This time last year was filled with new music releases from all of the greats in pop like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Ariana Grande, but what about all the good music being released today? With the close of awards season, it’s easy to feel like there is nothing new out there, especially if you aren’t someone who keeps their ear to the ground constantly looking for new music, but I promise that is not the case. The last few months have been filled with new releases from artists ranging from Lady Gaga to Annie DiRusso, and I’m here to tell you what I’ve been loving from all of the options.
- Superpedestrian by Annie DiRusso
Annie DiRusso is a small, Tennessee-based, alternative artist, with just over 200k monthly listeners, who just released her debut album, Superpedestrian. The songs on the album range from emotional storytelling, as seen in the fourth track, “Hungry”, to grungy screamers such as “Derek Jeter”, the eighth track on the album, meaning there is truly something for everyone on Superpedestrian. You’ll be able to say say “I knew them before they got big,” about this artist.
- I Said I Love You First by Selena Gomez
It has been five years since Selena Gomez released her last album, Rare, and many people began to wonder if Gomez would make a strong return to music as we awaited her next album. Thankfully, her relationship with Benny Blanco seems to have reignited that part of her creative spark, bringing us an album complete with heartwrenching honest ballads like “Younger and Hotter Than Me” to the classic danceable pop we all know and love from Selena Gomez like “Bluest Flame” (my personal favorite on the album) and “Call me When you Break Up” featuring Gracie Abrams. Her deep love for Benny Blanco shines through in every aspect of this album, making it one of her best works yet, and perhaps her last as she has said she only had one more great album before fully turning her focus towards acting. Make sure to show this album the love it deserves before Selena Gomez leaves her music career in the past.
- Forever is a Feeling by Lucy Dacus
Just this last week, Lucy Dacus released her fifth album, Forever is a Feeling, which takes you through every aspect, every feeling, you might have in a relationship. Songs like “Limerence” explore feelings of a relationship that’s run its course and not knowing where to go from there, but “Best Guess” outlines the feelings of thinking the person you’re with could be the one you spend the rest of your life with. The release of this album helped confirm the artist’s relationship with boygenius bandmate Julien Baker, a relationship fans had been speculating about for a while. This announcement makes listening to the love songs on the album all the more warm and fuzzy.
- For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) by Japanese Breakfast
Japanese Breakfast is a band I recently discovered when looking through the rotation songs of the week for Colgate’s radio station (if you’re looking for new music, tuning into WRCU FM Hamilton 90.1 is a great way to find it). The song given to me at the time is called “Orland in Love, ” the second song on the band’s latest album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women). After my first listen to “Orlando in Love,” a single from the album that came out on March 21st, I waited patiently for the rest of the releases. The album features a classic alternative sound, with strong drum lines and engaging lyrics and vocals scattered throughout. Since its release, I’ve enjoyed turning on this album and playing it all the way through while doing homework, in the shower, and reading in my room.
- MAYHEM by Lady Gaga
MAYHEM is Lady Gaga’s seventh studio album and is, in many ways, a callback to her first album, The Fame. If The Fame is the young Gaga’s idea of fame and celebrity, MAYHEM is the seasoned pop icon’s reflection on her career and celebrity. Gaga’s sound has taken on many forms and has lived throughout her career, but her latest album has returned home to her classic Gaga pop sound, which many of us grew up hearing. Though I am not a little monster (what Gaga calls her fans), this album has certainly taken over my headphones for the last several weeks, especially the third track “Garden of Eden,” which is my favorite off the album.
Honorable Mentions
- Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead by Ariana Grande
- Kansas Anymore Deluxe: The Longest Goodbye by Rolemodel