pandemic-era projects.
But while Swift sounds perfectly at home on “us.” for all those reasons, this is still a Gracie Abrams song through and through. The introspective vulnerability in her music is different from the girl-next-door coming of age/Frances Ha-adjacent vibe Swift inhabited at her age. Abrams is all of 24 years old, at which point Swift would have still been enjoying the rollout from Red.
Abrams opened for Swift on a 2022 leg of “The Eras Tour,” after which she revealed to Consequence that she felt like the experience was a masterclass in how to exist in the high-stakes environment of touring and creating music. She’s made no secret of her admiration of Swift, who is highly, highly selective when it comes to collaborations. There’s an ease and familiarity between them on the track, with Swift mostly taking a backseat, providing harmonies, and leading part of the bridge. (And as someone who has listened to Swift’s music her entire life, Abrams would know how much her musical hero tends to thrive on a bridge in particular.) — M. Siroky
JPEGMAFIA Makes Like Logan Roy and Tells You to Fuck Off
JPEGMAFIA isn’t shy about getting himself into trouble. From his ill-advised Kayne collaboration to his recent social media beef with Freddie Gibbs, the rapper is outspoken and unafraid to piss off anyone and everyone. But just when it seems like he might be alienating a portion of his audience, he goes and drops a banger like “don’t rely on other men” to prove he really can do it all on his own (more or less).
With an absolutely bananas beat, wild bars, and an apparent Succession sample, “don’t rely on other men” is one of the hardest singles JPEGMAFIA has dropped in years. Also on the track is Freaky, with whom the rapper had collaborated on the 2016 EP The 2nd Amendment, who adds to the aggressive tone. It’s truly a banger for the haters, and the haterade has never tasted so sweet. — Jonah Krueger
Staff Picks: Best Songs of the Week June 15th – 21st
Crack Cloud — “The Medium”
On the latest single from their upcoming album Red Mile, art-punk outfit Crack Cloud play it tuneful and snarky. Mid-tempo, full of swagger, and begging to be sung along to, “The Medium” sounds like it’d soundtrack a pivotal scene in some hypothetical third installment of Trainspotting. It’s full of character and, despite the slightly sardonic vocal delivery, seems to look back on rock music’s history with a genuine smile rather than an ironic smirk. — J. Krueger
Ezra Collective — “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing” feat. Yazmin Lacey
There’s a certain magic to this jazz collective that makes their music feel timeless. Maybe it’s the opening line referencing Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good,” or maybe it’s the gentle rhythm that, as the title suggests, encourages movement in every form. The new track from the group, which features Yazmin Lacey, feels incredibly warm, like the perfect backdrop to a cocktail party on a light-dappled balcony. Queue it up for golden hour and let the contagious drum beat do the rest. — M. Siroky
Ferry Townes — “Times Two”
Ahead of her debut album, Side Effects of Happiness, Ferry Townes has revealed “Times Two,” a sparkling, anthemic offering to kick off her next chapter. For as bright as the song is, there’s an undercurrent of righteous rage in the lyrics: “Every bad thing you’ve done to me comes back at you,” she says. With the balance of personal details and relatability, it’s Townes that emerges victorious by the time the track wraps. — M. Siroky
Footballhead — “Before I Die”
The title track from their recently announced EP, “Before I Die” finds Footballhead tapping into the anthemic, swirling tone of ’90s alt-rock and shoegaze. Throughout its brief runtime, there are hints of bands like Hum and Smashing Pumpkins, with emo sprinkles and indie rock melodies to top it all off. It’s a grand, epic listen that’s sure to capture the heart of anyone who likes their guitar music loud, dynamic, and worthy of throwing your fist in the air. — J. Krueger
Jordana — “We Get By”
Jordana is back with “We Get By,” and it’s a major step up for the now LA-based singer and songwriter — the arrangement more specific, the song’s magnitude more immediate. Her personality is evident in each wistful line she’s singing, whether that’s on the bottom of her range or the top. Making things more gorgeous and psychedelic are a bevy of harmonies that pop up around the former CoSign when she sings the titular refrain, and it sounds like sunshine. — P. Ragusa
La Femme — “Ciao Paris!”
La Femme have returned just to say goodbye! On “Ciao Paris!,” the French group bid au revoir to their hometown in an upbeat, joyous fashion, like they’re the stars of their own musical shipping off to America for the first time and saying goodbye to their family and friends. Though, the heavy touches of reverb give the song a murky quality, giving the track’s silly overtones a more cloudy disposition. Bidding adieu has never sounded so adorable. — P. Ragusa
LEXXE — “Disco Witch”
If you’re anything like me, you probably wish a new Jessie Ware release came around every single year (or even more frequently, if we’re being honest). Since we aren’t quite that lucky, it’s a treat to indulge in the latest from vocalist LEXXE, whose new track “Disco Witch” inhabits that same excellent, disco ball-lit space. As she encourages her lover to let go and embrace her fully, it’s beyond easy to fall under her spell just as easily as the target of her affections. — M. Siroky
Snakehips & EarthGang — “Been a Minute” feat. Sinead Harnett
Snakehips and EarthGang have collaborated a handful of times before, but none have sounded as smooth as “Been a Minute.” The track seems to glide across the dancefloor like butter, and EarthGang’s unfussy bars provide a cool, breezy air. “Been a Minute” maximizes the talents of all three artists responsible: Snakehips’ club-ready grooves, Sinead Harnett’s velvet vocals, and EarthGang’s dynamism and personality. — P. Ragusa
Song of the Week Single Artwork:
JPEGMAFIA "don't rely on other men" artwork
Footballhead Before I Die EP artwork
Crack Cloud "Red Mile" artwork
Ezra Collective "God Gave Me Feet for Dancing" artwork
Ferry Townes "Times Two" artwork
LEXXE "Disco Witch" artwork
Gracie Abrams Secret of Us artwork
Ariana Grande / Brandy / Monica "the boy is mine" artwork
Snakeships / Earthgang Vol. 1 EP artwork
La Femme "Ciao Paris!" artwork
Jordana "We Get By" artwork
Top Songs Playlist:
The Good, Bad, and Ugly of This Week’s Girlie Pop Collabs and Other Songs of the Week
Consequence Staff
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