Lana Del Rey: A&W
As impactful and intense as any of her other tracks, A&W mixes real-world intimacy with bleak storytelling. The title has nothing to do with fast food and the initials stand for “American w***e”, which she calls herself in the song, a person always under the scanner: Do you really think I give a damn what I do/ After years of just hearing them talking?, she sings about a hookup. At seven minutes, the piano-driven wordy song captures a vulnerable Rey: I’m a princess, I’m divisive / Ask me why I’m like this / Maybe I’m just kinda like this.
Janelle Monae: Float
Lately, Janelle Monáe has focused more on acting but hopefully Float will be followed by a constant flow of new music. The song features Fela Kuti’s youngest son, Seun Kuti, and his band, Egypt 80. Packed with confidence, Monae sings: They said I was bi, yeah baby, I’m by a whole ’nother coast/ She stay in the hills, he stay in Atlanta, I paid for them both.
Kelsea Ballerini: Mountain With a View
Joining Adele and Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini has delivered a “divorce” EP called Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. On the latest track she sings: I’m wearing the ring still, but I think I’m lying/ Sometimes you forget yours, I think we’re done trying. “There were separations, there was years of couples therapy. “There was like, many a night of sleeping on the couch. I don’t think it was the first night, but it was a night where I was like, this is not what I want,” she has recently said.
Pink: When I Get There
Pink remembers her father, Jim Moore, in this emotional new ballad. The singer had posted in 2020: “He just finished his second round of chemo for prostate cancer, fell off a ladder and fractured his back as well as lost function in his legs.” She sings: When I think of you, I think about forever/ Is there a song you just can’t wait to share?
Jason Isbell: Death Wish
Jason Isbell chronicles a different type of relationship on Death Wish, the first single from Weathervanes, his upcoming album with his band the 400 Unit: Did you ever catch her climbing on the roof top / higher than a kite, dead of winter in a tank top… I don’t wanna fight with you baby but I won’t leave you alone. Besides music, Isbell will also be seen in the upcoming Martin Scorsese-directed, Leonardo DiCaprio-starring Apple TV+ film Killers of the Flower Moon.
Princess Nokia: Closure
The pop-punk song unwinds against bright drums as she sings of finding new love. She sings: You came at the right time and I let you/ You came at the right time, you were meant to followed by a wistful: I wrote you this album for my closure.
Riton featuring Soaky Siren: Sugar
The UK dance veteran samples 50 Cent’s 2005 classic, Candy Shop, and then amps it up, making Sugar an infectious track. The video to the song uses a generative AI visualiser, developed by the WMG Global Data Science team.
