So because this month is overloaded with new entries and this thing is beyond long, I decided to move like "Like That" by Future and Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar and the last week of April in with May ARIA singles new entry review so look out for that one...in the mean time enjoy the rest of the April reviews starting with...
"Too Sweet" by Hozier
Okay, Hozier back on tbe charts is a sjght to behold and even better "Too Sweet" is a damn great song! It has an incredible groove and swagger to it and Hozier is absolutely playing it up by saying this girl he is with is just too sweet for him. It reminds me a lot of INXS in some ways except Michael Hutchence would absolutely amp up the sex appeal a little more than Hozier does here but damn this song is too damn catcby and it's right there as one of the best songs on the charts right now. Check this out
"Obsessed" by Olivia Rodrigo
So this was the only song from the deluxe edition of "GUTS" to hit the ARIA singles chart which is a shame because all five new songs from that deluxe edition are really good to great and I consider "Obsessed" to fall into that great category! Olivia again shows a particular lack of dignity here where she's obsessed with everything to do with this guy's ex and how perfect this guy's ex is possibly from this guy still being in love with this girl because Olivia knows he is still in love with her. Combine the rather obsessive lyrics, the monster hook and instrumentation that knows how to kick it up a gear when necessary and you have one hell of a song! Check this out.
"I Like The Way You Kiss Me" by Artemas
So British singer songwriter and producer Artemas has hit the ARIA singles chart with this particular song and well...given the quality of the songs above it...I am not a fan, I don't know...it just feels oddly soulless which comes from the very 80s production which reminds me of A Flock of Seagulls in a way with the synths but yeah, I don't get much out of listening to this song. Next!
"II Most Wanted by Beyonce and Miley Cyrus
So "Cowboy Carter" got a rather muted chart presence with this unsurprisngly being the biggest song to hit the chart from the release of the album and yeah, this song is absolutely beautiful. Beyonce calling in Miley for a role on this song makes so much sense given Miley's links to country and wow, they sound phenomenal together on a gentle guitar and piano ballad about friendship and being each other's shotgun rider til the day they die. It's in a battle for best of the month but it's right up there.
"Slow It Down" by Benson Boone
What is not right up there is this garbage, my god this sounds terrible, This is Benson Boone chasing a second hit in the wake of the shrieking disaster that is "Beautiful Things" and...ughhh...can we just stop making this guy a thing and give Ed Sheeran some more hits from "Equals"? "Tides" would be a better hit than this garbage.
"Magnetic" by Illit
Am I the only one surprised at the lack of K-pop cross overs this year? Well, Illit are a South Korean all girl group that emerge through a sub branch of HYBE and now they have their first ever charting song in Australia, just wish I didn't find the vocals kind of annoying, you've got this incredibly energetic production mixed with whiny vocals and it grated on my nerves especially as it feels like with lyrics about being attracted to someone, the vocals could have been less annoying...next!
"Belong Together" by Mark Ambor
So another American singer songwriter breaking through, this time Mark Ambor and well, this is better than Benson Boone...thank goodness but mostly because rather than being bad, its just forgettable...it's likely a cut that Ed Sheeran, Hozier or even Shaboozey could do better with
"If U Think I'm Pretty" by Artemas
Second go round with Artemas so lets see how we go with this song...and nope, this isn't good either with this just being this collection of grating noises that at least somebody like Finneas could make sound less annoying for Billie Eilish but nope this is just grating noise that Artemas is trying to sing over with all the personality of wallpaper. Next!
"Where the Wild Things Are" by Luke Combs
I am glad this at least got a week on the ARIA singles top 50 because this a damn great song and one of the best from Luke's album last year. Yeah, it's got the neo traditional country production of all the best Luke Combs songs but what strikes all the more power is the story Combs is telling the story of his brother who invited him along on these adventures motorbiking in California and partying while Luke admits that he is loving it but this, sadly the song reveals that Combs brother died in a motorbike accident however it is refreshing that the song doesn't wallow in the death but reflects and celebrates that motorbiking is what the brother loved doing and if that was the way he went out so be it. Great song.
"Back on 74" by Jungle
Well this was something of a surprise! Jungle are a British dance music project who have gotten a lot of critical attention in the past with this song being released last year getting some viral attention and yeah, this is pretty damn good! I love the melody and for once a dance song has an actual fucking groove. Just it's got a lot of competition for best of the month.
"Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter
So this is the big Sabrina Carpenter single that seems to have gained a massive groundswell of traction with the publicand yeah, it's easy to hear why, the song has this retro and somewhat glossy sound that reminds me of "Say So" by Doja Cat and when the lyrics are basically her bragging about her being akin to an espresso for her new boyfriend. Its fine but like most coffees you'll eventually want something that quenches your thirst.
"Illusion" by Dua Lipa.
So I have liked the first two singles from Radical Optimism and I was hoping this would be another Dua Lipa home run and....it's not? I don't know I just don't feel anything from this song other than this queasiness that comes with the odd way Dua Lipa sings the word 'illusion'. Definitely not the song that I go back to from "Radical Optimism"
"Tell Ur Girlfriend" by Lay Bankz
Oh good lord, so Lay Bankz is an American rapper and singer hailing from Pbiladelphia, Pennsylvania with this song being her first to hit the ARIA singles chart and I hate saying this but I hated this song right from the outset...why? Because of that goddamn sample of "Pony" by Ginuwine where it sounds like a guy burping and it just distracts from the song entirely. This is pretty bloody awful.
"Hell 'n' Back" by Bakar
It's about damn time this turned up on the Australian singles chart! It was a hit in New Zealand in 2019 but never crossed over to Australia until 2024. Bakar is an English singer that has been quietly gaining traction in the UK and elsewhere, now it's charting in the top 50 in Australia thanks to a Summer Walker remix and no surprise given I was listening to this song pre the remix, it's a pretty great little R'n'B number where Bakar describes finding love and is now healing from a past where he was hitting rock bottom. Great song. Check this out1
Worst of the Month: "Slow It Down" by Benson Boone
Dishonourable Mention: "Tell Ur Girlfriend" by Lay Bankz
Honourable Mentions: "Hell 'N' Back" by Bakar feat. Summer Walker, "Obsessed" by Olivia Rodrigo
Best of the Week: "Too Sweet" by Hozier, "Where the Wild Things" are by Luke Combs.
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