Happy Music Monday! Mainstays Twenty One Pilots, Bastille, Tiësto, and Hozier released new tunes this week, but most of the weeks’ standouts were actually from newer artists who are just making their stake in the pop scene. Check out these exciting songs below and be sure to take a listen to them all in the playlist at the end of the article.
1.) The Surefire Hit
Twenty One Pilots – “Heathens”
Twenty One Pilots’s newest single, “Heathens,” was written for the upcoming DC Extended Universe film, Suicide Squad, which comes out this summer. The spine-tingling track is as dark as one would expect from a film starring Jared Leto as the Joker, and “All my friends are heathens take it slow” is probably one of the most unsettling choruses heard on pop radio in years. The vocoder-layered, robotic chorus samples the spooky repeated riff off of the theme song to “The Twilight Zone.” Despite its macabre tone, throbbing base, and child-like vocal doubling, this song is sure to be stuck in your head for weeks. Although it may be a bit dark, “Heathens” could follow the Weeknd’s “Earned It” as a commercially successful, yet gloomy film single.
2.) The Newcomer’s Debut
Maggie Rogers – “Alaska”
Banjo player Maggie Rogers made the electronic folk tune “Alaska” after studying abroad in France,and having a spiritual experience with the electronic dance music. The tune combines illustrative lyrics like “I was walking through westward streams that took my breath away” with lilted vocal hooks. The song has already reached some viral success, as it made superproducer, Pharrell Williams, cry at a master class at NYU where he was in residence this past semester.
3.) The One-of-a-Kind Track
Snow Tha Product – “Nights (feat. W Darling)”
This shocking hip hop song starts out with a slinky chorus by Darling only to transform into a booming bass and brassy production. Mexican American rapper, Snow Tha Product, carries her verses with driving gusto, making for a strange but aesthetically pleasing journey.
Runner-Up
X Ambassadors – “Low Life 2.0”
With assists from A$AP Ferg and Jamie N Commons, X Ambassadors remake their rock/rap tune “Low Life” to much success. The stark contrast between acoustic guitar strums and hip-hop production make this a song to watch.
Take a listen below: