This '#20GAYTEEN', queer artists are providing some of the best pop music. Troye Sivan is at the forefront of that with My My My! and now Bloom. It's essentially about losing your virginity, its flower imagery juxtaposed with snappy, bubblegum production (that drum beat!) leading towards the breathless vocals in the middle eight. It's erotic in the sweetest way.
Add to playlist.
Christina Aguilera feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 2 Chainz - Accelerate
This is a mess. Fragmented melodies. A meandering bassline. Choppy production. Constant interjections from rappers Ty Dolla $ign and 2 Chainz. Produced by Kanye West, this sounds like a hip-hop track on which Christina Aguilera features, rather than a Christina Aguilera comeback single. And then there's the attention-seeking video composed of explicit sexual imagery. The whole thing just screams desperation.
Worth a listen.
Jess Glynne - I'll Be There
Jess Glynne is known for her feelgood anthems. For her proper solo return (after featuring on Rudimental's irritating These Days) she's released another, bleating and emoting gospel-tinged melodies and corny lyrics about love and support. Basically it sounds like a Children In Need charity single.
Don't bother.
Florence + The Machine - Hunger
If Sky Full Of Song was a taste of Florence's new direction, then Hunger is the big main single. It definitely lacks that track's subtlety as her vocals blast out at full throttle throughout, but lyrically this is as raw and honest as she's ever been. Comparing her teenage experience to that of girls today, this is a soulful anthem that comes from the pit of her stomach, matched by Emile Haynie's distinctly unpolished production.
Worth a listen.
Tove Styrke - Sway
She's had a string of brilliant singles recently and now Tove Styrke has released the full album that's...basically just the singles put together. Sway is the title track and arguably the weakest of the bunch. But while it's all too brief, this collection of sweet yet spiky tracks are some of the best pop this year.
Worth a listen.
Dagny - That Feeling When
The latest single from Norwegian songstress Dagny is a bittersweet affair. Lyrically melancholic, its sombre verses shift gear for a widescreen chorus that soars. Her previous singles were all upbeat Scandi-cool; this, though, is a more introspective side that only proves her versatility.
Worth a listen.
Céline Dion - Ashes
The DRAMA of this song. On its own this would make a great ballad. But it's taken from the Deadpool 2 soundtrack, its melodrama taking a turn for the ironic. Céline Dion manages to do the double: a touch of self-deprecating humour plus an awesome vocal performance.
Worth a listen.
Charlie Puth - The Way I Am
'Voicenotes' is still a week away but here's another funky pop single from Charlie Puth. Driving rhythms are at the core of smooth, polished production and falsetto vocals that all come together in a richly textured whole. It's a well-constructed pop song, which bodes well for the full album.
Worth a listen.
Emma Blackery - Agenda
Worth a listen.
Salt Ashes - Girls
Not to be confused with Rita Ora's just-announced new single of the same name, this is a biting, fizzing piece of menacing disco-pop. "Stop treating me like one of those girls," she demands in the chorus over heavy beats and a kaleidoscope of synths. You don't want to mess with her.
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