There has been an explosion of music releases the past week. Every time I opened the internet there was some new artist dropping a new music video or single. And, being the music junkie that I am, I of course listened to every single song and watched all the music videos (generally speaking).
So here is a tiny review of each one, my first impression and thoughts…
Probably the biggest buzz going on in the Alternative world would be the release of PVRIS’ new song “You and I” (February 22) and the music video to go with it. Lynn’s voice is undeniably unique and during the chorus, the raspiness of it sends shivers down my spine. The song is beautiful and eerie and so is the black and white music video.
Although I have nothing bad to say about the song or the video, because I love them both, I just feel like I am ready for something new from them. And by that I mean a new album. “White Noise” was released in 2014 and now they are re-releasing it as a deluxe version with the single “You and I” on it in April of 2016? Why not just wait and release the new song on a new album or EP? Of course, I am not part of the band or their team so I do not know the reasoning behind it all, but I feel like its just time for something else.
Demi released her new music video for “Stone Cold” this week (February 23) and although I’m not a huge Demi fan, I heard that this song was a big one. I am on the fence with this one. I think this song, lyrically and instrumentally, is amazing. The emotion and pain that the song writer wrote down is real and you feel it when listening to the song. The instrumentation supports this emotion beautifully with simple half note chords.
But, unfortunately, I did not care for Demi’s voice on this song. It almost felt like she was putting too much emotion and pain into it that the true talent of her voice got lost a times. No doubt about it she has a strong voice, I just felt that this song, vocally, was not her best. But the music video was simplistic and easy to follow. Not an outstanding video, but with the contents of the song, it complimented it well.
Troye Sivan is quickly becoming one of my favorite breakthrough artists this year! I’ve been a viewer of Troye’s videos on Youtube for a while now, and got moderately excited when he started writing and recording music. My initial thoughts were “great another youtuber that is trying to become a musician” but boy was I wrong…in more ways than one. I found out later that Troye was already a musician and had tiny singing gigs throughout Australia. But I never really listened to his music until this past week. I briefly heard song of his song “Youth” but it wasn’t until the music video was released this week (February 24) that I really listened to it.
This is the catchiest damn song ever. Troye has this sweet, smooth, innocence to his voice that is just aesthetically pleasing to me. I also like how most of the instrumental is in the verses and the chorus just has the beat and his vocal. It really catches your attention and brings the focus to the chorus in a way most songs don’t do. The video fits well with the song as well, teenagers or youth hanging out and being themselves. Its very indie, its very “hipster” but I love it.
The 1975 are a quirky bunch, as I would like to express it. I am a fan of their music, loved their debut album, loved their live show, and I was excited for their new music. So far they have released three singles off their upcoming album which are “Love Me,” “UGH!” and now the newest one “The Sound” (February 25). All three songs I like, musically, and the music videos got me feeling a different way for each one. “Love Me” I didn’t care for, just not my taste, “UGH!” was fun to watch and reminded me of their previous videos, and now “The Sound.” I think out of all this one is my favorite.
The song itself is definitely The 1975, they have this sound that when you hear it you just know its them. It also has this killer guitar solo in it as well, which you don’t hear much of anymore. The video is my favorite as well, the use of their signature lights and the hues of pink and white resembled a bit of the new 1975 as well as the previous album. But I also liked how the band incorporated, what I assume to be, negative reviews of their band in the music video. The band is trapped in a box and there are “critics” outside the box and every now and again the video cuts to a negative comment. But in true 1975 fashion, the band is un-phased and at the end the band is outside the box and the critics are inside. Symbolism.
Already have this song memorized…oops! This is the new single off of their HIGHLY anticipated (for me anyways) debut album called “In Our Bones” and its a tune! They released their first single “Running With The Wild Things” earlier this month and it has a great rock and angsty feeling to it. But “Runaway” has a different vibe and I think that it was a smart move to release two different vibe songs to give their fans an idea of whats to come. This song is a great love song that has a bit of a pop feeling, which is why when you listen to it you wont help but put it on repeat or at least sing it in your head the rest of the day. I’ve already listened to this song a million times and it just got released last night (February 25).
There you have it! Practically a new song for every day of the week this week. I certainly had my ears full trying to catch up!
OHSTEFNE 