Good 1992 Vibrations: 2nd February. If you were with me now to talk about sex

 We got a busy one here this week...the top ten changed a fair bit and we got some...interesting...shifts and new entries that said not all of those shifts were for the better but anyway let's get stuck into it beginning with the top ten where the top two didn't shift at all with "Let's Talk about Sex" by Salt-N-Pepa remaining at number one for a second week, it held up strong over "Cream" by Prince and The New Power Generation mostly because "Let's Talk About Sex" sales are pretty strong as "Cream" may well be starting to slide a bit on sales.

That could leave room for "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" by George Michael and Elton John to make a play for number two at least as it climbed one spot to number three, this song has potential to be a number one hit as its still building strength, hell it marched right past "Black or White" by Michael Jackson which slipped one spot to number four as sales slowed.

Holding it's place at number five is Euphoria's "Love You Right"....kind of annoyed by this mainly due to not liking the song all that much. Also holding steady is "Ain't No Sunshine" by Rockmelons feat. Deni Hines at number six...this cover has grown on me a bit, Deni sounds great on this.

The big mover in our top ten though and one I am delighted about is "Justified & Ancient" by The KLF climbing from number eleven to seven this week, seriously...this song has a chance at going top five. 

Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" climbed one spot to number eight because it looks like being a grunge classic, it moved past "Saltwater" by Julian Lennon which slipped back to number nine.

Also joining the the top ten is Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" up two spots to number ten.

Gains

CeCe Peniston's "Finally" broke into the top twenty up eight places to 15 while Kate Bush's cover of Elton John's "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to be a Long, Long Time)" climbed twenty one spots off its debut last week to 28...nice to see as it's a decent cover.

Unfortunately what also climbed off it's debut last week is "I Adore Mi amor" by Color Me Badd up sixten places to 30!. Guys, we do not need this miserable shit of a song to be a hit. Fuck it off.

In much better news, Naughty by Nature's "O.P.P" climbed twelve places to 36 which is really damn good news.

Re-Entries

Boom Crash Opera are back at number 50 with their EP called "Dreams on Fire"

Losers

This week saw continued losses for the hits of 1991 like PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" down nine spots to 47, "Lovesick" by Gang Starr which tumbled from 25 to 33, "When Something is Wrong With My Baby" by Jimmy Barnes and John Farnham slipping from 22 to 29, "Rush" by Big Audio Dynamite II which skidded down from 37 to 44, "Just Like You" by Robbie Nevil down twelve spots to 39 and "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred down five spots to 11 (effectively getting replaced in the top ten by a far better song too...just saying)

However there were also losses for 1992 songs with "I've Had You" by Jenny Morris which is losing grip down ten to 39 along with crap like "Martika's Kitchen" by Martika which collapsed from 29 to 42...thank goodness, "Spill the Wine" by Freaked-Out Flower Children spilling eight slots to 40

New Entries

Five new entries this week starting with

48. "Peace" by Sabrina Johnston

So Sabrina Johnston, an American soul singer, who is having some success in the UK with this song and honestly this isn't bad, she sells it well and the production is a bit what you would expect for the early nineties especially given the era of big doofy dance beats but this song is so big it really comes together quite well and Sabrina's vocals almost convince me that this could have been a gospel song although I will say the pronunciation of  'peace' does get pretty damn annoying at points but still, this is pretty good. 

48. "If You Go Away" by NKTOB

So I've never really cared for New Kids on the Block, I always have found their writing to be the worst kind of patronising and pandering eg: "You Got It (The Right Stuff)" is probably the biggest example of the patronising garbage NKTOB have come up with but anyway here's their new single and yeah the patronising nonsense is back only the chorus throws in added guilt tripping in the chorus in spite of the fact that this girl would have every right to walk away from him if he has hurt her. 

Throw in the production being this bland piano percussion heavy thing and yeah...there's a reason NKTOB have never impressed me at all, it's slurry pop music aimed at pleasing their fanbase...pass!

41. "If You Were With Me Now" by Kylie Minogue and Keith Washington

So the second of the ballads new to the chart this week and I got to be honest this feels like Kylie replacing Jason Donovan with American singer Keith Washington taking Donovan's role and I am just not convinced that these two have any chemistry whatsoever. The song itself is this pretty piano and strings ballad that probably should hit harder than it does with two people being apart and wishing they could be together...its not all that bad but this could have worked even better if it were two singers who had some vocal chemistry...that's all.

38. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Jimmy Barnes

Jimmy Barnes covering a 1967 Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell classic for his album Soul Deep released last year and honestly I actually kind of like this...its not ever going to be magic that Gaye and Terrell created but this is still really damn good for what it is, the production and Jimmy respect the hell out of the original all while Jimmy still manages to put his own spin on the song and you know what if covers were more like this then hell, they might just make my best list. Nice one, Jimmy.

However we're finishing with a cover that should not exist at all with...

25. "Pride (In the Name of Love) by Clivilles & Cole

Okay, Did this really need to happen? Did we really need a cover of what is one of U2's best songs where Bono sings that chorus with so much passion in his voice that it's infectious with the guitars and drums backing him the whole way. This cover from American record producers Clivilles & Cole which turns a song about civil rights on both sides of the coin into an electronic beepy mess and no, Deborah Cooper's vocals do not have the power or the passion to carry a song like this. This is what would happen if rock songs being attacked by the Imagine Dragons was a thing in 1992.

It's easily the worst of the worst week while  Jimmy Barnes just edges out Sabrina Johnston for best of the week with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

New Music Friday Review: 29th January. All You Ever Wanted was a Girlfriend so C'est La Vie

"C'est La Vie" by The Killers

No, this is not the lead off single for that album that's apparently coming from The Killers this year, this is from their deluxe edition of "Imploding the Mirage" and as somebody who is becoming a fan of The Killers thanks to that last album, I am glad "C'est La Vie" is not the lead single for that next album because to put it in a polite manner, this song is a mess to the point where Brandon Flowers does not sound good here at all and the instrumentation is all clunky and not all in line with how amazing the rest of "Imploding the Mirage" was.

Avoid this song if you possibly can...

Rating: 4/10

"All You Ever Wanted" by Rag 'n' Bone Man

Fair to say that I wasn't looking forward to hearing this song given what Rag 'n' Bone man had done in the past especially with how "Human" just faded harder than the bluff and bluster of a certain former US President so I pretty much went into this with no expectations whatsoever so how was "All You Ever Wanted" by Rag 'n' Bone Man?

Holy shit! I was not expecting this from somebody like Rag 'n' Bone Man of all people, he has pivoted toward more of the rock sound that The Killers embraced on "Imploding the Mirage" and my god he does it so damn well...it sounds awesome and was one of the best new songs that was released on Friday. Check this out!

Rating: 9/10

"Girlfriend" by Rebecca Black

It's been pretty clear for awhile now that Rebecca Black is trying to walk the path of being a serious musician since she was some marketing mob's plaything when "Friday" escaped into the public consciousness so I was curious to check out this song and yeah, its a pretty damn solid pop song that Rebecca sounds good over this production and lyrics about getting back with a partner (in this case, Rebecca's girlfriend) so yeah this is a decent pop song. Might be time for people to start taking Rebecca Black as something more than the "Friday" song girl.

Rating 7/10

"Higher" by Clean Bandit feat. Iann Dior

So we have the first Clean Bandit in awhile, they've brought on board Iann ior for this one so after Dior's feature on "Mood", I was weirdly optimistic that this one would turn out alright and yeah...this is pretty good, the only issue I have is with the production that's occasionally louder than the vocals but yeah there's a bounce and groove to this song that works well and Dior's delivery matches the production well even if it reminds me in parts and the harmonies at the end work well...it's just a nice song to have around...good job Clean Bandit and Iann Dior

Rating: 7/10

"Everything We Need" by A Day to Remember

I'll keep this short. A Day To Remember has been treleported to the world of the Imagine Dragons and looks highly unlikely to comeback, although this song reminds of that One Republic song "Something I Need" and I didn't like that song either. Not going to enjoy hearing this in shitty car commercials and phone company ads.

Rating: 2/10

Finally...something I need to address...

I will not be reviewing songs released from the soundtrack of the film "Music"

Normally I would not refuse to write about a song that come from an unexpected source but I won't be reviewing the song that was released on Friday from the soundtrack for "Music" due to the issues that I have with this film eg: a film about autism that has no actual autistic actors cannot be authentic to what autistic people experience (only got to look at the music videos for a song like "Together" to discover that they aren't at all friendly to autistic people with sensory overload), the use of prone restraint to deal with a meltdown in the film, Sia's unwillingness to listen to those who are actually autistic and their justified and well thought out criticisms of the film and I am concerned that this film might play into some romanticised and Hollywood styled stereotypes and tropes about autism.

That is where I feel comfortable leaving it for now. Go watch films about autism that have real representation of autism not this Hollywood stylised representation of it.

ARIA Top Ten Singles/Chart Review: 1st February. No need for a Booster Seat to Get on the Beers after Hottest 100

I was expecting chaos following the reveal of the 2020 Hottest 100 countdown by Triple J last week and yeah we got muted chaos that can be correlated to the Hottest 100.,,some of it not so much but let's get to the top ten where "Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo reigns supreme for a third week, it's got streaming in its favour and while it's not dominating on sales...its still a solid player on that angle.

Now this is where we confront the first impact of the Hottest 100 because the Hottest 100 number one "Heat Waves'  by Glass Animals surged up nine places to number two on the back of massive sales and streaming off the back of the Triple J countdown...I just wish the song was good.

The same could be said for The Kid Laroi's "Without You" which fell one place to number three thanks to the monster streaming by Glass Animals. In fact "Mood" by 24k Goldn and Iann Dior at number four and "Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby at number five also fell one place thanks to the rise of "Heat Waves"

A song that has the potential to rise even further is "Fly Away" by Tones and I which rose two places to number six, this song is doing incredibly on sales and on Apple Music...just needs to improve on Spotify and it might well challenge "Drivers License" in a few weeks.

Steady at number seven is "Head & Heart" by Joel Corry and MNEK, mostly because streaming hasn't completely moved on from this song yet.

We have a new entry at number eight and yes it's another impact courtesy of the Hottest 100 with Perth band Spacey Jane landing at number eight with "Booster Seat"...I'll have more on this song's quality later but it isn't built to stick aroudn unfortunately, it's mostly here due to the impact of the  Hottest 100 on streaming and sales with the sales already evaporating.

This means that "So Done" by The Kid Laroi could leap forward if streaming stays strong...needs sales to get on board properly though.

Finally the big victim of all the shuffling is "Anyone" by Justin Bieber which fell six places to number ten.

Gains

So let's deal with the Hottest 100 correlated gains with there being a thirteen place jump to 18 for "WAP" by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion", a four place gain to 16 for "Therefore I Am" by Billie Eilish. 

In gains not related to the Hottest 100, "Streets" by Doja Cat looks to be a hit in the making as it rose 19 places to 27 while HVME's awful remix of "Goosebumps" by Travis Scott climbed seven spots to 22.

Re Entries

Both returns are off the back of appearances on the Hottest 100 with Flume's "The Difference" with Toro y Moi back at 23 and Hilltop Hoods "I'm Good" back at number 50.

Losers

Our losers are mostly all songs that suffered hard especially "Prisoner" by Miley Cyrus feat. Dua Lipa which plunged fourteen to 36, "Take You Dancing" by Jason Derulo which fell eight places to 33 and "Willow" by Taylor Swift" down nine to 28. 

The same can also be said for "Monster" by Shawn Mendes and Justin Bieber which tumbled nine spots to number 45.

Others are just 2020 songs that are on their way out like "Midnight Sky" by Miley Cyrus which dropped six places to 41, "Savage Love" by Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo down six to 44, "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa down six to 49, "Watermelon Sugar"  by Harry Styles down seven spots to 35 and "What You Know About Love" by the late Pop Smoke down six to 32.

CJ's "Whoopty" tumbled six spots to 24 while "Afterglow" by Ed Sheeran slipped five to 19 while "34+35" by Ariana Grande lost traction to fall six places to number 11

Drop Outs

Well I am not all that upset about our drop outs this week, mostly because they are 2020 leftovers or utter trash. In the former category is "Some Say" by Nea and "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Jubel feat. Neimy depart after respectable runs.

In the latter, "Put Your Records on" by Ritt Momney and "Love Not War (The Tampa Beat)" by Jason DeRulo and Nuka also take their exits. Good riddance.

New Entries

Two new entries this week and they are both Australian...(the Rosalia and Billie Eilish collab didn't show up in the top 50), starting with...

39. "Get on the Beers" by Mashd n Kutcher feat. Dan Andrews

So this showed up on the chart this week thanks to ranking fairly high on the Hottest 100 but it even before that it had been a trending track on Spotify for a good couple of months. For those who don't know, Mashd n Kutcher are a dance and electronic duo who have previously charted on the Australian singles chart with "Do It Now" in 2014 and "My Sunshine" in 2018 xo these guys aren't newbies to the ARIA top 50. 

"Get on the Beers" is inspired by Melbourne's COVID lockdown in the middle of last year and a speech made by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews warning Victorians that "it was not appropriate to have all your mates around to your house" and get on the beers" due to the pubs being shut. 

This just seems the sort of laconic Aussie thing that would happen on the ARIA singles chart during the pandemic, I love what Mashd n Kutcher have done here, the music matches Daniel Andrews speech perfectly...this is good fun...check it out!

8. "Booster Seat" by Spacey Jane

So to explain this one, Spacey Jane are an indie rock garage band hailing from Perth with "Booster Seat" being their first song to hit the ARIA singles chart from their album released last year called "Sunlight" so how is the song.

Honestly I like it! The harmonies and that swirling guitar riff help to bring home the lyrics about feelings of depression and anxiety taking control away from you by using the metaphor of a child traveling in a car in a booster seat and that child relying on loved ones restraining him in the seat. Throw in that great hook and I honestly hope this sticks around even if I get the feeling it won't. Great song!

No worst of the week this week as both songs are pretty good but best of the week is going to Spacey Jane for "Booster Seat".

So that wraps up our week here. I'm not sure what's going to happen next week so we'll have to find out on Saturday at 5pm AEDT. 

Good 1992 Vibrations: 25th January: Rocket Man, it's been a long long time but I adore mi amor...wait, what?

So this week was interesting in terms of everything on the chart especially as to what gained traction and the two new songs that hit the chart (Oh boy...we'll get to that) but the big story is right at the very top of the chart where "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt -n- Pepa took the number one as sales momentum saw it climb two places to the top the charts.

Hell, it could also be that "Cream" by Prince and the New Power Generation is slowly starting to lose traction on sales but it was enough for it to hold on to the number two slot ahead of the six week number one "Black Or White" by Michael Jackson which slipped two places to number three.

"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by George Michael and Elton John remains steady at number four however its starting to come under pressure from Euphoria's "Love You Right" which moved up two places to number five.

It was another steady week for "Ain't No Sunshine" by Rockmelons feat Deni Hines as it stayed at number six while "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred shifted down two places to number seven.

Surprisingly, "Saltwater" by Julian Lennon shifted up one spot to number eight while unsurprisingly rising three places to number 9 is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana.

All this meant "Come to Me" by Diesel slipped twp spots to number ten

Gains

So most of the gains are on the good side with "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen getting an enormous boost off it's return to the chart last week all the way up to number 12 likewise for "One Word" by Baby Animals which rose twenty places to 24 and "Justified & Ancient" by The KLF rose seven to number 11.

However there are some gains on the crap side like "Addams Groove" by MC Hammer which rose all the way from 30 to break into the top twenty at 19...not good, the same can be said for "Martika's Kitchen" by Martika which jumped from 37 to 29 and "Spill the Wine" by Freaked-Out Flower Children up from 46 to 32. 

Richard Marx jumped from 42 to 34 this week while "I've Had You" by Jenny Morris climbed from 47 to 39 and Rozalla's "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" jumped from 22 to 15. 

Re-Entries

For some reason, "2 Legit 2 Quit" by MC Hammer is back at number 43...Sheeesh

Losers

Most of the losers are songs that are from 1991 like "Live Your Life Be Free" by Belinda Carlisle down 12 spots to 50, "Please Don't Ask Me" by John Farnham slipped eight places to 44. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch feat. Loleatta Hathaway aren't feeling the "Good Vibrations" anymore as the song slipped ten places to 42.

"I'll Be Back" by Arnee and The Terminators collapsed from 29 to 40 while Extreme fell into a hole as "Hole Hearted" tumbled from 34 to 41 and PM Dawn's "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" skidded eleven places to 38

Robbie Nevil's increasingly annoying "Just Like You" fell seven spots to 27 and finally "When Something is Wrong with My Baby" by Jimmy Barnes & John Farnham crashed from 14 to 22.

New Entries

Just the two new entries this week so let's get this over with quickly.

49. "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be A Long Long Time)" by Kate Bush

So we technically have two Elton John covers on the chart now with Kate Bush putting her own spin on "Rocket Man" and I will admit I was guilty of being dismissive of this after one listen but having gone back and re-listened to this song, its actually not bad and puts a different line on Elton's 'Rocket Man"...its a very respectfully done cover with the instrumentation while sounding very much Kate Bush managing to also keep with the melody of the cover. I don't mind it...check it out if you are curious.

It's certainly much better than...

44. "I Adore Mi Amor" by Color Me Badd

Alright so Color Me Badd are following up their success in 1991 with...possibly the most miserable sounding turd to be released in 1992...seriously for a song about adoring someone, this sounds more miserable and lethargic, "Addams Groove" by MC Hammer might not be good but it at least has energy and passion, something that none of the members of Color Me Badd seem to have.

Also for a song about being in love, there's nothing love struck about anything in this song, the instrumentation makes adoring this girl sound miserable and like the members of Color Me Badd all got a whiff of bad body odour hence the less than enthusiastic and bored vocal delivery.

Yeah this is worse than "Addams Groove"...avoid this shit like the plague, it's the worst of this week so given there's no other new entries, "Rocket Man (I think it's going to be a long long time)" by Kate Bush gets best of the week.

New Music Friday Review: 22nd January. New Love Lifestyle and Letting Go of Confession Box

 "Typhoons"  by Royal Blood

Royal Blood are amongst a couple within the indie rock genre in Britain that I like to keep an eye on and with this song being the title track for the new album due out in April  and "Trouble's Coming" growing on me a fair bit since it's release so how is "Typhoons"?

Well "Typhoons" has some serious swagger about it however the bright skuzzy guitars and almost disco rock feel of the song hide some pretty dark lyrics centring around mental health and substance abuse eg: alcohol during the ongoing pandemic and yeah the production makes this song feel like it'd be a load of fun to dance to at a festival...absolute banger!

Rating: 8/10

Speaking of British indie rock...

"Confession Box" by The Pale White

The Pale White are a band hailing out of north east of England, I've been aware of these guys since they released "Reaction" in 2017, they've been releasing singles and EPs for awhile now with "Confession Box" being their first single of 2021 so how is "Confession Box"?

Well it's a return to a heavier sound for the Pale White after the more melodic "Take Your Time", with "Confession Box' exploring post break up emotions and I definitely like this sound from The Pale White a lot with it's searing guitars and lyrics that are pretty darn catchy. Looking forward to that debut album in 2021 if we get it1

Rating: 8/10

Time to go with pop country thanks to a collaboration I wasn't expecting...

"I Can't" by Caitlyn Smith feat. Old Dominion

So Caitlyn Smith has teamed up with one of the country bands that I really don't care for to see if she can finally get a break onto the charts in the US with this ballad from the deluxe edition of "Supernova" although lets be real songs from "Starfire" and "Supernova" should have crossed over already however is "I Can't" any good?

Well yeah, it's a strong song and Caitlyn Smith really shines through in the vocals although Old Dominion's Matthew Ramsey is also pretty solid here too! Prominent piano and guitar here too...it's solid and both Caitlyn and Old Dominion sell the song well so you know what? Check it out!

Rating: 7/10

Okay, so I think this along with one other song may chart (I am trying to keep New Music Friday Review for songs that don't hit the ARIA singles top 50) but I going to cover this one only briefly...

"Lifestyle" by Jason DeRulo feat. Adam Levine

I think I groaned when I saw that these two had collaborated but then I remembered that two acts I disliked got together and made a song that made my best list last year so Jason DeRulo and Maroon 5's Adam Levine could potentially have made something good, right?

Well here's the thing...this song really isn't that bad, it's ridiculously catchy and even if Jason DeRulo still thinks singing his name at the start of a song is still very annoying to me but both DeRulo and Levine sound fine enough here and it sounds like both are having fun as they sing about this woman having this lifestyle of diamonds (the reference to Rihanna's song called "Diamonds" by DeRulo was hilarious). Honestly the song is a bit stupid and will get annoying pretty quickly if it gets overplayed, that said I don't mind it right now...ask me in a couple of months time and my response might be different.

Rating: 6/10

Now time for Australia's favourite musical anti vaxxer!

"letting go" by Ziggy Alberts

I've never really been impressed by Ziggy Alberts music regardless of his views away from the music but I wanted to give him another chance...and well...I kind of regret doing so because this song is really not anything at all special, it falls closer to bad Jack Johnson impersonation than anything else and again that's the feeling I've had about this guy's music for most of his career, he has one or two songs that are decent but for the most part they are like this. Pass.

Rating: 3/10

This is another one that I think might chart eventually but its a song that I wanted to cover none the less

"New Love" by Silk City feat. Ellie Goulding

So Mark Ronson and Diplo have worked together again this time swapping out Dua Lipa with Ellie Goulding for this slice of dance and EDM pop. Look, it's fine, the production works well but that chorus is just repetitive to the point of being extremely annoying despite Ellie Goulding selling it well enough. It's an ehhh for me.

Rating: 6/10

Let's wrap this up with a relatively new Aussie rock act.

"Something About Being Sixteen" by Teenage Joans

So for he uninitiated the Teenage Joans are an act hailing from Adelaide that was discovered by radio station Triple J through Unearthed which seeks to find exciting new young Australian talent with Teenage Joans song "Three Leaf Clover" winning the "Unearthed High" competition and just recently landing at 87 on Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown for 2020 and on Friday, they released new single "Something About Being Sixteen" so what did we get?

When I heard "Three Leaf Clover" I was actually impressed, I liked what I was hearing and with this new song...yeah...its pretty good, I love how prominent the drums and guitars are. The lyrics are pretty angsty about getting over a break up and moving on. I like this....check it out if you are curious.

Rating: 7/10

ARIA Singles Chart Top Ten/Chart Review: 25th January. Best Friend Walks Streets getting bad Goosebumps

 This week felt like a much calmer and somewhat easier week to deal with, sure the new entries are a bit of a nightmare but they feel like a small portion within regard to a chart that has sorted itself out for 2021 so let's begin with the top ten where unsurprisingly 'Drivers License" by Olivia Rodrigo held the number one for a second week, it's got streaming and sales pretty much on lock for another two weeks or so at number one at least.

It was enough to see it keep "Without You" by The Kid Laroi, remaining at number two, at bay. It's got streaming and a little bit of sales traction but the margin to "Drivers License" is enormous and it's just not got the strength to knock it over just yet.

The same goes for "Mood" by 24kGoldn and Ian Dior at number three for a second week, it just doesn't have the strength to challenge the top two, it might also be the case for "Levitating" by Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby as it looks to have peaked on streaming. 

Boosted by a remix with Doja Cat (more about her in the new entries) and Megan Thee Stallion saw "34+35" by Ariana Grande rise from 14 to number five this week thanks mostly to streaming and yeah, it impacted the rest of the top ten

Well...except for Justin Bieber's "Anyone" which remains steady at number six thanks to streaming and some sales. I am not convinced this has the legs to rise much higher but we'll see.

"Head & Heart" by Joel Corry and MNEK fell two places to number seven as it has finally started to bleed on streaming while "Fly Away" by Tones and I fell one spot to number eight as it lost a bit of ground on streaming this week, "So Done" by The Kid Laroi slipped one spot to number nine and "Good Days" by SZA fell one to number ten (this should rebound given it's strength on streaming).

Gains

The biggest gain for this week came for The Weekend's "Save Your Tears" which climbed 18 places to number 32...I'll take it as it was the best of our gain this week because from there we have "Looking for Me' by Paul Woolford, Diplo and Kareen Lomax up five to number 39.

However the most significant gain of the week belongs to "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals up six to 11 mostly because this looks set to hit the top ten next week thanks to the impact of being the number one song on the 2020 Triple J Hottest 100 countdown held yesterday, i;' s already got major boosts on both both sales and on Apple Music and Spotify.

However there are some good gains with "Prisoner" by Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa up five spots to 27 and "Paradise" by Meduza feat. Dermot Kennedy up eight places to 21.

Losers

"Midnight Sky" by Miley Cyrus fell seven places to 35 while "Therefore I am" by Billie Eilish slipped five places to 20 (it should get a Hottest 100 boost next week) as did "Take You Dancing" by Jason DeRulo down five to 25 and "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles down five to 28.

Drop outs

Three drop outs this week. Not all that disappointed that "Wonder" by Shawn Mendes or "For the Night" by Pop Smoke are gone, the latter has had a good run on the chart.

The one drop out I am sad to see not get any traction whatsoever is "Holiday" by Lil Nas X...maybe it's a seasonal song but whatever the case, I would have liked it to stick around because it's a fun song.

New Entries

So there's three new entries and I am going to endeavour to keep this short because I really don't have much to say about most of these starting with...

48. "Best Friend" by Saweetie feat. Doja Cat

So I am just going to try to set aside the fact that this song is co written and co produced by Dr Luke and look..I am not very impressed by this song regardless, all this is is Saweetie and Doja Cat bragging about their best friend being a 'bad bitch' and being able to do all this other stuff like drive a car (she doesn't need a Uber or Lyft!) and twerking on guys in the club, it's basically a hype song that doesn't amount to all that much especially with a beat that is pretty limp from Dr Luke...I am going to forget this exists in a week...NEXT!

We're not done with Doja Cat though because...

46. "Streets" by Doja Cat

So this is Doja Cat's follow up to "Say So" and honestly I actually like this a lot, her delivery on the first verse and chorus and is sensual and matches the more sleek and wiry production, she sounds great here! It almost reminds me of early 90s R 'n' B. My only real criticism is that second verse where she slips into that grating delivery, it doesn't feel at all necessary...that said I do like this a lot more than "Say So" and the lyrics do come across as sincere as Doja is trying to find somebody to love that's like her ex partner and not really finding anyone but yeah that second verse just means the song is merely good  rather than great which is annoying because I wanted it to be great.

Finally...

29. "Goosebumps (remix) by Travis Scott & HVME

Oh god. So let me explain,,,HVME (pronounced "Hume") is a Spanish producer with this remix of Travis Scott's 2017 hit "Goosebumps" being his breakout charting hit and honestly this is pretty terrible, mainly because the music doesn't at all match what the original song was selling which was darkness and Scott inviting this girl into his dark world and that flat delivery of the hook just sets my teeth on edge. This is easily the worst new song of the week. 

As for the best...that's not a contest either with "Streets" by Doja Cat getting that. 

Let's hope next week is a bit better for the quality of the new entries as the chart will be impact the Triple J Hottest 100 next week and maybe that Spanish language song collaboration from Billie Eilish and Rosalia but we'll see on Saturday at 5pm AEDT

New Music Friday Review: 15th January Bonafide Don't Play De Una Vez

"De Una Vez" by Selena Gomez

("At Once")

Selena Gomez is changing tack musically, she's going to be releasing a Spanish language album this year with a song called "De Una Vez" being the first song from that upcoming project. Translated "De Una Vez" means "At Once" and judging by the translation of the song, it's the next chapter following "Lose You to Love Me" where she's healed from her broken heart after a failed relationship and is ready to move on and is ready to prove she is stronger and happier without the guy (whoever it is aimed at) and yeah I totally get it even if I am a little tired of Selena writing songs allegedly aimed at Justin Bieber...it is time to let go.

 I like the production from Tainy on this song, it feels more organic and definitely suits Selena a lot better than some of the production she was given on that last English language album of hers. I like this a lot...check it out.

Rating: 8/10

"Don't Play" by Anne-Marie, KSI and Digital Farm Animals

Ugh...I wasn't looking forward to this one, KSI is a rapper who is bigger in the UK, he teamed up with singer Anne-Marie, who hasn't seen any chart success in Australia since "2002" in 2018, they brought along Digital Farm Animals along for this song so how is the song?

It's forgettable if I am to be honest, its a song about heartache that's delivered with all the passion of somebody who has had to be told what heartache feels like, it just feels wooden and insincere. The production from Digital Farm Animals is only passable at best...I'm not coming back to this. Pass.

Rating: 3/10

"How Can I Resist Her?" by Robinson

Ooh how do I explain this one? This song is from an upcoming album where artists hailing from Australia and NZ are recording reimagined covers of songs from Split Enz 1980 number one album in Australia and New Zealand called "True Colours" and spawned the Australian year end number one hit "I Got You" plus hits like "I Hope I Never" and "Shark Attack" with Robinson's cover of the Tim Finn penned "How Can I Resist Her" being the third song to be released from the project following Shihad's pretty solid cover of "I Got You" and Busby Marou's cover of the Neil Finn penned "Missing Person".

I am a Split Enz fan so I was kind of curious to hear this song and my god...it was instant love, folks, this cover is beautiful, Robinson has kept the lyrics as they are rather than changing them which gives the song a same sex romance framing and honestly it works as Robinson turns the song into this gorgeous indie folk nearly country song and her vocals are stunning, check out this song and the more raucous Split Enz original (actually check out the whole original "True Colours" album). Great job Robinson! 

Rating: 9/10

"Bonafide" by Emotional Oranges feat. Chiiild

This is going to sound weird considering I loved the lightweight version of Emotional Oranges in 2019 that being "Dancing With a Stranger" by Sam Smirh and Normani but I just couldn't find an inroad to getting into Emotional Oranges even as I watched other people digging their music and telling me how incredible it was yet every time I tried to get into this group, it just wasn't connecting for me despite the music being as stunning as everyone said it was. 

So here's "Bonafide" this time bringing on board Canadian experimental soul band Chiiild and well? Yeah...this works for me! It's got a solid groove and the vocals are silky smooth and give the song a vibe that I can get into. Nice!

Rating: 8/10

"Did Ya Think" by The Veronicas

Bet this is an act you guys haven't thought about for awhile and no this is not a song from their supposed album that is said to be coming this year, it's an off cut from their debut album "The Secret Life Of" and honestly this is the Veronicas sound I love...its sharp pop/rock which is what Jess and Lisa Origlasso are damn good at and was a shame to see them move away from especially as "4Ever" is still a damn great song. I don't think this will be a hit but check it out.

Rating: 8/10

"Close To You" by Dayglow

To wrap up this week's New Music Friday Review, we have Sloan Struble aka Dayglow and his new single which honestly sounds similar in sound to The 1975 except done better than the actual The 1975...how many times has everyone said that this past year?. Its a solid song that's got an 80s style sound to it again like The 1975 with lyrics all about the mix of excitement and nervousness felt before meeting a date. It's a pretty solid song...I dig it.

Rating: 7/10