Kind of hoping August is better in terms of the new entries especially with how busy it was!
"Are You Entertained?" by Russ feat Ed Sheeran
Okay, we're starting with a new single from mediocre American rapper Russ who has had some success in the US, he teamed up with Ed Sheeran for this and...it's fine? I am not too keen on the content in Russ's verse where mentions 'retiring your parent'...come on dude however the trap production sounds good and Ed Sheeran sounds solid as hell rapping so yeah this is better than I expected.
"Remember" by Becky Hill and David Guetta
Sigh...I have never cared for either Becky Hill or David Guetta, mostly Becky Hill is not all that interesting vocals wise and David Guetta's pass ran out in 2010 so I was worried about this song.
Turns out my worries were warranted because this is a pretty generic EDM song, sure Guetta gives Hill's weak vocals room to breathe but the lyrics feel clingy and the production feels too chipper to match the content...next!
"The 30th" by Billie Eilish
Not surprising Billie Eilish dropped a doubled sided single, she did that with success with "Everything I Wanted" in 2020 and with this being the B side, I was curious about what this song had to offer so what did we get?
Uhh, this is genuinely excellent, it's a song about somebody Billie loves being in a car accident, Billie's fears for this person and the realisation that this friend escaped the crash alive however its the production that tips this into greatness with Finneas smartly creating a tense nervous atmosphere at first reflective of worry before the tension builds ands dissipates into joy as Billie shouts "You're alive" over and over so yeah this is a master-class...check this out!
"TV" by Billie Eilish
So this is the single from the EP, it's dark acoustic song where slams the world for gawking at the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard trial while ignoring the there's bigger and more systemic issues for American women confront like the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the subsequent loss of easy abortion access for women and how watching TV helped Billie ignore the relationship issues she was facing.
Yeah this a pretty good yet confronting song that people will overlook because nobody wants confronting truth in pop music these days just like how people willingly want to ignore issues plaguing society through watching sport. Just saying.
"Doja" by Central Cee
So I don't care for Central Cee, everything I've heard from him is either mediocre or downright ass so I was dreading and yeah, this is complete garbage that samples Gwen Stefani and Eve's 2001 hit "Let Me Blow Your Mind" before diving heard first into rickety percussion and Central Cee opening his verse with "How can I be homophobic, my bitch is gay" which for fucking obvious reasons is stupid, she's bisexuality if she's into men and women!
This whole song just feels like a grab for attention especially with the name dropping of Doja Cat so yeah the next time, this will get attention on the worst list because this is fucking garbage.
"Die for You" by The Weeknd
Australia, what the hell? You could have made "Out Of Time" a hit instead of a song from The Weeknd's 2016 album "Starboy", it went viral this year on Tik Tok. Content wise, it's The Weeknd feeling conflicted about the end of his relationship due to the very real feelings he still has for her, he still loves her.
I just wish the production did not sound so headache inducing with squelching facts noise over The Weeknd singing, there's better on Starboy...next!
"Another Love" by Tom Odell
Another song that went viral courtesy of it becoming something of an anthem for Ukrainian resistance against Russia, this time from British singer songwriter Tom Odell with this particular song being from his 2013 debut single which peaked at number ten in its original run in the UK and I have today, this is actually a really sad but well crafted song about his own frustration and anger at falling for this girl he just cannot be with.
What tips this toward excellent is the gentle piano at the beginning before the song slowly builds momentum from the second verse as the pianos ramp up the anger and the backing vocals kick in so yeah I like this...check it out.
"Sweater Weather" by The Neighbourhood
So turning now to another 2013 song this time from American alternative band The Neighbourhood and wow the mixing is a mess to the point I cannot point to a defining melody and those vocals do nothing for so I'll pass.
"Summer Renaissance" by Beyonce
Alright, time to deal with the Beyonce album bomb with this being the first of three songs I am covering from it and I went into this hoping it is better than "Break My Soul" which has only gotten increasingly more annoying as time has passed this year and unfortunately this feels like a clattering and messy noise fest like they are trying to merge two or three different ideas into one song which includes sampling Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". Ehh, not a fan
"Alien Superstar" by Beyonce
Second Beyonce song and again we have another interpolation of "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred but oof, this is just not good especially as this air of arrogance that you'd think Beyonce would better than. It's not the worst song I've heard but it's sure disappointing.
"Cuff It" by Beyonce
The last of the Beyonce songs and this is probably the best of three songs with its bouncy groove and a sound that reminds me a lot of Donna Summer's 70s music. Yeah, the writing feels a little clunky but regardless, I'll take it.
"Snap" by Rosa Linn
Oh wow, this isn't the song from Eurovision I expected to go viral on Tik Tok but anyway this is Armenian artist Rosa Linn's big breakthrough...I just wish the song was better especially as the music reminds me a lot of "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers (a song I don't particularly care for) with very pop folk adjacent sound. The content of the song is fine enough where she is musing on getting rid of this ex before she snaps or breaks. Ehh, it's okay...I guess?
"Numb" by Marshello & Khalid
So a collab between Marshmellow and Khalid, Khalid has been releasing singles of his own this with no real chart impact (disappointing given "Skyline" is great) so how is this song?
It's fine? My two biggest issues are the annoying knock of the beat at the end of the chorus while Khalid repeats the word "numb" into incoherence and how "I, I wanna get numb. And forget where I'm from" can be misheard as "I, I wanna get numb and fuck you out in front" but otherwise this is a pretty chipper song that would kill it during summer
"Not Over Yet" by KSI feat. Tom Grennan
Okay, KSI is back with a new single, this time with crooner Tom Grennan. I have say this pretty solid. It's got a good hook and a decent drum rhythm with the content of the song being about self doubt and KSI's struggle to overcome those feelings and while I am not that keen on Grennan's vocal delivery in the latter half of the song, it's still one of KSI's best to date.
"Love Lost" by Mac Miller
So I am going to be honest here, Mac Miller's music has never been my thing, I just never cared for it but anyway this song is from Miller's 2011 mixtape "I Love Life, Thank You" and the sample of Temper Trap's song of the same name gives the song a solid bounce and groove. Just a shame the writing feels a bit weird and clunky so it just does not work in the way I was hoping, it's not bad though.
"Bad Decisions" by Benny Blanco, BTS and Snoop Dogg
Well got to say I saw two thirds of this collaboration coming but what the hell is Snoop Dogg doing here? Well it turns out he shares a pretty stilted verse with Jung Kook before having a verse to himself, the issue here though is the production, there's no sense of danger in it to make anyone think there's going to be consequences for the bade decisions, it's just forgettable pop EDM fluff.
"Under the Influence" by Chris Brown
Oh get fucked. I'm not going to be engaging with or indulging with the attempted redemption arc of Chris Brown . I don't care this crap went viral. Fuck it off.
"Staying Alive" by DJ Khaled feat. Drake and Lil Baby
So I am not going to preamble with this song because it's fucking dreadful which keeps up DJ Khaled and Drake's record of making miserable music together and really, miserable is the correct description for this. For a song all about staying alive, it sounds like a song sung in the five minutes before somebody carks it, also to sample a classic 70s disco song like "Stayin' Alive" by The Bee Gees and turn into miserable trap drudge should be a fucking crime! Next....
"Super Freaky Girl" by Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is back with maybe her best single to date? Yeah the sample of "Superfreak" by Rick James is obvious but I like how Nicki uses the sample to give the song a memorable hook even if the elongated e is kind of annoying and the rest of the song lyrically is nothing new for Nicki Minaj but you know what? It's pretty good and that's weird for me to say.
"Afraid to Feel by LF System
Oh, this finally turned up on the ARIA chart... about time given it has been number one in the UK. LF Sstem are a British do who created this mix in 2019 which includes a interpolation of Silk's 1979 hit "I Can't Stop (Turning You On)" just slowing down Louise Clare Marshall's vocals and yeah, this might be the best bit of sampling from any song this month, it sounds fantastic even with multiple tempo changes that are set up superbly, let's make this a hit please!.
"Pink Venom" by Blackpink
I was dreading covering this song mostly because I find their production to quite often be clattering headache inducing noise and yet again this is no different unfortunately which does prevent me from enjoying it, not helped by the repetitive lyrics, ehh... I'll pass.
"B.O.T.A (Baddest Of Them All" by Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminals
Well, here's an interesting song from British DJ Eliza Rose and producer Interplanetary Criminals and samples the synth line from Lisa Lisa and The Cult Jam's song "Let The Beat Hitler, Part 2" so how's the song? Well, it's certainly interesting, it's sound is reminiscent of 90s dance hits like "Encore Une Foi" by Sash!, Eliza Roses's more nasal delivery on the verses doesn't bother me much, I like it.
Let's deal with the crap first, dishonourable mention to "Under The Influence" by Chris Brown. Worst of the month is a tie between "Doja" by Central Cee and "Staying Alive" by DJ Khaled, Drake and Lil Baby.
However we did get some good to great stuff, Honourable Mention goes to "Afraid to Feel" by LF System. Best of the month is also a tie with "The 30" by Billie Eilish and "Another Love" by Tom Odell sharing the honour.
