Friday is finally upon us, which means new music releases are here as well. With the three-day weekend beginning, having tunes to soundtrack the festivities is a must. Whether you’re into indie pop (Troye Sivan’s Bloom would be your go to) or hip-hop is more your style (Kanye West’s slightly weird, new single “XTCY” is for you) there’s something that everyone can enjoy. Here are some of the highlights from this week’s new music releases:
The unexpected release:
Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem, is a self-proclaimed rap god. He's an influence to many newcomers in hip-hop and has ultimately been making music since the ’90s. His latest album, Kamikaze, came as a surprise to everyone. With zero marketing or promo, Eminem has now taken part in the growing fad of dropping mixtapes or albums without any notice.
Kamikaze marks Eminem’s 10th studio album after his 2017 album Revival. Featuring artists such as Jessie Reyez, Royce Da 5’9” and Joyner Lucas, Eminem has a strong supporting cast despite not really needing it. The seasoned rapper ebbs and flows with ease as he spits rhymes that illustrate his frustrations with the world. From song to song, he’s consistently in his element, proving, once again, just why he’s a rap god.
The remix we don’t really need but we’ll take:
Mark Ronson, acclaimed producer, has had many notable songs from the past decade. “Valerie” featuring the late, great Amy Winehouse is forever a great karaoke hit, while “Uptown Funk” with Bruno Mars controlled radio in most of 2014 and 2015. His newest release meshes his producing skills with the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.
Ronson took on the task of mixing together Jackson’s biggest hits for his Diamond Celebration, which marked what would have been Jackson’s 60th birthday. The remix is straightforward, mixing together Jackson’s songs to one coherent, bop-filled mix. It showcases just why Jackson is the king of pop and even though no one asked for this remix, it’s a nice reminder of the music icon who the world lost too soon.
The ones that’ll help you relax:
Singer-songwriter Amos Lee is no stranger to swoon-worthy, slow jams. His latest album, My New Moon, resides in the same territory while also exploring folk-rock and even blues at times. Lee’s music is picturesque. It’s not too loud or in your face, but it’s still captivating. It’s great music to listen to while you’re working on homework or other daily activities.
Another artist who is no stranger to slow, folksy tunes is Sam Beam, better known as Iron & Wine. The bearded vocalist’s latest extended play, Weed Garden, mixes his signature whisper-vocal with sweet acoustic guitar sounds. It’s low-impact, soothing at times and the perfect set of songs to help bask in the three-day weekend.
The one you should consider skipping:
Alternative hip-hop duo Twenty One Pilots consistently release major hit after hit. After about a year of no new music news, the duo have begun releasing singles for their upcoming album Trench. Songs such as “Jumpsuit” and “Levitate” are easily recognizable as Twenty One Pilots songs, however it seems Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun seemed to explore with “My Blood.”
“My Blood” at times is an okay song. The bassline heard throughout is considerably catchy, but the song is quite repetitive and there’s just something about the chorus that just doesn’t sound right. All together the song just doesn’t mesh well. To be fair, it’s far from being complete garbage, yet compared to the duo’s other recent releases, it just not on the same level.
