Hot New Releases to Add to Your Spring Jams

Emma Haag and Kayla Moshayedi|April 21, 2021

Mainstream pop artists: Doja Cat and J Balvin; rap artists BROCKHAMPTON, A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky; and r&b artists SZA and Khalid released their long-awaited music on April 9 that had fans anticipating the release.

Coincidence or not, some of the music industry’s biggest names dropped highly-anticipated releases all on April 9 that included unexpected collaborations. Some were better than others, while others have yet to gain popularity, but here are our very honest opinions about these new songs.

“Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat (ft. SZA)

Singer-songwriter Doja Cat plus r&b superstar SZA equals their first collaboration and song, “Kiss Me More.” The lead single was an introduction to Doja Cat’s third album that is set to release in 2021, as well as SZA’s confirmation to release her second studio album the around the same time.

Starting with a basic guitar strum, the song quickly escalates to a more upbeat production with Doja Cat’s more quiet vocals in the background. The instrumentals resemble how a sunset looks: smooth, soft and peaceful.

Although the song is catchy, Doja Cat’s vocals in the chorus were monotonous, with a lack of vocal riffs and not as much range as her other songs, like “Streets.” On the other hand, her flow while rapping has improved, with better lyrics in the pre-chorus, along with SZA’s angelic verse and her silky smooth voice.

We wish SZA had a longer feature because she is the real reason this song is as good as it is.

“BANKROLL” by BROCKHAMPTON (ft. A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg)

After releasing their most commercially successful fifth album according to Vulture, “GINGER,” hip-hop boy band BROCKHAMPTON came out with its newest album with a lengthy name, “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE.” The most popular song on this album currently is “BANKROLL,” with special features from two members of the rap group A$AP Mob: A$AP Rocky and A$AP Ferg, according to Apple Music and Spotify.

“BANKROLL” itself is a subpar track compared to previous hit songs, with a funky beat from the synths and drums that clashes with the wild and loud vocals. For the most part, the song sounds rushed, messy, soulless and just plain ordinary, which is the opposite of what BROCKHAMPTON is known for.

The reverb used on A$AP Rocky’s verse in the chorus takes away from the rawness and clarity of his non-autotuned voice. All in all, the song is definitely not the best on the album.

“Otra Noche Sin Ti” by Khalid and J Balvin

“Otra Noche Sin Ti” is the third single off Spanish pop singer J Balvin’s upcoming album, “Energia,” set to release on June 24.

The song does sound like a generic Spanish pop song, with softer drums and an acoustic guitar solo in the beginning, but the key to what makes this song good is r&b singer-songwriter, Khalid. His raspy yet sweet voice makes listeners want to stay for the whole song, with a perfect balance of English lyrics to Balvin’s Spanish lyrics.

The tropical, guitar-based instrumentals click nicely with J Bavin and Khalid’s vocal tones. It is a nice song to listen to during stay-at-home days or relaxing nights.

“RAPSTAR” by Polo G

“RAPSTAR” is American rapper and songwriter Polo G’s newest hit single that reached 2.9 million streams on Spotify on its release day, according to Spotify. After the acoustic version of this song leaked online before it was set to release, the song became highly anticipated by Polo G fans according to Soundcloud.

The beginning production of the song resembles any typical Polo G song, with mumbling, humming and a light guitar instrumental. This time, there isn’t a boring and repetitive piano beat in the background, which is an improvement.

The vocals throughout the song are decently flowy with not many variations in pitch. One element that makes the song stand out among other chart-toppers is the overall flow of his lyrics on top of the beat and the slightly more relaxed melodies. Some lyrics that stood out because of its emotion and showed the purpose of the song were “Every day a battle, I’m exhausted and I’m weary” and “I fought through it all, but that sh*t hurt me severely.”

“So I Lie” by Miguel

American singer Miguel recently dropped his new EP, “Art Dealer Chic 4” after having not produced music since 2017. The four songs on the new EP, “Funeral,” “Triangle Love,” “Thinking Out Loud” and “So I Lie,” offer a futuristic and upbeat tempo perfect for summer.

The track “So I Lie,” features a super bass-heavy beat with moroccos and drums, making the listeners right from the beginning of the song subtly dance in their chairs. When the heavy instrumental combines with Miguel’s higher-pitched vocals, it creates an enlightening mood for the listener. His repetition of the word “lie” in the chorus makes it catchy and easy for the listener to sing along.

The song as a whole sounds tropical with all the different additions of basic instrumental, such as drums and bass, beachy instrumentals like the moroccos, and background vocals harmonizing together.