WEEKLY MUSIC WRAP UP

05 Nov 2018
Thomas Bleach
Categories: Music

SINGLE OF THE WEEK: Carly Rae Jepsen - Party For One

Okay, this is officially a pop emergency! Carly Rae Jepsen is back and she’s as confident, empowering and catchy as ever. ‘Party For One’ is a bold and catchy lead single that hears her leaving the gimmicks behind. Previously her lead singles have been cheesy but fun pop moments that go viral and chart but also seemed to do negative things on her career in the mainstream spotlight. So for this one she’s just being honest, experimental and is as groovy as ever.

Celebrating the power of heartbreak she explores how whilst the experience may be soul crushing it may also help you fall in love with yourself whole heartedly. It’s quite common that when we go through a break up that we forget to love ourselves and throughout this song she wants people to remember to embrace that. “If you don't care about me, I’ll just dance for myself, back on my beat”. As soon as the chorus hits you can’t help but smile from ear to ear and dance across the room like you have no cares in the world. It’s empowering and uplifting whilst also delivering a super catchy and fun hook that could easily be played on radio or in clubs alike. Her vocals shine through this song and gives you classic pop vibes whilst also serving a sense of experimentation. The production grows and evolves with the song and whilst it’s simple in some parts it’s also quite complex in others. It’s a great re-introduction to who Carly Rae Jepsen is as an artist and will have you exceptionally excited for her fourth studio album. 

SINGLE REVIEW: Ariana Grande - Thank You, Next

Timing is a very interesting thing and in this fast paced media world sometimes things can come across unintentionally negative, when they honestly came from a good place. And Ariana Grande’s surprise new single is one of those moments. ‘Thank You, Next’ was released in full spur of the moment after a clip from an upcoming episode of SNL showed her ex fiancé Pete Davidson making a joke about her. She took full offence, directed a few tweets at him, deleted them and then dropped a song. This song details the lessons she has learnt, the mistakes she’s made in ex-relationships and explores how she fell in love with herself all over again. Lyrically it has a very empowering sentiment where she wants to take control of her own narrative and that’s a very impressive and exciting thing.

However, the timing is a little off. It seems very opportunist that one of her boyfriends has recently JUST passed away and that another one was about to make some jokes about her to the world. I’m all for owning your own story and taking control of a less then ideal situation but it also seems a little fictitious and convenient.  “Thought I’d end up with Sean, but he wasn’t a match. Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh. Even almost got married and for Pete, I’m so thankful. Wish I could say thank you to Malcolm, cause he was an angel”. 

Sonically the song sits in the same realm as her last album ‘Sweetener’ with a soulful alternative-pop delivery that is a little doo-woopy. It’s not bad, but t’s not great. It feels very rushed and like not much effort has gone into polishing it up. This is also apparently the name of her fifth studio album which will be dropped later this year. So prepare for more slow jams and some more convenient clickbait storylines. I don’t think she's coming from a bad place, I think she’s just trying to authentically live her life and be honest as things happen. But the timing just feels odd. 

SINGLE REVIEW: Anne-Marie - Perfect To Me

An artist should always be able to be an artist and that’s that. No matter how big they are or how much success they have, that should never impact on what they release as they should always be allowed to be their authentic selves. In Anne-Marie’s case, she has become on of the biggest UK exports of 2018 and after the massive success of her debut album ‘Speak Your Mind’ she has reworked her song ‘Perfect’ with a bit more of a  polished pop sound.

‘Perfect To Me’ hears her losing the original intimacy and vulnerability of the track and heads towards a predictable and generic sound. It’s ultimately boring and lacks originality. They’ve pretty much just copied and pasted her vocals and added a different synth layering. So instead of sounding like a slick and soothing RNB meets doo-woop track it just sounds like every other pop ballad under the sun. I was severely disappointed by the direction she went in for this reissue and think they should have just gone ahead with the original  track and serviced it to radio. Because whilst it may still be a little tacky, at least it feels honest and authentic stripped down like that. 

SINGLE REVIEW: Sabrina Carpenter - Bad Time

Sabrina Carpenter is really the dark horse of the Disney alumni. Her sophomore album ‘Evolution’ was an impressive fusion of pop and electronic music that showcased a real depth to her vocals and lyrics. It wasn't as cookie-cutter as previous releases from fellow Disney alumni nor did she seem like she was being anyone but herself. Her follow up single ‘Why’ was a banger and a half and quickly became one of my favourite songs of 2017. She’s been following it up with a string of mature and groovy tracks including the catchy ‘Paris’. But ‘Bad Time’ may just be her boldest track yet.

The song confidently grabs onto this sassy and embowering persona that isn't going to let anyone walk all over her. She’s officially had it with guys breaking her heart and then trying to come back when it’s suitable for them, so she’s calling them out. “I'm sorry, but you've called at a bad time. And every time is probably gonna be a bad time. Sorry, but it's not like the last time where you were calling me and hoping for a good time”. From a first listen you will be captivated. Your feet will be tapping along and you will be singing the ridiculously catchy hook on the top of your lungs. It’s an easy and simple concept that really does showcase multiple layers to who she is as an artist. You will be quickly screaming “BOP” after you listen to it, and that’s a fact. 

SINGLE REVIEW: Little Mix - Joan Of Arc

Female empowerment tracks have never been more important than they are right now. So it’s great to see so many artists releasing songs that really speak to females directly and inspire equality and empowerment. Little Mix’s upcoming fifth studio album ‘LM5’ will see them heavily supporting this important movement and their new single ‘Joan Of Arc’ continues what lead single ‘Woman Like Me’ started. While the track may be a little basic, receptive and sonically annoying, there is a lot about this track which is honestly great.

Lyrically the way they dive into this topic is so intoxicating and will have you bopping along instantly. On the other hand, this track is so gritty and beat heavy that it steps away from the commercial light and stands alone as a song that is hard to connect with. It’s not an easy listening empowerment song, its gritty and very in your face. After some listens I love the song and then after other listens I am convinced I hate it. It’s not the easily accessible song but it has enjoyable moments that will capture some listeners. It goes from sassy moments like “Fanning myself, I'm stanning myself. I love me so much I put my hands on myself” to the empowering and honest “I don't need a man. If I'm loving you it's cause I can”. In parts this song sounds like they have tried so hard to create a Beyonce influenced moment and to be honest they should have just stayed away from that. Beause instead of coming across as self development and artistic growth, this song comes across as confused and a little gimmicky. 

SINGLE REVIEW: Clean Bandit feat. Marina And The Diamonds and Luis Fonsi - Baby

Marina And The Diamonds has been hyping up her return to music, A LOT. So with her lead single expected to drop “soon” it only seemed appropriate that she teased her fans a little longer with another collaboration with Clean Bandit. After the commercial flopping of ‘Froot’ and ‘Disconnected’, I wanted something a little groovy and euphoric to kick off this new era. Instead all we got was another predictable and average electronic-pop fusion.

‘Baby’ is exactly what you would expect from a Marina x Luis collaboration and it’s a little forgettable. The underwhelming song mixes Luis’ latin vibes with Marina’s classic indie-pop sound and it sounds really retired. Sonically it just seems to go no where quickly and recycles the same formula over and over. I was waiting for a electronic twist to switch up this sound and take it sonically somewhere else but it never did. I wanted to dance all night to this one, but I can’t even dance to it for 30 seconds before wanting to turn it off. And that’s the truth. 

SINGLE REVIEW: King Princess - Pussy Is God

Turning up the heat and stepping into a heavier beat driven world, King Princess returns with something a little different. Her debut EP ‘Make My Bed’ introduced us to her smooth indie-pop roots with powerful and emotional storylines that addressed her sexuality and a vivid social commentary. Through this release she gained a massive LGBTQ+ following and quickly became one of the most exciting acts to keep an eye on in 2018. Backing it up with the bold and gritty track ‘Pussy is God’ she no longer fears holding back.

With a bold Kanye West inspired beat she soulfully sings over the piano led and beat heavy melody. Whilst from a first glimpse you would expect the song to be overly explicit and sexual but instead it’s actually a very romantic affair. Confessing her love for her girlfriend she addresses the romantic power she has over her and how truly infatuated she is. “She's God and I've found her”. it’s overly sweet and will have you gushing with excitement and wishing someone would sing about you this way. With each listen the song grows on you with it’s unconventional sound that fittingly suits. And whilst the beat is a little different to what we were first introduced to, you will be happily keen to hear what else she’s going to serve next. 

You can read full music reviews, live reviews, interviews and more at www.thomasbleach.com 

And want to check out some of these songs? Then check out the #BLEACHED playlist on Spotify which is curated each week by Thomas Bleach as his favourite new releases.

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