In VH New Music Fridays, the Life staff cover this week’s new music releases, from pop to country to alternative.
Pop: Taylor Hopkins
The Jonas Brothers, “Cool”
The newest single from the recently reformed Jonas Brothers is just as cool as its title and has the potential to become a summer staple. The song has a fun melody, laid-back attitude and upbeat lyrics: “Woke up feelin’ like a new James Dean/ I comb my hair like an old school sheen/ When I grow up, I wanna be just like me/ Lately, I’ve been feelin’ so cool.” They also throw in some not-so-discreet references to friend Post-Malone and Joe’s fiance Sophie Turner. While the song doesn’t feel as fresh as “Sucker,” it both builds upon the brothers’ past success and paves the way for their new, mature image.
Jennifer Lopez and French Montana, “Medicine”
“Medicine,” has a lot going for it, but overall it fails to be a hit. The song’s Spanish influences, strong beat and J. Lo’s great vocals make it a perfectly danceable club track, but its abrupt ending and awkward lyrics also make it easy to ignore and ripe for a remix. French’s rap seems like a string of random rhymes thrown together that doesn’t connect to the rest of the song at all. Jennifer Lopez’s lyrics aren’t much better and her chorus, while obviously playing off the cliche “give him a taste of his own medicine,” also feels out of place. J. Lo sings, “Think you need some medicine/ I could be your medicine, yeah/ Think you need some medicine/ Give you a taste of what you give out.” “Medicine” doesn’t seem like a release from a seasoned pro like J. Lo and ultimately fails to stand-out or really make sense.
Country: Alexa Bussmann
Little Big Town, “The Daughters”
The latest single from country music’s most refined quartet is both a musical masterpiece and a feminist anthem. Lyrics like “Stand like a trophy on the shelf” highlight the double standard that society puts on women: to be both beautiful and to stay in their place. The song isn’t quite a condemnation of patriarchal society, but rather a really classy version of Maddie and Tae’s “Girl in a Country Song.” The song rather unsubtly calls out Christian culture with the refrain, “I’ve heard of God the Son and God the Father / I’m still looking for a God for the daughters.” Beautiful acoustics, a hallmark of LBT’s sound, complete the strong message of “The Daughters.”
Indie and Alternative: Angela Karas
Vampire Weekend, “This Life”
Vampire Weekend has released “This Life” as part of their EP This Life / Unbearably White. “This Life” features Haim’s Danielle Haim and is perhaps the most high-tempo song Vampire Weekend has released as part of their upcoming Father of the Bride album. The song bears a very remarkable resemblance to Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” so “This Life” doesn’t sound like a particularly novel song. With that being said, “This Life,” in my opinion, is perhaps the strongest offering from Vampire Weekend from the Father of the Bride era, so the new single has given Vampire Weekend fans much to consider ahead of the full LP’s May 3 release.
MARINA, “To Be Human”
Marina surprised fans this Thursday by releasing LOVE, the first of two eight-track collections that comprise LOVE + FEAR, which was originally slated for an April 26th release. Of the new material, all are strong offerings, but “To Be Human” is particularly intriguing. The song features Marina naming various emblematic cities and attractions (including the Parthenon, but sadly of the Athens rather than Nashville variety). The lyrics reflect that, despite the fact that “all the people living in the world today / are united by [love and pain],” Marina “still [doesn’t] know what it means to be a human being.” While perhaps to some extent bleak, the song provokes introspective thinking and introduces an interesting perspective on the human experience to LOVE.
Circa Waves, “Sorry I’m Yours”
Circa Waves released their third album, What’s It Like Over There?, today, and “Sorry I’m Yours” is an instant stand-out single. The chorus packs a powerful punch and could easily be adapted to a stadium environment. Lyrically, the song depicts a relationship which is somewhat one-sided in which the under-involved party laments his lack of effort: “You wanted much more / I’m sorry I’m yours.” Overall, the song is a strong indie rock offering, so expect to hear it played frequently in the upcoming summer months.
AURORA, “The Seed”
“The Seed” is an intriguing offering from Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora. The single seemingly alludes to the climate change crisis, as evidenced by such lyrics in the chorus like “You cannot eat money, oh no / When the last tree has fallen / And the rivers are poisoned / You cannot eat money, oh no.” “The Seed” is such an intriguing single because it addresses a pertinent global issue, which is bold feat to attempt in any single song. However, Aurora adeptly traverses this terrain, providing a concise song that nonetheless raises awareness in the listener for the state of the world in a manner few songs can achieve.
Cover photo: Little Big Town, Vampire Weekend and The Jonas Brothers.
