By: Edna Batengas and Neil MacAlister
“Praying” – Kesha
Edna Batengas: Kesha, is that you? This definitely doesn’t seem like the Kesha that we’re typically used to, but I love this fresh voice. Oh, and all those notes she’s hitting: kinda reminds me a little bit of Demi Lovato. Such a deep song with great vocals, welcome back, girl! She’s stronger and louder than ever.
Neil MacAlister: It’s so nice to see Kesha releasing music again, she’s gone through an unbelievable amount of shit lately and this song just sounds victorious. Shoutout to Kesha.
“Get Low” – Zedd, Liam Payne
EB: Liam’s back again with hit tracks. I never thought I’d say this, but I think he’s now my favourite One Directioner. His voice just makes me want to hit the dance floor. One Direction did not do you justice, Liam.
NM: Generic EDM producer + generic pop singer = exactly what you’d expect.
“Something American” – Jade Bird
EB: Let me be honest, the title of this song totally made me super biased before I even hit play. Spoiler alert: it has nothing to do with being American. Her lyrics sounds like something Taylor Swift would sing, but her voice sounds a little like Julia Michaels. All in all, I’m not a big fan of this song.
NM: This is lovely. I’m a sucker for this ethereal kinda Americana vibe, and she has a fantastic voice.
“Hypocrisy” – Skepta
EB: I’m such a sucker for British rappers. His lyrics are so clear and easy to understand, love it!
NM: I’ve been bumping this song all week, I’m a big fan of Skepta and he’s clearly just having a great time with this one. “I got fifteen different iPhones/but I am so not phony” is peak Skepta.
“Lakhey” – Sundara Karma
EB: I like this one, it’s cheery and upbeat. It sounds like if the Breakfast Club soundtrack were to meet David Bowie. Hmm, maybe that was putting it on too much of a high standard for comparison, but it’s still pretty good.
NM: This totally just sounds like that whole post-Strokes formula that everyone was doing five or six years ago. There’s nothing wrong with it, but I’ve heard it a hundred times before.
“That’s the Way It Is” – Rude Grl
EB: No offense, but Rude Grl sounds like a Cher Lloyd wannabe. It’s a pretty annoying and obnoxious song.
NM: I straight up thought this was MIA, but then I remembered that MIA doesn’t even sound like this anymore. I actually really enjoy this.
“Did It Again” – Kaveh
EB: There’s nothing terribly wrong about his song. It just lacks originality. Every rapper these days is rapping about a girl sitting on his face. That’s a ‘no’ from me.
NM: Kaveh’s going for this whole emotional gruff voice thing, but he’s really not good at it. And there’s no subtlety in these lyrics. He’s trying to cash in on a sound that’s big at the moment but he’s nowhere near as good as the people he’s emulating.
“A L I E N S” – Coldplay
EB: Am I the only one who’s not impressed with what Coldplay is coming out with these days? It’s mediocre, not impressed.
NM: Coldplay out here stealing the Migos’ writing style. Not into it. Not for the C U L T U R E.
“10 Ar” – Vinter, Unge Ferrari, Arif
EB: Not a fan. I feel like I’ve heard this a thousand times.
NM: This is kinda cool? I don’t really have an opinion.
“Sikinti Yok” – Emir
EB: Haha, so lively. It sounds like it’s perfect for the ultimate dance party.
NM: There’s always Turkish representation on the NMF playlists, I feel like I’m actually learning a lot about their music scene. This is a lot of fun.
“Teach Me” – Future, Showty Roc, V’dollas
EB: Future never disappoints. Oooh, that voice, though
NM: This isn’t a new Future song, they just lifted the chorus he did on Paul Wall’s last album. And Showty Roc just looks like a bad ripoff of Shawty Lo. Why is this here?
“Save Me” – Mahmut Orhan, Eneli, Midi Culture
EB: It has OK tune, but that’s a ‘no’ for me.
NM: This song has a nice bounce to it, but it’s not really doing a lot for me.
