New Music Friday Review. 23rd April. He said when it was over, She Said Don't waste your Love

 "Life of the Party" by The Veronicas feat. Allday

So I wasn't expecting this so soon after the release of the loud and raucous lead single "Godzilla" however this song is actually more Allday's than The Veronicas given The Veronicas are really only only on the chorus and one verse on a song where both The Veronicas and Allday are just out at a party trying to find somebody to make a genuine connection with even as everybody else is trying to be the 'life of the party' or the centre of attention at that party. It's decent but I'm not sure it's all that memorable. Ehh, check it out if you are curious.

Rating 6/10

"Don't Waste Your Love" by Boo Seeka feat. Golding

So this song is kind of interesting especially as it's this fizzy EDM/pop number that yeah, is rather catchy as Boo Seeka and Golding urge people not to waste their love or time but to rather enjoy the good moments in life. I love the positive message this song sells here. I don't mind it at all. Not bad! 

Rating: 7/10

"When Was It Over" by Sasha Sloan feat. Sam Hunt

Okay so I was not expecting Sam Hunt to turn up on a pop song by Sasha Sloan so this kind of turned up out of nowhere and while the song is about not being able to let go of somebody after a relationship has broken down and honestly it's a sentiment that Sasha Sloan sells well here, she sounds genuine enough over the guitar strums and then Sam Hunt shows up and if you got the feeling this would be like going over old territory for him? Well you'd be right because he sounds like the same smug jerk behind songs like "Drinking too Much" and "Body Like a Backroad"...yeah no...this song might be tolerable but it's only because of that guitar and Sasha Sloan.

Rating: 6/10 

"He Said, She Said" by CHVRCHES

So I was slow to the CHVRCHES hype train, seemed like everyone was going nuts about them a few years ago after they released "Every Open Eye", an album that is loved by critics but I missed it and only managed to hear them when they released the lead single "Get Out" for the 2018 album "Love Is Dead" and I still don't quite understand the fuss, yeah the band have good hooks but production was an issue quite honestly it remains an issue with the new single for the band's fourth album because my god the production here is off with that awful sounding guitar that sounds like it comes off a bad Sonic game from 1992, it's just not been mixed properly. I get wanting to do the 80s sound but this is the 80s sound done badly.

Rating 4/10

Good 1992 Vibrations. April 26th: Take It from Me, L.O.V.E, Nothing Else Matters 2 Night

 Let's not muck around this week and get stuck into the top ten where to nobody's surprise, "Under The Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers remains at number one for a second week, its got a decent sized sales margin over "Way Out West" by James Blundell and James Reyne which climbed one place to number two and "Get Ready for this" by 2 Unlimited which rose one to number three.

Granted the reason for the above gains is because "Marvellous" by The 12th Man feat. MCG Hammer slipped two places to number four as the momentum for this song is starting to fade away.

The momentum for "Stay" by Shakespears Sister isn't fading though, it's up two places to number five this week...unfortunately. Also not going away is "To Be With You" by Mr Big up three places to number six because we need cornball garbage in the top ten right now (sarcasm fully intended).

All of that saw "Not a Day Goes" by Rick Price down two places to number seven while "Let's get Rocked" by Def Leppard slipped two places to number eight.

We have two songs joining the top ten this week and its a bit of a mixed bag because on the one hand there's the garbage that is Teen Queen's cover of "Be My Baby" up three places to number nine for some reason but on the other "Alive" by Pearl Jam finally reached the top ten climbing one place to number ten which is awesome because yeah I still like that song.

Gains

So let's begin with the songs that debuted last week and gained this week and unfortunately one of them is the audio torture that is "James Brown is Dead" by L.A. Style which climbed from 34 to 18 this week. In better news "Djapana (Sunset Dreaming) by Yothu Yindi jumpe from 41 to 20 this week which is nice to see!.

Even better "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice rose from 38 to 22. Again, I like the song so am happy to see it climbing.

"Diamnds & Peatls" by Prince and The New Power Generation rebounded from 36 to 25 for some reason while "Baby Love" by Dannii Minogue jumped from 33 to 26. 

"Help Yourself" by Julian Lennon got a thirteen place gain to 30...I am still indifferent on this song and I'm not completely sure as to why. 

Losers

Wow....it was a busy week here so let's start with the songs that are fizzing out before their time like "Stars" down eight places to number 50, "Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man"  by Concrete Blonde down ten to 49 (In the case of the former, I am disappointed, in the case of the latter...I'm fine with it...the song isn't good), "Human Touch" by Bruce Springsteen unfortunately continues to fade, this week down eleven to 37 and "Feels So High" by Des'ree down from 29 to 35.

"Give Me Just A little More Time" by Kylie Minogue took an eight place hit down from 24 to 32 this week.

Then we have a slew of hits taking losses this week like "Rocket Man (I think it's going to be a Long Long Time)" by Kate Bush which plunged from 28 to 46, "Pride (In the Name of Love" by Clivilles & Cole down fifteen spots to 45 and "Justified & Ancient" by The KLF down eight to 43, "Love You Right" by Euphoria slumping from 25 to 40,  "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana skittled from 27 to 39, "Saltwater" by Julian Lennon pummelled down from 18 to 38 and "November Rain" by Guns 'n' Roses" down six to 27. 

New Entries

Six new entries this week, half of them being Australian. We starting off with....

47. "Sometimes (Live)" by Midnight Oil

Well this feels kind of odd, the live version of a song from Midnight Oil's 1987 album "Diesel & Dust" hitting the chart however this is a live recording of the song from the compilation album "Scream in Blue" and what I will say about this is that it's a bit frustrating again because it feels like Peter Garrett is is buried underneath the bevy of guitars and drums, don't get me wrong the instrumentation sounds good here but the mixing is just off. Also is there that need to drum the word 'sometimes' into our heads so much. Ehh, sorry but this isn't Midnight Oil's best...I'm skipping this. 

42. "That Word (L.O.V.E)" by The Rockmelons feat. Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks & Deni Hines

Now this is more like it. The Rockmelons bringing their pop/reggae sound and team up with Deni Hines again with Cutty and Nardo Ranks bringing the hype which does feel unnecessary to a degree as the song is pretty darn catchy enough with just the Rockmelons and Deni Hines on it and yeah the lyrics are a pretty standard set about a universal theme but you know what, this has hit written all over it, its catchy, breezy and honestly perfect for a summer at the beach hence I'm surprised it's only just debuting in mid autumn. I like this. Check it out!

41. "Take It From Me" by Girlfriend

Okay, so this is a brand new five member all girl group, it's members being Robyn Loau, Melanie Alexander, Siobhann Heidenreich, Lorinda Noble and Jacqueline Cowell, the band formed in 1991 with this song being the group's debut with mostly Loau and Alexander sharing the solo vocals, Loau singing the verses with Alexander in on the bridge and for me, its Loau's vocal delivery that better matches the almost new jack swing vibe of the song where the girls are begging their man to take their word that they'll be good to him. It's a cute pop dance song, check it out if you are curious.

33. "Sound" by James

This song is the first single from James fourth studio album "Seven" yet why does this remind me of U2? That instrumentation really does give me U2 knock off vibes and those vocals on the verses are creepy and that wailing post the hook is nonsense and pretty headache inducing. In short this is artsy wank and effectively meaningless rubbish...skip it.

29. "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica

Metallica return to the ARIA charts with this being the third single from their self titled debut album, and yeah I got chills, for one thing the production on this song is OUTSTANDING, it starts off with this low guitar and slowly brings in more orchestral elements  before James Hetfield starts singing about how he is on tour being away from home and everyone he loves and missing those people, being home with those people is the thing that matters for him, this power ballad hits pretty god damn hard. It's been a damn good year for rock so far and Metallica just added to it with this. Definitely give this a listen!

28. "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" by Prince & The New Power Generation

Well here's the latest single from "Diamonds & Pearls" and...well...it's better than "Cream" and the title track, for one thing there's a groove with the guitars and Prince having a better presence on the song as the lyrics shame the greedy and the focus on the material things (something on reflection has gotten increasingly worse in the 2020s) and slamming the rushing off to war by politicians post the first gulf war the previous year/ I like this, certainly the best of the singles so far.

However "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica is nabbing best of the week with "Take It From Me" by Girlfriend and "That Word (L.O,V.E)" by The Rockmelons, Cutty Ranks, Nardo Ranks and Deni Hines tying for honourable mention.

Worst of the week fall out easily that being "Sound" by James for just being intolerable artsy wank.

ARIA Top 50 Singles Top Ten/Chart Review: 26th April. Montero's Calling by Your Name at Number One

So in a week with absolutely no new entries, this week's chart update could be one of the shortest yet but the thing is we did see three re entries but the big news this lies in our top ten with our new number one and as expected it's "Montero (Call Me by Your Name" by Lil Nas X rising to top spot on the basis of strength on sales and some streaming particularly on Spotify, it was just enough of an edge to push "Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon down to number two but this could get back to number one, its certainly still pretty consistent on streaming.

This places "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals down to number three in a vulnerable position because streaming isn't going to hold it up much longer however it held up enough over "Rapstar" by Polo G which remained at number four, it's got some steady streaming but that's about it.

The same can be said for 'Astronaut in the Ocean" by Masked Wolf at number five, it's got decent streaming and some sales but it's an open question as to whether it can push any higher.

Olivia Rodrigo's "Deja Vu" spends it's first week inside the top ten up five places to number six this week, it's got solid streaming but that's going to need to continue improving if it's going to climb higher.

However it did enough to push "The Business" by Tiesto down one spot to number seven as it's started to finally bleed on streaming...thank goodness...this song has started to piss me off lately.

Hit in the making, "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA climbed two places to number eight and if there was a song in the top ten right now to make a run at the top of the chart, it's this one, it seems to be a song that everyone likes and it's showing on streaming. Need sales to get on board and we might have a monster hit on our hands.

Down one spot to number nine is "Cover Me in Sunshine" by Pink and Willow Sage Hart, it's still a behemoth on sales but it's started to flag a little on streaming.

Finally "Without You" by The Kid Laroi is down three places to number ten but this could get a boost as there's a remix with Miley Cyrus coming so we'll have to see.

Gains

So outside of the top ten, "BED" by Joel Corry feat RAYE and David Guetta climbed 18 places off it's chart debut last week while Corry's big hit "Head & Heart" feat. MNEK rebounded four places to number 24.

Saweetie's "Best Friend" feat. Doja Cat got a five place boost to number 42 while "Body" by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne continued it's upwards momentum by rising four to 28 (WHY?)

Re Entries

So there were three re entries this week headlined by the return of "Martin & Gina" by Polo G (this might finally have some streaming traction...we can hope) at number 46. 

Also back is "What Other People Say" by Sam Fischer & Demi Lovato at number 47 and "Don't Start Now" by Dua Lipa at number 50.

Losers

There was one big loser this week with "Mr Perfectly Fine (Taylor's Version)" by Taylor Swift down 14 to 33 but apart from that there's not too many other notable losers this week, 

Drop Outs

Gone are "Love Story (Taylor's Version)" and "Forever & Always (Taylor's Version)" both from Taylor Swift, they took "Anywhere Away from here" by Rag 'n' Bone Man & Pink with them.

New Entries

There's no new entries on the ARIA singles chart this week and there's nothing of note on the charts around the world so might wrap up the week here. Next week is really who knows at this point because again it was a quiet week for new releases, we might get an Aurora song on the chart thanks to a sudden streaming push but we'll find out on Friday at 5pm. 

New Music Friday Review. 16th April. Sabotage of Shots in Dark Low Key Love Country Again

 "Country Again" by Thomas Rhett

So am I the only one confused here with what is happening with Thomas Rhett's "Country Again (Side A)" album roll out? He released "What's Your Country Song?", a  song that is much closer to the tropes of bro country that we're used to coming from Thomas Rhett but then he released two songs called "Want It Again" and "Growing Up" both leaning toward the more neo traditional country sound and I am pleased to say that "Growing Up" grew on me fair bit so what's the deal with the latest single "Country Again"

Uh...turns out its great! Yeah it amps up the warm spun neo traditional sound with guitars and even a fiddle as Rhett sings about spending less time in Nashville and Los Angeles and more time out fishing and hunting even cranking up Eric Church (given Eric's new album I can't say I can blame Thomas Rhett for cranking up 'Heart' to loud levels!) and basically that feeling of being home in the country. I'm not sure it's better than "Marry Me" but this coming from Thomas Rhett is still really darn good. Check this out.

Rating: 9/10

"Low Key in Love" by The Struts feat. Paris Jackson

So this was a collaboration that made no sense before listening to the song and after hearing the song made all the sense in the world. UK glam rock pop act The Struts, much like Greta Van Fleet, kind of border on pandering toward the past of rock music a fair bit even The Struts don't seep into the cringey Led Zeppelin worship of Greta Van Fleet and teaming up with the daughter of Michael Jackson, Paris, who is coming off releasing her own debut album last year so yeah I was a bit curious for this, did it deliver?

Well yes and no, it's not on the same level as the stomper of a song that was "Body Talks" with Kesha that should have been a massive hit a few years ago but its infused with similar funk and soul rock vibes, The Struts and Paris Jackson do have some chemistry but Paris is still finding her range and where she's most comfortable, she's not nearly as confident a presence behind the mic however the song is fine but I'm not sure that its as strong as it could have been.

Rating: 7/10

"Shots in the Dark" by Iann Dior feat. Trippie Redd

Okay...I'm conflicted on this one. I love the rock sound that's here but there's no way both Iann Dior and Trippie Redd sound good here but I cannot avoid the feeling that Dior is trying way too hard to scrounge a hit using the same formula as "Mood"///I think I like the sound of this and it just hasn't been executed quite right.

Rating: 5/10

"Sabotage" by Bebe Rexha

Well this is better...I guess...the song takes a little bit to get going but the piano sounds nice here but Bebe Rexha's vocals are just no...they leave me in the mind of singing so high that she's trying to get the constipated cows in a farmyard to pee and for a song about the frustration that comes from the self sabotaging of a relationship and a lot else in her life. This doesn't quite work for me.

Rating: 6/10

 

Good 1992 Vibrations. 19th April. America, Help Yourself to get Skin to Skin

 Well this week was a busy one in more ways than one, we got a heap of new entries which we will get to but we also got plenty of movement in our top ten so let's start there because the big story is that we have a new number one with "Under the Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers taking the number one spot and yeah, this is great news, it dominated sales this week to move past "Marvellous" by The 12th Man feat MCG Hammer which slipped back to number two this week and it could be coming under some pressure.

That pressure coming from "Way Out West" by James Blundell and James Reyne up one spot to number three following a surprisingly impressive sales week. 

All this helped knock "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited down two places to number four and its now under pressure from "Not a Day Goes By" by Rick Price which rocketed up five places to number five.

Up one place to number six is "Lets Get Rocked" by Def Leppard, it's looking pretty comfortsble in the top ten right now.

Meanwhile joining the top ten for the first time is "Stay" by Shakespears Sister which climbed four places to number seven because we need sludge like this in the top ten...yay...I guess.

Down three places to number eight is "Dizzy" by Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff. This song has secured it's place on the year end and is fading naturally so yeah I am fine with it leaving the top ten,

Mr. Big also get their first week in the top ten because unbelievably the corniest song to ever become a hit "To Be With You" climbed eleven places to number nine. How the fuck does nobody else see the cringe with this song?

Finally U2's "One look looks to be on the way out down two places to number ten.

Gains

So I already talked about the big gain for Mr Big in the top ten but there were some other notable gains like somehow Teen Queens incredibly lame cover of "Be My Baby" jumped off its debut at 30 all the way up to number 12...WHY?

In more pleasing news "Why' by Annie Lennox got a ten place gain to 22 while "Give Me Just A Little More Time" by Kylie Minogue got a big boost off it's number 40 debut to 24. 

"Insanity" by Oceanic up eight to 31 while "Baby Love" by Dannii Minogue climbed from 38 to 33 (actually cool with this gain...the cover is fine)

The gain I am pleased about is "I Love Your Smile" by Shanice up from 44 to 38. Good, that song is still adorable.

Losers

So the hits again took the biggest hits this week with "The Globe" by Big Audio Dynamite II down from 36 to 50 as it's lifespan on the chart seems destined to reach its end. "Justified & Ancient" by The KLF tumbling from 22 to 35, "Come As You Are" by Nirvana come down from 32 to 26 as they are, "Rocket Man (I Think it's Going to be a Long Long Time)" by Kate Bush dropped seven places to 28 while "Human Touch" by Bruce Springsteen unfortunately suffered from lack of touch down eight to 26. 

Former chart topper "Saltwater" by Julian Lennon dropped out of the top ten at number six all the way to 18. (More on Julian Lennon soon in the new entries) while "HIgh" by The Cure got taken down pegs from nine to 14

The same can mercifully be said for "Don't Talk Just Kiss" by Right Said Fred which slipped twelve places to 45, thank goodness. Nor am I complaining that "Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man" by Concrete Blonde stumbled from 31 to 39.

New Entries

We have a rather eclectic set of new arrivals this week starting with: 

49. "America: What Time is Love?" by The KLF

Ahh...the follow up single to the still pretty great "Justified & Ancient" and this one is considering complicated to explain, it's had many reworkings before this version was released in the UK in February and it hit the charts this week in Australia but that complexity makes this song interesting and you can definitely hear the anti war sentiment here (especially barely a year after the Gulf War in the Middle East) and it leaping from classical to dance techno almost rock is wild enough that it actually works well, the transitions between the sounds are impressive here. Check it out and if you want to read about the history of the song than here's the wikipedia link: "America: What Time is Love" by The KLF. I highly recommend checking out the song!

43. "Help Yourself" by Julian Lennon

Here's another follow up to a highly successful single, this time from Julian Lennon and given how much I like "Saltwater", I was kind of holding some expectations for this one and look...I'm kind of disappointed? The song isn't bad per se but it just sounds so formulaic in terms of what has been the dominant sound in pop in the late 80s to early 90s. Granted the guitars here do sound good here, I just wish Lennon was a little further forward in the mix especially given the song is about encouraging people to actually stop expecting everyone else to help them but to help themselves...ehh, I don't know...I can see this growing on me but as it is...it could have been better.

41/ "Djapana (Sunset Dreaming)" by Yothu Yindi

I have always wanted to have a chance to write about Yothu Yindi at some point especially given the group's impact on Australian culture and "Treaty" being one of those songs I respect the hell out of (that song is AMAZING) so I was curious for this and yeah, this is excellent...blending modern pop music with Aboriginal music for a song that calls out Australians for not being fair to Aboriginal people over the land and yeah that hook is sticky as hell. Great song...hope it does well.

34. "James Brown is Dead" by L.A Style

Oh dear. god. Dutch electronic duo L.A. Style have landed their first single on the Australian charts and while it's not the worst thing I have heard while covering 1992,...it's up there. The obnoxious dance music interspersed with rapping and the occasional voice that says "James Brown is dead" in the utmost of creepy fashions, we get it...James Brown was a legend of soul and funk yet the best you can do to pay tribute is this piece of audio nightmare fuel? Yeah...this is awful...I don't want to ever have to hear this piece of crap again.

19. "Skin to Skin" by Melissa

Well okay, it can only go up from here in spite of my reservations about Melissa and her music (No one can really convince me that "Read My Lips" is not cringey songwriting...come on..."if you want to wait til later, get your hands off my detonator"? Describing your vagina has something set to explode is definite cringe if you ask me) but anyway here's her new single that's the highest new entry of the week and well..its definitely a Melissa song with that beat reminiscent of her previous hits but again that song writing that relies way to much on cliches "love not war", "lay down your arms" etc. It's got the feel of a song that'd do well at Rock Estefodds not the pop charts. It's not precisely bad but it's not something I'd come back to.

That ends our week and wow...we're low on best contenders, I'm giving the best of the week to Yothu Yindi for "Djapana (Sunset Dreaming)" just ahead of "America: What Time Is Love)" by The KLF...it was close there.

However there was no competition for worst of the week because that's going to "James Brown is Dead" by L.A Style. A song that is nothing but a squealing thumping headache. 

ARIA Singles Top Ten/Chart Review. 19th April. Kiss Me Anywhere Away from Here, Mr Perfectly Fine

 So we had a pretty considerable week here but really not in the ways I expected, sure we have some Taylor Swift here thanks to the release of the rerecorded "Fearless" album but I'd argue Taylor is one of a couple of stories this week that begin with our top ten but nothing changed at the very top where "Peaches" by Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon maintained the top spot but wow, its dicey at best for a third week, its margins on streaming have shrunk and it's sales aren't what they were. 

Which brings us to "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)" by Lil Nas X up one to number two as it made ground on streaming and looks the likely candidate to take the number one spot in the weeks ahead (worth remembering that Australia has mostly been shielded from the controversy over the song's video but it now leads on Spotify and has better sales than "Peaches".

It pushed back "Heat Waves" by Glass Animals to number three as it's started to bleed on both sales and streaming and it could come under some pressure from our first of two new entries in the top ten "Rapstar" by Polo G, now I'll talk about this song later, however it seems like Tik Tok promo is what propelled this song up on streaming which meant this high debut, right now it's hard to tell if this is going to hang around or be another "Calling My Phone" (Remember how that was a thing the top ten for awhile there).

As a result of the high debut for "Rapstar' everything else got pushed back with "Astronaut in the Ocean" down one place to number five, 

Tiesto's "The Business" down one to number six (I'm not going to complain this song leaving the top ten...I still don't like it), "Without You" by The Kid Laroi down one to number seven and "Cover Me In Sunshine" by Pink and Sage Willow Hart down one to number eight (Again, it really does need streaming to get behind this song)

"Drivers License"  by Olivia Rodrigo fell one spot to number nine, it's falling away naturally now as streams slow down.

The second new entry in our top ten is at number ten courtesy of "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA. again more on this song later, it's here because of solid streaming, sales are decent and I can see this song picking up further traction in the weeks ahead.

Gains

The one major gain this week was unfortunately "Body" by Russ Millions and Tion Wayne which somehow rose fifteen places to 32 this week...not a good sign. 

Re Entries

So this where Taylor Swift's impact kicks in with the release of the rerecorded "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" causing "Love Story (Taylor's Version) to return at 36. 

Losers

Nearly all the big losses came for the established hits like "Holy" by Justin Bieber feat. Chance The Rapper which slipped nine places to 39, "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac down seven to 34, "Good Days" by SZA down seven to 40, "Watermelon Sugar" by Harry Styles down six to 41, "WAP" by Cardi B and Meghan The Stallion slipped six to 46, "Dance Monkey" by Tones and I slowed down six to 49 and "Lemonade" by Internet Money and Gunna feat. Don Toliver and NAV stumbled down six to 50.

Then there's two would be hits that took losses this week, I am pleased to say "Bang" by AJR whimpered down seven to 44 while "Paradise" by Meduza feat. Dermot Kennedy slipped six places to number 38.

Drop Outs

So seven songs exited the chart this week with likely locks for year end list "Booster Seat" by Spacey Jane and "Positions" by Ariana Grande taking their exits.taking with them 2020 hits like "Rockstar" by Dababy feat. Roddy Ricch and "What You Know Bout Love" by Pop Smoke

Then there's songs like "Last Lover" by Sigala and James Arthur and "Telepatia" by Kali Uchis that have an extreme outside shot at making the year end. "Telepatia" would have to get extremely lucky to make the year end. unfortunately. 

Finally there's "What Other People Say" by Sam Fischer and Demi Lovato which took its exit this week.

New Entries.

Six new entries this week so let's get started with...

48. BED by Joel Corry, RAYE, David Guetta

So I've already covered and liked this song when I wrote about it briefly in New Music Friday Review, the song is good, its catchy and RAYE seems to work well over a Joel Corry beat and even if David Guetta seems superfluious to this song, I'd still take this because of how the production works in creating a mood, open question is whether or not it will stick around, I kind of hope it does but I don't see this having the instant hit capabilities of Joel Corry's predecessor. 

45. Forever & Always (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

So I have listened to all of "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" and this song was one of the best on the album, mostly because it almost pushes into country pop rock which honestly hits a sweet spot for me  it's a song allegedly all about Joe Jonas and about the breakdown of their relationship and watching a person within that relationship fade despite having promised to love the other person forever (which is impossible by the way given how people change). The production here is much less cluttered, I like this..check it out.

43. Anywhere Away from Here by Rag 'n' Bone Man feat. Pink

I have been hearing about this collab for awhile and given my renewed interest in Rag 'n' Bone Man given "All You Ever Wanted" is one of my favourite songs of the year thus far and Pink's song with her daughter is one of my favourite hits of the year...how did this turn out?

Turns out this is a gentle piano ballad about escaping from uncomfortable or anxiety inducing situations and my god, this song does speak to me, I have anxiety and there is nothing worse for me than being in a situation I'd rather not be in, you just want to be anywhere else or preferably have the floor swallow you up whole, a feeling this song captures pretty damn well. I do wish that Rag 'n' Bone Man and Pink had more vocal chemistry but otherwise this song is really good. Check it out if you are curious.

19. Mr Perfectly Fine (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

The more I've heard the from the vault songs from the recorded "Fearless", the more I've come to realize that Taylor might well have been better off either putting them on a separate album rather then tacking them onto a separate album and in this case I think she might have been better off leaving it off completely because "Mr Perfectly Fine" kind of paints this guy as a bit of a caricature as Taylor seems to have the unfortunate habit of doing and with the jerky pacing of the song as a whole...yeah...I was perfectly fine without hearing this.

10. "Kiss Me More" by Doja Cat feat. SZA

I feel like there's a disconnect for me with this song and the praise this song has received from so many people because yeah...the production here is good with the guitars etc and Doja Cat sounds good in her softer silkier R'n'B measure, the opening into the hook is pretty damn good with the harmonies from Doja Cat and SZA but then Doja goes into her rap delivery and it comes off sounding harsh as hell and takes me right out of the song...it might just be me who can't handle that rougher rap register so while the song is definitely not bad and I can see why people like it, its not for me.

4. Rapstar by Polo G

Not going to lie, I am disappointed "Martin & Gina" didn't catch on the way it should have however if there's an act in hip hop that I am happy to watch have success, it's Polo G, mainly because he seems to put effort and energy into his bars and shows more variety than the usual hip hop subject matter these days, granted "Rapstar" shows Polo G battling the ups and downs that come with fame and being exhausted and weary. There's also bars about his sexual prowess and the money he is making from being a hit rapper in the first verse before switching it up to talk about the more violent side where there's homicides etc. It's a dark and bleak song that I'm happy charted so high. Check this out.

However best of the week is going to "Anywhere Away from Here" by Rag 'n' Bone Man feat. Pink, the song just connected for me and hit a certain spot that I can't really go into here.

Worst of the week...honestly, I was half inclined to scrap worst of the week because really it's not a bad week at all but I think the song I took most issue with is "Mr Perfectly Fine (Taylor's Version)" mostly because yeah, Taylor's writing in those days painted guys as cartoon characters.

Next week, I'm not sure, most likely a cooldown week, we might get that DJ Regard collab with Troye Sivan and Tate McRae but beyond that? We'll see when the chart updates on Friday at 5pm

New Music Friday Review: 9th March. You Ain't Getting Syrup so Shy Away

 "Shy Away" by Twenty One Pilots

So here we have the lead single from the upcoming album called "Scaled & Icy" (Apparently an anagram of "Clancy is Dead" according to Twenty One Pilots fans) and no surprise, I actually really like this mostly because this sounds like a more current version of what early 80s new wave would sound like, it calls to mind Adam & the Ants amongst others from the 80s. The song is based a on conversation Tyler Joseph had with his younger brother about the creative process and encouraging him to pursue his music dreams.

I'm doubtful about this song being a hit in Australia but I'd love to see it because this is pretty damn good.

Rating: 8/10

"You Ain't Getting A Song' by Taylor Moss

Taylor Moss is a pop country artist hailing from southern NSW, she made her recording debut at 15 and was a finalist in the Country Star Maker competition in 2016. This has all the feel of Sara Bareilles hit "Love Song" just written differently and in pop country version where this ex is asking Taylor to write a song but Taylor says "Whoa dude, don't flatter yourself here, you ain't getting a song". I just wish it felt a little less formulaic and its kind of a shame because the production here feels a lot less synthetic and more country than what is commonly the standard for pop country in this vain.

Rating: 6/10

"Syrup" by Tkay Maidza

Well after covering Iggy Azalea last week, hearing new Tkay Maidza feels like a world away from "Sip It" or whatever that shit was from Iggy last week especially when Tkay Maidza's flow just kills it and allows her to get weird in her verses over a slightly off kilter beat. I kind of enjoyed this more than I expected...also isn't it about time Tkay had a hit? I wouldn't mind if it was this song...it bangs.

Rating: 8/10

"Starstruck" by Years & Years

Okay so Years & Years is now just Olly Alexander by himself with this song being the first single and you know? This is really quite the fun pop song where Alexander sings about finding "the one' person that gets you all starstruck and you are really into them all set to this really solid pop groove that wouldn't look out of place on that last Dua Lipa album so yeah, I'm keen for a new Years & Years album if this is the first course.

Rating: 9/10