Best New Tracks Of The Week: November 5th, 2023
5. Cobra - Megan Thee Stallion
Okay, this feels like a song we're gonna be working through for a LONG time. Firstly, the track sees Megan getting VERY raw about her mental health and how her fame and success haven't helped. If anything after the second verse it feels like it's all making her even more paranoid. She delivers a LOT of interesting thoughts to chew over on the song, but the presentation really hasn't changed much from almost any other Megan banger. It seems worth asking if this sonic style if the best way to deliver her message. I can't not talk about this song though.
4. i got the fear - Torres
The second offer from Torres' forthcoming album is a ballad which achieves a bit of a creeping aesthetic with the physicality of the acoustic guitar really seeping its way into every single strum. It also unfolds in a very patient manner that isn't afraid to use space between the refrains and work in a distant synthetic drum that feels like a callback to her Three Futures era.
3. Can't Catch Me Now - Olivia Rodrigo
Maybe we really are reaching the point in time where songs released for film soundtracks aren't just pure throwaways. Olivia continues to be very impressive with this ballad which features a wonderful chorus and a dramatic swelling in intensity. I love that the song gets louder and more layered without having to shift its form, Olivia is able to absolutely seep drama from every single moment.
2. Mother Nature - MGMT
Christmas came early this year when MGMT announced tat their first album of entirely new studio material is set to drop next year. They're teeing off the project with this swaying, acoustic, indie pop-flavored lead single. There's Beatles influence ALL over this thing from the way the refrains unfold to the swells of instrumentation across the finale. The track grows on me with basically every listen.
1. Asteroids - Rapsody
God does it feel good for Rapsody to be back. Along with the announcement of her first new album in years she dropped this absolutely lethal Hit-Boy-produced single. The track features one confidently delivered cutthroat bar after another as she glides through an impressive variety of subjects. Her talent continues to be so masterfully high that everything else is supplementary, but the results are just so impressive.
