Thursday nights are my favorite night of the week. No, not because I’m going out to TITS with my friends or getting drunk and dancing at a club (Although, I’d love to be doing that too). No, I love Thursday nights because as soon as the clock strikes midnight, a whole slew of new music is released. Since Billboard tracks sales from Friday to Thursday each week, many artists release their new music at 12 AM on Friday to maximize their chart potential. This week I’ll be breaking down my favorite new releases from this week’s music drop.
- Nectar by Joji
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This Friday, Joji released his third studio album and fans are eating it up. Nectar boasts an impressive list of featured artists, with tracks including Diplo, Omar Apollo, BENEE, Yves Tumor, and more. Joji’s music is notorious for being sad music you can dance to, and this album is no exception. I definitely recommend checking out “Afterthought” and “Your Man.”
- “Block Your Number” by Maude Latour
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Maude Latour is one of my favorite new artists. Her voice is eerily similar to Lorde’s, and Latour emulates her style frequently with multi-tracked backing vocals and synth rhythms. “Block Your Number” is another example of Maude’s talent as a singer. This song feels like it is trying to catch up with the listener. It’s pulsing, techno, fast-paced, and clever. “Block Your Number” makes me so excited to hear what’s next from Maude Latour.
- “The Great Divide” by The Shins
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The Shins were one of the first bands I saw in concert. Their album Wincing The Night Away was the first album I bought on vinyl. So naturally, I was pretty excited to see they released a new single. “The Great Divide” felt similar to a lot of their other tracks: drum machine beats, echoey vocals, and an overall futuristic feeling. While it isn’t a standout to me, this single is a solid showing from The Shins.
- Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones by The Neighbourhood
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Possibly one of the most anticipated releases from this Friday was The Neighbourhood’s fifth album, Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones. The Neighbourhood has had a religious fanbase since their first album, I Love You., came out in 2013. The singles released prior to the album were FIRE and the rest of the album was just as good. Adopting a Ziggy Stardust-like persona, lead singer Jesse Rutherford rocked the vocals on this project. Crooning sweetly on “Pretty Boy” and grooving on “Lost in Translation,” Rutherford knocks it out of the park. The Neighbourhood has been around for so long and has changed their styles many times, but their quality and delivery never wavers.
This week was full of great new singles and albums. Check back next week to hear my thoughts on the third LANY album and other new releases.
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