This week’s roundup goes out to anyone who can relate to the all-consuming, head-spinning emotions specific to being involved in an addictively toxic romance. So, in other words, this week’s roundup is for every conscious human being on Earth. Griff wondered aloud whether she’ll cry forever. Dasha rolled her eyes at herself for backsliding. Someone find Jana Diab and hug her for bravely releasing “So Stupid.”
Check that out and more in Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music below.
J Balvin & SAIKO — “Gaga”
J Balvin confirmed he will release Rayo on August 9, so everyone else may as well punt August 9 because, as the Colombian icon posted on X (formerly Twitter), it’s Balvin time now. “Gaga” is full-on electronic, and the single receives an extra charge from reggaetón/trap artist SAIKO. Balvin said in a press release that he wishes for Rayo to “feels more like a house party,” and “Gaga” sounds like a house party in full swing.
Griff — “Tears For Fun”
Griff would like to speed up the healing process, and let’s all pray she cracks the code. On the slow-building, bursting “Tears For Fun,” the surging UK singer-songwriter tackles uncertainty head-on with lines like, “Will I always be collecting my tears for fun,” or, “The deepest cuts, well, they heal so slow / I hope they do, God, but what if they don’t?”
“Tears For Fun” is just one of 14 comforting, thought-provoking songs found on Vertigo, Griff’s newly released debut full-length album.
Dasha — “Didn’t I”
First of all, a round of applause for the Hunter Moreno-directed “Didn’t I” video depicting a gossipy women’s restroom with accuracy not achieved since Amanda Bynes’ “The Girls’ Room.” Lyrically, Dasha also hit the bullseye on everyone’s inner monologue when lingering chemistry with an ex causes amnesia around the extremely valid reasons they became an ex. “‘Didn’t I’ is so nostalgic,” Dasha said of her country-pop earworm, which is a direct sequel to “Austin,” her Billboard Hot 100 top-20 charter. “There’s something about my past that intrigues me, including the men.”
Maren Morris — “I Hope I Never Fall In Love”
Maren Morris has already shared “Cut!” from her forthcoming EP Intermission, and “I Hope I Never Fall In Love” is even more vulnerable. In it, Morris sits in “the afterglow of a sh*tshow,” as she put it in a statement, and captures the emotional whiplash unique to the period between heartbreak and feeling ready to open up to someone new. Morris’ pep talk to herself is universally applicable; unfortunately for the rest of us, our self-talk doesn’t sound this good.
Remi Wolf — “Slay B*tch”
Remi Wolf released her album Big Ideas on July 12. From here on out, it will never be a bad idea to play “Slay B*tch.” Wolf makes expert use of a Céline Dion name-check (“She’s like a dairy machine / She makes a meal out of me / Like a milkshake in her hand / She’s my Dion to Céline”). What’s more, she teased a snippet of the album’s effervescent, unapologetic closer to celebrate Pride Month, and it shall forever remain a Pride Month anthem.
Nelly Furtado & Bomba Estéreo — “Corazón”
Last week, Nelly Furtado announced 7, her first album in seven years, and shared that she’d worked on 400 to 500 songs over the past four years. Only 14 of them survived, and without having seen the full 7 tracklist, I feel confident in asserting that “Corazón” holds it own. Furtado sounds equal parts refreshed and refined, fully in control of her vocal delivery when effortlessly singing, “We, we lose control (We lose control) / That’s how we are (That’s how we are) / De corazón, no puedo parar.”
Kylie Minogue, Bebe Rexha, and Tove Lo — “My Oh My”
Somehow, the playful palette of “My Oh My” isn’t the song’s best quality, which says a lot because the soundscape is quintessential pop. Instead, “My Oh My” soars on the back of Kylie Minogue, Bebe Rexha, and Tove Lo’s banter. “When you asked, ‘What’s your name? What’s your sign?’ / I’m Kylie, it’s Gemini,” the Australian legend sings in the first pre-chorus, followed by Rexha’s (“When you asked, ‘What’s your name? Let me know’ / I’m Bebe, I’m a Virgo”) and Tove Lo’s (“Hey, hello, I am To-Tove Lo / I’m a Scorpio”) versions. Suddenly, my new life’s mission is to find a way to clever incorporate Leo into my next introduction to someone, and I’m not even into astrology.
Jana Diab — “So Stupid”
Whoever made Jana Diab think for one second that she’s stupid should be indicted because Jana Diab is unequivocally brilliant. Part of the 22-year-old Cairo-born singer-songwriter’s brilliance is that willingness to be raw about feeling stupid in a one-sided relationship because who hasn’t been there? The other part is her poignant lyricism, especially when paired with this mesmerizing, Couros-produced beat.
Polly Money — “Anything”
Polly Money’s “Anything” is simply a delight. The song’s lilting, upbeat sonic palette contrasts Money’s weighty admissions about self-doubt and imposter syndrome, which she experienced while serving as The 1975’s touring guitarist and vocalist for 18 months. “‘Cause when it all comes down to it, I’m just another,” Money sings. “And I’m not even that good at it, I just got lucky / But they say that I might deserve it.” Money’s effortlessly cleverness and pristine vocals in “Anything” serve as iron-clad proof that she deserves to be in any musical room.
YDE — “Free Fall”
So, addictive infatuation is officially a theme for this week’s roundup. Here, YDE’s breathy vocals convey her desperate feelings toward someone who doesn’t deserve it. “I’m scared,” she sings before diving headfirst into the melodic, poetic hook: “Cuz I love you like a free fall / Hate you like a hurricane / Need you like air.”
Salute and Disclosure — “Lift Off!”
Who needs lyrics with beats this dynamic? In an interview with Billboard, Salute recommended Disclosure’s Settle as the “best bet” to convert someone into a dance music fan, and “Lift Off!” finds Salute “making music with heroes of mine.” This song embodies the euphoria Salute must be feeling on the back of their newly released True Magic album, which also features Rina Sawayama, LEILAH, Léa Sen, and more.
