By: Courtney Miller, Jessica Pickering, and Jessica Whitesel
Follow The Peak on Spotify to stay up to date on New Music Friday.
“Time of the Blue” – The Tallest Man on Earth
Jessica Whitesel: I love the Tallest Man on Earth and this song is no exception. This is just a really nice laid-back indie-folk track with simple guitar, and really well-done layering when it occurs. This song is definitely making it into my regular rotation.
Courtney Miller: The guitar is beautiful. The vocals are a little nasally but, for the most part, it works with the rural, simplistic vibe from this song. It’s a very calming and soothing track.
Jessica Pickering: The intro really made me want to dance, which probably makes me weird. What makes me even weirder is that I kind of was dancing to it and then the vocals started. This is not the type of song you should dance to. I really like this song but the next time I listen to it I’m just going to sit still (like I should have in the first place).
“Rest in Peace” – Yellowcard
JW: When I was younger, I really liked the entire Ocean Avenue album. But now that I am older I really just am not a huge fan of the same three chords being pounded out accompanied by almost scream-singing. While their fans have grown, the band has not. This song can RIP.
CM: It’s not fantastic, but it’s not bad either. It picks up on the guitar solo and that’s about the high point because otherwise it’s middle of the road pop-punk/alt-rock. Definitely no “Ocean Avenue.”
JP: This feels a little too angsty teenage years for me. If you feel like reliving your Grade 9 emo phase, this is the song for you. Overall, this song is pretty consistent with everything I’ve ever heard from Yellowcard.
“WILD” – Troye Sivan feat. Alessia Cara
JW: This is a really pleasant pop duet. I wasn’t too sure if I was going to like the combination of these two artists who have distinct voices, but they actually sound good together, which is a plus for a duet. The backing track wasn’t really the greatest, but the vocals more than make up for that.
CM: “You make my heart shake, bend, and break” — it’s not A+ song-writing but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t catchy. Sivan’s and Cara’s voices work well together, which elevates the song from the depths of mediocrity.
JP: I really love the sound of this guy’s voice but I think he’s in the wrong genre. Alessia Cara’s vocals fit way better with the backing track. This song could be great but there are some parts that just aren’t working for me. It’s not bad but it could be better.
“Óveður” – Sigur Rós
JW: Sigur Rós is one of my favourite background music bands. There is just something about the mix of Icelandic lyrics and the post-rock track that I find incredibly soothing. While this is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, it is mine and I can’t wait for a new album from them.
CM: I’m not feeling this. It starts off like there’s an apocalypse coming — which I am all about — and then it gets these movie-majestic vocals. Awesome, if I could stop it there that’d be great. Alas, the vocals shift into subpar, trying-too-hard-and-not-getting-better, sounds-like-someone’s-dying vocals and the music has this huge disconnect with the melody and I’m just out.
JP: This feels like a song I’m not going to get. The music is weird and staticky. The vocals are really slow and a little creepy. Update: I am 100 percent sure that I don’t get this song; there is now what sounds like a T-shirt gun going off repeatedly. This song has unsettled me.
“Champion Lover” – Nina Sky
JW: The only song I ever remember them having was “Move Ya Body” from 2004. And while I can respect them for continuing to make music, they should crawl back under their rock. While they have been around longer than Fifth Harmony this sounds like they picked up one of their reject songs in an attempt to make it big and not a comeback.
CM: This was all around ‘meh’ for me. It was boring, highly conducive to zoning out, and never really went anywhere. “Champion lover, number one spot” won’t be winning any awards lyrically — I hope. And honestly, I thought it was “number one slut” until I looked those lyrics up.
JP: This song is fun. I can see it playing in a mall or something. It’s really upbeat and the words are repetitive so I can see it being overplayed. Don’t be surprised if you hear it the next time you’re shopping at Forever 21.
“Sucker For Pain” – Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, and Imagine Dragons feat. X Ambassadors, Ty Dolla $ign, and Logic
JW: I was prepared to hate this song just based off how many artists were involved with its creation. I would listen to this more than once, and bless Imagine Dragons and X Ambassadors for making this not some crazed rap song. The only low point was Wiz Khalifa’s verse, which just didn’t fit stylistically with the rest of the song.
CM: Bless Imagine Dragons for influencing this song. It’s creepy, but dynamic and complex to showcase real musicality, which I live for. The rapping isn’t bad, but it’s not great either — some notes fall flat, others sharp. It has a “too many cooks in the kitchen” feel to it with all the different rappers in it.
JP: This song is for the Suicide Squad movie soundtrack and you can totally tell. It’s like the studio gave them a list of words they had to use. It just sounds really forced. Also the number of artists they packed into this is insane. I don’t know who is behind this song, but they are trying too hard.
“No Future” – Blink-182
JW: I miss Tom DeLonge. He just brought something to the band and now that he isn’t there they just kind of suck. Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio wasn’t a good fit for replacing DeLonge and it really comes through in this song. It sounds like some weird Blink-182 and New Found Glory mash-up and nobody wants that.
CM: This is a great morning song to get you up and pumped, ready to take on the world. Fast tempo, and lots of rollicking drums make this another Blink-182 winner, as long as you like their style.
JP: I think Blink-182 plagiarized one of their own songs. I swear I’ve heard this song before, just with different lyrics. Either that or all of Blink-182’s songs are starting to sound the same to me. Honestly, it’s probably the latter. Is this what getting old feels like?
“Some Other Summer” – Sebastian Drums feat. Roxette
JW: It is an inoffensive electronic dance track, but that is about all I can say about it. It just kind of reeks of store brand cereal, like sugar-frosted flakes. You know that if you are given a choice you are going to pick the name brand. That feeling is this song.
CM: It’s neither upbeat enough nor catchy enough to actually be a summer song. I like that the music evolves throughout the song, and that it’s not repetitive in the aggravating fashion that’s popular these days. I’d still pass on listening to it again after this though.
JP: This is it. This is the most autotuned song in existence. I heard the intro and I thought it was going to be a good song. I was let down. I just want it to be over already.
“Crazy Shit” – Hannah Georgas
JW: I have mixed feelings about this song. I feel like I need to listen to it more than once to fully appreciate it, but I’m not fully in love with it on the first listen. I’m hoping that it will be one of those sleeper songs that I will end up actually loving.
CM: The first time through it’s kind of whimsical and just kind of pretty — at least in the chorus. The second time it’s a little grating and the vocals start losing their appeal. Again, we have a song that doesn’t really go anywhere.
JP: This song is literally nothing. The lyrics are mediocre at best, Georgas sings the same note the whole time, and the music is boring. The worst part is I can see it becoming crazy popular. Mentally preparing myself for it to be overplayed on the radio, just in case.
“Door” – Nice as Fuck
JW: This is just kind of blah. It isn’t bad, but it isn’t great either. It is super repetitive though, so it has that working against it. The further you get into the song you just want to slam the fucking door so it will stop. Which makes it less blah and more bad, but the beginning is kind of fun.
CM: This song doesn’t capture your attention, like it’s super easy to ignore. It’s fine for background music until you get annoyed at the repetitive melodies and lyrics.
JP: This kind of reminds me of Dragonette but I like Dragonette better. I really like the music, and the vocals aren’t bad, but I’m getting really tired of hearing “Don’t close the door.” I’m not exaggerating when I say half of the lyrics are the line “Don’t close the door.” The other half is “do doo do.”
“Hangin’ On” – ROZES
JW: This is a fun dance track, and has the potential to do really well on the charts, especially after the success of “Roses.” My only complaint is the repetitive nature of the lyrics, but if you are dancing in a club or your living room that really won’t be that big of an issue.
CM: This song grows on you. It’s got great rhythm and vocals that work with the music and it never stays in one place for too long. It could become a solid addition to a playlist made for dancing.
JP: I like this song in spite of myself. I think I mostly just like the beat. It’s a good dancing song so expect to hear it a lot this summer. I really like the steel drums; it makes this song more interesting than a lot of the other pop music out there.
“Young Like Us” – Frans
JW: This is just a fun and happy song. The lyrics are kind of simple, but it works. It just makes me want to drink with my friends at a house party, and then have the night turn into some sort of drunken adventure — even if it just to the door to get pizza. Those are the best nights and they fit the feeling of this song perfectly.
CM: This song is borderline too repetitive, but it’s just slightly too feel-good and catchy for it to be a negative aspect of the song. It’s a little bit of fun that won’t rub too many people the wrong way.
JP: This might be my favourite song on this playlist. It’s not a fantastic song, but for me it’s the best one I’ve heard today. The chorus is kind of cheesy: “I’ve got a feeling the night is young, young like us” is definitely not the best lyric I’ve ever heard but overall the song is pretty good. Seven out of 10, would listen again.
