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Madonna delivers captivating confessions on a pulsating dancefloor in this solid follow-up to her 2005 tour-de-force

Review by Clove Mera 10 July 2026

Album released 3 July 2026

Published by Warner Records

On July 3 2026, Madonna returned to music with Confessions II, a jam-packed sixteen-track dance record guaranteed to move your body, open your mind and ultimately, remind you why Madonna is a legend. The 90's house-infused record follows 2019's Madame X and acts as a spiritual successor to 2005's Confessions on a Dancefloor. By doubling down on the latter's autobiographical themes and cleverly exchanging then-current (and still fresh) 2000s dance music sensibilities for 90s house and trance, the music industry veteran gives herself the wiggle room to produce an album which simultaneously defies comparison and meets the original's high-as-the-moon bar.

Confessions II doesn't hesitate to pivot from its spiritual predecessor's blueprint for success with its album opener serving as a perfect amuse-bouche for what's to come. The evergreen hit "Hung Up", opener for 2005's original Confessions on a Dancefloor, was a frustrated conversation about the way time seems to move for those who wait and those who don't. What followed was a set of tracks on love, career, and the world. "I Feel So Free" is, by comparison, more upfront about the album's topics of vulnerability, spirituality, and sentimentality. No ticking this time. No ABBA sample. Instead, "I Feel So Free" opens with an airy pad and rumbling bass, its captivatingly ominous mood instantly reminiscent of Cyberpunk 2077's thrilling yet perilous video game world. Like the veil Madonna wears in the album's cover art, the track is shrouded in a sonic darkness that persists through its duration until track three. Much of the track is comprised of quietly uttered soliloquies, confessing to her unlikely social insecurities: "Honestly, I wish I could be like other people", "I never know why people like me", and explains why "safety in numbers" is better than being alone with someone – which she finds "really hard".

Photo Credit: Rafael Pavarotti

It is Madonna's experienced, refined, and unique point of view which holds this album afloat through its leisurely opening act. Tracks "Good For The Soul" and "One Step Away" are tranquil and at times musically unsettling meditations on healing and connecting with reality. The former track vacillates between dark and bright energy; homilies on the link between space, nature and the soul told over cosmic trance. It's in the house-influenced chorus where the track shifts its musical key, its mood, and loses me. Madonna moans "It's good for the soul / To let down your hair and breathe in the air" in a droning, robotic tone that lingers for too long. Unfortunately, the majority of the track spends its time in this gear, including the long-winded outro.

Such is also the case with "One Step Away", a repetitive lesson on the inimitable healing that is always… one step away. Madonna offers what should be heartening words of encouragement with a register that somehow twists the delivery into an incredibly lonely, menacing sound. The track is repetitive and, after a long outro rife with moaning and murmuring, finally fizzles to a merciful end.

The journey through tracks one-three, while soporific, is kept afloat by Madonna's unique point of view – uniquely philosophical reflections that "the violence and trauma you've survived" is a necessary hardship that will ultimately set you free, charting a journey "through space and time, up to the sky, a thousand birds fly". Madonna's recipe for success of bravely pursuing her ideas off the beaten path of what's popular at the time does the trick, keeping Confessions II engaging even in its weaker moments.

Thankfully for Confessions II, it is further salvaged by balancing its (subjective) highlights and lowlights evenly. The album has no good half or bad half. Instead, it's one or two tracks I struggle with, then a prize ("Everything" to "Love Sensation", "School" to "Fragile"). It's just unfortunate the album takes three tracks and 11 minutes before it kicks into gear with "Bring Your Love".

A miraculous achievement worth praising, even in its weaker tracks, is this album's ability to flex and bend how it interprets its roots in 90s house music an album with absolutely zero similarities anywhere in its 16 tracks and 64 minute runtime.

"Love Sensation" is a pulsating, jubilant ode to love with a thumping beat and funky bass. "Fragile" is a moving tribute to the artist's late brother, reminiscing on their childhood and lamenting the strain their relationship endured late in his life. She sings, "As children we would dream/ We thought we'd run away/ And we'd be free" in a heart-piercingly high register akin to Ray of Light's opener "Drowned World/ Substitute For Love". Her voice is just as smooth here as it was then.

Finally, "My Sins Are My Saviour (feat. Stromae)" pivots into sultry tip-hop. Against a "Justify My Love" type instrumental, Madonna and Stromae sing of their resolve against those who would bring them down. Stromae's imagery of "light is the most beautiful weapon/ Love is the strongest armour" (translated from French) is particularly interesting.

Photo Credit: Rafael Pavarotti

What surprised me as a minimal feature purist is how well each feature serves its respective track on Confessions II. The original was a timeless masterpiece and its singular feature, "Isaac" is a personal favourite. For an evergreen tour-de-force album which only needed a guest singer for one track out of 12, I was of the volition that Madonna didn't need anyone's help hitting the bar she set with such little aide the first time. I was particularly curious about the reasoning for Sabrina Carpenter guesting on "Bring Your Love". Her inclusion, at face value, seemed like a very business-oriented choice due to her current popularity. Sabrina is in fact a well-chosen guest for the track's topic. Together, a music industry veteran Madonna and rising star Carpenter battle against external pressure from fans and labels, demanding, "Don't try to distract me with numbers" and declaring "I did it all for love". My only hang-up is, I wish Carpenter enunciated her words more clearly. Carpenter affects a sultry tone and consequently, phrases are slurred together throughout her parts.

Madonna rebukes a partner in the latin pop "Read My Lips", calling out the other party's destructive brokenness, "I don't believe a word that you say/ I wonder if you like it this way". Guest artist Feid's Spanish language verse suggests Madonna is just as guilty as he is. Ultimately, the two characters can't communicate. I imagine it's not accidental Madonna went bilingual with this subject matter. That, and the song's frantic percussiveness, amuses me greatly.

Madonna reinterprets the original's overarching themes of defiance, spirituality, and retrospection by shifting the focus from the sacrifices made to the unseen family conflicts she's kept from the public. "The Test" with Madonna's daughter Lola Leon is a tear-inducing candid reckoning between a mother and daughter about their regrets and the love they share for each other atop a tranquil lo-fi score. This track is so vulnerable, it felt like I was snooping on a private conversation.

I particularly like Madonna's verse, "I tried to put you on a pedestal/ You didn't ask for all the flashing lights/ I didn't think of how it could disturb/ Or how it hurt". Throughout the song, the mother and daughter are working towards mutual understanding by honouring each other's legacies and allowing themselves to both be influenced by the other and be their own unique person.

I may have already mentioned that Confessions on a Dancefloor and Confessions II are distinct enough to evade comparison, but it is worth mentioning. The original is musically stronger. Confessions II trips and stumbles, almost out of the gate, with tracks like "Good for the Soul" and "One Step Away." It takes ten minutes to truly bring the energy up to a 10. On the other hand, "Hung Up" achieved that in the first few seconds. Where Confessions on a Dancefloor has very few low points, Confessions II features blemishes such as "School," to the point it's difficult to resist skipping.

The song is woozy, as if intentionally invoking a bad trip, with an overuse of spoken singing to the point of abuse. There's a nauseating, side-chained rhythm and modulated vocals which make my head spin. And to cap it all off, this slog of a song has the most abrupt, least smooth transition of the entire record into "Fragile."

On the other hand, the weakest tracks on Confessions on a Dancefloor ("Let It Will Be", "Like It Or Not") are only a few shades inferior to the best tracks ("Forbidden Love", "Jump"). Despite this, I believe the albums are almost neck and neck in Madonna's discography because Confessions II's high highs are as high as those of its predecessor.

While it doesn't match the stratospheric bar set by Confessions on a Dancefloor, this album is distinct enough to still be enjoyable on its own. Confessions II is a fabulously rich album, generous with its variety of musicality and lyrics. Not only does it further solidify Madonna's legacy as an influential figure in pop music, it's also just a highly enjoyable album.

Confessions II is available to stream and buy right now. You can watch Confessions II - The Film on YouTube here. 

Is it true blondes have more fun?

Review by Clove Mera 12 June 2026

Album released 12 June 2026

Published by Bebe Rexha Music LLC/ EMPIRE

Bebe Rexha returns with her fourth studio album, Dirty Blonde. What’s different about this album is, it’s her first independent album three released through Warner Music. Rexha’s been promoting this album for months with a slew of wonderful singles. From the self-loathing “i like you better than me” to the hymn-in-a-club “New Religion”, each has been eclectic and unique. This is why I’ve been anticipating Rexha’s Dirty Blonde for weeks now. I was certain she couldn’t go wrong if the album contained more of what she’d already given us.

Bebe Rexha’s Dirty Blonde is front-loaded with its best tracks. From “Hysteria” to “Çike Çike”, the album is at its best. A six track run of club friendly odes to having a good time (“Hysteria”), going out (“Çike Çike”), and the club itself (“New Religion”), expertly infuse sonic influence from various dance niches - mostly European dance pop. No two tracks are alike and several are sonically generous. It’s become too easy for pop music to copy and paste its sections and create an ultimately predictable record. “Hysteria” and “Tokyo” and “i like you better than me” bypass this. From outset to finish, these tracks evolve and shift with an almost organic dynamism. The results are several tracks which pack a big punch for their relatively short run time (several tracks on the album fall below three minutes).

Further, the album’s front half boasts Rexha at her most vocally exploratory. She brings her powerful tones (“New Religion”) and goes far beyond. Playful sprechgesang as she narrates the journey to the club on “Çike Çike”. Vocal pitching landing her within an inch of hyper pop territory on “$.H.I.T”. My favourite moment came in “Time” where her pitch tuning evokes Melanie Martinez’s “Powder” or “Hell’s Front Porch”.

There’s a clear self-assuredness to the album’s front half which is lacking on its latter half as it moves from the refuge of the club back into the emotions she seeks to escape. “Drink And A Little Love” suffers from an inner-conflict between a 4 Non Blondes “What’s Up” sounding guitar melody and haphazardly assembled vocal chop dance breakdown. Even the drums are offputtingly frenetic. I do understand this could be intended to underscore the song’s lyrics of an overwhelmed state of mind, but a song doesn’t have to be distressing to depict the distressful. There are tracks which successfully navigate through quietly coiled tension into exhilarating dance choruses while all feeling like one organic body (“I like you better than me”, “Hysteria”).

I do appreciate the deeply vulnerable material throughout Dirty Blonde’s second half. Maybe it’s her career, maybe it’s life in general but in “Drink And A Little Love” Rexha laments “Long days, feet tired, don't know how I'm walking/ And honestly, it's been like this often”. In “One Day” she vows to be “the feeling that you just can’t escape” after a breakup. Feelings catch up to Rexha in “Time” where she mourns her innocence lost to a bad relationship.

The only issue is, the album attempts to curate its levels but cannot commit to dialling the energy down too far from its peak. “The Way I Want You” is torn between a declaration of love atop grungy guitar and frantic rapping over trap beats. I do however want to praise Rexha’s ability to convey a spiralling train of thought on this track. The same lack of commitment plagues much of Dirty Blonde’s middle section and what results is an identity crisis, tracks oscillating from heartfelt acoustic cuts to jubilant dance numbers and back.

Thankfully the album picks up with “Night Falls”, the singular track out of 13 which allows itself to settle into a lo-fi lullaby about the thoughts that keep Rexha awake at night. Had the album resolved to spend more time in this quieter place, without feeling a compulsion to do more, it could have been an even stronger body of work. I feel the full album will require repeat listens to properly grow on me.

Dirty Blonde overcomes its weaker moments with its absolute standout tracks “New Religion”, “Hysteria” and “Tokyo”. Having listened to the full album, I’m sure it will go down easier with each subsequent listen.

Dirty Blonde is available to buy and stream right now.

A universe of thrills

Review by Clove Mara 6 June 2026

Film released 5 June 2026

Directed by Travis Knight

Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios

On Thursday afternoon I saw the brand new film Masters of the Universe . This 200 million dollar fantasy/sci-fi blockbuster boasts a hefty cast of recognisable stars: Nicholas Galitzine (Bottoms) Camilla Mendez (Riverdale), Idris Elba (Hijack) Jared Leto (Tron: Ares) Alison Brie (GLOW), and Morena Baccarin (Deadpool). In it, the noble prince Adam must find his way back to his home kingdom and discover his true power to save Eternos from the malevolent Skeletor. 

There is so much to appreciate about this film, from its on-screen talent to the on-screen work achieved by the entire film crew. Yes, Masters of the Universe boasts incredible acting, costume design, set design, cinematography, music. 

Let's begin with the star of the show, Nicholas Galitzine, as Prince Adam/He-Man. Flaunting big muscles and blonde locks, Galitzine disappears into his character, delivering a believable journey from wistful hopefulness, through confusion over who he’s meant to be, to a full-fledged hero who knows he has the power. At all times, Adam is easy to root for. This film's innuendo-laden humour might prefer to say he's rootable. 

In large part, Adam's success is owed to Galitzine taking the role seriously. I yearn for the sword because he yearns for the sword. I believe in his quest for the sword despite no one in his orbit believing because he believes. Galitzine’s Adam is empathetic, and a good physical comedian. One particular scene in a collectibles store illuminated my theatre with laughter. 

To my surprise, the Mary and George actor looked exceptional with the character’s iconic blonde locks. Prior to this film, I never felt those blonde locks worked for He-Man. Credit is owed to Galitzine’s sincere performance. He wears that hair like he was born with it, even styling it various ways throughout the film. I liked it tucked behind his ear in the first act and I found his magic He-Man blowout absolutely majestic. 

© 2027 Amazon Content Services LLC

Speaking of magic heroes, I was delighted watching Masters of the Universe present He-Man as a male Wonder Woman. He uses his gauntlets to deflect projectiles. There's a scene in the Enchanted Forest when Teela gets a delightful, or uncomfortable – depending on what you like – view beneath He-Man's loincloth, paralleling Wonder Woman flashing Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman (2017). The two fantastic heroes share an innocent optimism and wield their empathy as a tool as powerful as their sword. He-Man, however, has just a little more cognisance of his immense sexual appeal. Who wouldn’t boast about those biceps?

Following the thread of strong women, female lead Camilla Mendes does an extraordinary job taking Teela on a journey of trust with her father, Duncan (Idris Elba). Watching the walls quietly break down between them during their loving glances was genuinely moving. While both deliver a touching arc, Elba steals the show with his physical humour.

Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

Alison Brie’s Evil-Lyn was a layered performance in which she performs jester-like sycophancy to Skeletor and clandestinely doubts her loyalty to him. I found the character most interesting when she let her fake smile slip and reveal the humanity inside. 

Copyright: © 2026 Amazon MGM Studios Content Services LLC

Morena Baccarin’s The Sorceress was delightfully powerful but always too distant, too caught up in conflict, too reticent, for me to make a meaningful connection with her. Showing up as a premonition in worst-case scenarios comes at a cost: extremely limited screen time. Baccarin could have done more with it. There is no small role, only small actors. Just think what Cate Blanchett did with a similarly powerful and elusive Galadriel in Lord of the Rings. Baccarin is further hampered with egregiously poor quality contact lenses. I’ve seen drag queens on TV with more convincing blue eyes than this multi-million dollar production. 

Masters of the Universe takes Eternia and its residents seriously, and the result is a majestically realised world I believe truly exists. Travelling from Eternos to Subterna to the enchanted forest convinced me of the planet’s massive scale. I was particularly impressed with the contrast in Castle Greyskull and Snake Mountain’s set design. 

Greyskull’s various heroes are transformed from plastic action figures into battle-ready heroes with well-worn and lived-in armour. Their play-like special moves are leveraged into fun action scenes with multiple breathtaking tracking shots.

Everyone in Eternia benefits from their journey to live action besides Teela. Mendes’s strong dramatic performance is hampered with those same pesky contact lenses. Her excellently performed action scenes lack the flourishing flow of He-Man’s skirt, Mendes stuck in a motionless, skin-tight outfit. If only she got to spend the film in her epilogue outfit, which not only looked better but also flowed more. 

An overarching theme in Masters of the Universe is the debate over what a man should be and how he wields his power. Before receiving the immense strength awarded by the magic sword, Adam thinks his power is de-escalation. He tries this empathetic approach on a particularly bloodthirsty enemy and where does the scene go? Adam unlocking his brute strength via the Sword of Power. 

Later, He-Man fails to get through to Skeletor and has his behind handed to him. Why is it then that The Enchantress tells him that his capacity for empathy is why she chose him as the vessel of the Eternos’s power? That strength and empathy are equally powerful tools for a hero? Adam’s empathy didn’t help him against an enemy one time. The only time his words served him was when he rallied Eternia’s heroes and it’s not as though violence would have been an option had his words failed him then. I appreciate a message espousing the power of kindness to men but the entire journey leading to this message undermines exactly that. 

© 2026 Amazon MGM Studios Content Services LLC

While I couldn't really wrap my head around the film's moral lesson, I did appreciate its pacing. Masters of the Universe begins with a beautifully realised visualisation of the universe’s origin. From the first, that theme song which will be familiar to fans, moved me. An absolutely riveting act one siege on Eternos fired on all cylinders. I watched in awe, appreciating each individual element of cinema: acting, direction, costume design, set design, and cinematography. Masters of the Universe’s entire introduction was an exquisite amuse-bouche that grounded me in the universe and primed me to appreciate everything that followed. 

While the film’s generosity with its action scenes is appreciated, a particular escape sequence dragged on too long; in the theatre, I thought it needed character development told through the action if it would persist any longer. 

Masters of the Universe was an absolutely entertaining film, which held my attention for almost its full length. It makes incredible use of its massive budget with non-stop action, incredible CGI, and excellent costume design. The actors immerse me in their whimsical world with convincing, sincere performances. I'm hopeful we'll get a sequel because this film deserves to become a franchise.

Masters of the Universe is in cinemas right now. You can watch a trailer below. 

Rexha's latest single falls short of its predecessors.

Review by Clove Mera 29 May 2026

Single released 29 May 2026

Track written by Bebe Rexha, Isabelle Carlsson, Vera Carlbom, Emma "Kiddo" Bertilsson, Ludvig Soderberg, Fredrik Samsson, Pierre Guetta, Timofey Reznikov, Oskar Rindborg

Published by Bebe Rexha Music LLC / EMPIRE

Brooklyn native singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha made a name for herself as a songwriter (Eminem's "The Monster" being her most notable credit) and her decade defining slate of late 2010s hits, "Hey Mama", "In the Name of Love" and "I'm a Mess". Since early 2026, Rexha has been releasing a stream of club-ready singles from her upcoming studio album Dirty Blonde. "Sad Girls" is the latest to join the party, and marks a reunion with frequent collaborator David Guetta ("I'm Good (Blue)", "One in a Million").

One should never be the last to leave the party, but Bebe Rexha has no choice in "Sad Girls". The dance floor, which was once the "In the Name of Love" singer's sanctuary, has become a scene of jealousy. Overlooked by a would-be beau, Rexha wishes to disappear. She is left with one choice: lingering someplace that no longer brings joy. Carry on dancing "with tears in my eyes". Lingering, with no expectation of things improving. Why? Because "Sad girls don't leave till the last song."

I infer deeper meaning in this track. Rexha is referencing a battle with inertia. Lacking the willpower to walk away. Lingering somewhere that no longer brings joy and "Saying I'm alright about a hundred times". Dispelling any hopes for achieving bliss because "That's a lie, that's a lie". It may be time to quit a job, it may be time to move out of this neighbourhood. "Sad Girls" is a wakeup call to ask yourself, do you want to be the sad girl who stays until the lights come back on?

You certainly wouldn't, if it will be as painful as Rexha makes it sound with her riveting vocal performance. The powerhouse chanteuse's aching emphasis on "kills" and "sad" in the chorus elevate the track from mainstream dance music to a theatrical eleven o'clock number performed not on a stage but in a club.

Rexha is among a select few modern singers with this kind of chameleonic voice. She assumes her place as queen of the dance floor in "Hysteria" and sings a hypnotic hymn for the dance floor on "New Religion". With the release of "Sad Girls", Dirty Blonde continues taking shape as a conceptual soundtrack to a night of revelling and introspection. It would seem Rexha doesn't wait for opportunities to sing in a musical. Instead, she makes the musicals.

(Ang, 2026)

"Sad Girls", being the latest addition to the album's metaphorical score, is a sonic sputter. If it's true that a musical's weakest tracks live in their second act, "Sad Girls" would land right there. Its danceable pulse, riveting build-up and cathartic instrumental are stock standard for modern dance music.

As a standalone track, "Sad Girls" would more than likely disappear into the pack if not for Rexha's commanding voice. From the first, I felt I'd heard that tape delayed synth lead before. The track's beat is too similar to recent tracks. Quick example, "Save Me Tonight (DJs from Mars, Remix)".

What I've loved about Dirty Blonde's prior singles is their overt euro pop influence. Each track has been delightfully eclectic. Their energy rarely dips below 9 out of 10. "Hysteria" in particular stays at 11. While not my favourite single so far, I appreciate how February's "Çike Çike" flexes euro pop into a playful, sensual and exotic ode to the journey to, from and between venues.

What's missing from "Sad Girls", I believe, is the sonic playfulness abounding in each of Dirty Blonde's prior singles. Once you've marched to the beat of these drums, you can't comfortably walk in lockstep with "Sad Girls".

With technically flawless production and Rexha's soul-baring voice and lyrics, "Sad Girls" manages to stand out amongst a sea of similar-sounding dance music. However, with its relative lack of playfulness, the single falls short of its predecessors.

"Sad Girls" is available to stream right now and Bebe Rexha's upcoming studio album Dirty Blonde releases June 12. You can watch "Sad Girls"'s official visual below.

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Skylar Grey delivers her most vulnerable album yet in a polished concept album charting a course from childhood to present.

Review by Clove Mera 22 May 2026 Album released 22 May 2026 Published by Skylar Grey

Let’s be honest, if you need an introduction to Skylar Grey, that says more about you than it does about her. Grey is responsible for penning some of the biggest hits of the 2010s, most notably “Coming Home,” “I Need a Doctor,” and “Love the Way You Lie.”

I personally regard Grey for her solo body of work across five albums. Grey has established a niche for exploring toxic relationships, unflinchingly honest confessions, and life as an outcast.

Wasted Potential is a compelling concept album which ventures all the way to her youth, examining how it set her on the journey to where she is now, through missed opportunities, being a loner at school, and making peace with where it's all ended.

Overall, a well-constructed record which sonically honors Skylar’s trademark dark-pop sound while exploring uncharted territory of lust, stability, and sentimentality.

You’ll notice the theme of wasted potential hovering above the album from intro to finale. Like a requiem, she comes to appreciate the charm of her once-loathed hometown in “Nirvana,” admits to career fumbles in “Motivation,” and uncovers an exploitative relationship in “Plastic Water Bottles.”

“Motivation” is among the record’s standouts. Grey puts to words the type of defeatist thinking responsible for dreams never becoming more than dreams, singing, “God gave me dreams/ But not the ambition/ Give me the role/ But don't make me audition” and shrugs away any hope of a comeback, “Takes too much effort/ To be influential/ R.I.P to my wasted potential.” The idea of a return to her “Love the Way You Lie” glory days is off the table.

But musically, Skylar stays true to her signature sound. “Plastic Water Bottles” is a standout track in which she recalls an unsettling sexual relationship with an older man against a beguilingly perilous carnival-esque backdrop. Her husky vocals beautifully complement the track's eerie atmosphere, ominous beats, and sensual melody. These are what I believe comprise Grey's trademark sound: introspection, candor with the taboo, and a silky voice that can navigate vocal runs with serpentine elegance.

Source: Artist's instagram

This same voice is a drawback elsewhere in Wasted Potential. Her chill, cavalier register rubs against the aggressive love she wants in “Black n’ Blue.” Instead of riding the Chris's sonic boost, Skylar fights it with her near-apathetic delivery, “I'm so into you / love me hard ‘cause I want you to / won't be mad at you / if you kiss me till I'm black and blue.”

“Spine” steadily builds from a gloomy Wild West score to a thrilling rock finale, with the same static vocal performance throughout. Consequently, Wasted Potential’s middle suffers from a lull that only really picks back up on track nine, “B******t.”

Having navigated Grey’s sexual desires (“Come,” “Black n’ Blue”), embattled self-image (“Bruises”) and relationship issues (“B******t,” “Cool Kids”), the album reaches its thematic resolution in closer “That’ll Be Fine.” This track makes peace with Grey’s long-gone glory days. She is unshackled from the stress of touring and the “prostitution” of selling her art. The product of her wasted potential is a stable relationship. Grey is perfectly happy with “decent sex,” a “no big deal” birthday, and wine instead of whiskey. If you revisit deep cuts like “Final Warning,” you know what a prize this kind of love is.

Despite its strong thematic cohesion, the album is weighed down by a sonically mixed bag. Its first half is high-energy dark pop: an incredible run from “Motivation,” “Plastic Water Bottles,” “Black n’ Blue,” to “Come.”

This area has always been Skylar’s strength: swaggering beats, eerily sensual melodies, atmospheric soundscapes, and relationships that are never a paragon of healthy. The aforementioned tracks harken to her classics “Picture Perfect,” “Religion,” and “Ticking Time Bomb.”

From “Spine” onward, the energy progressively lulls into slow, bare tracks. As mentioned earlier, a solid instrumental is betrayed by static vocals. “Unfaithful”’s slower tempo and sparse soundscape further drag the project’s momentum. “Bruises” is an admirably relatable and forthcoming picture of Skylar's self-image, feeling like she's “just never good enough/ but I hide it well/ as far as you can tell/ I’m full of confidence.” Still, the record’s verve can’t survive back-to-back ballads. Had either of these tracks been placed elsewhere, or were instead a more energetic expression of self-doubt, the album would be a stronger package.

While I didn’t love this record as a whole on my first listen, I do believe it has replay value. Its front-loaded dark-pop tracks will hook, its unvarnished vulnerability will hold you through the lulls, and the opener and closer deliver on a captivating exploration of regret, peace, and love.

“Wasted Potential” is available to stream right now.

This comeback single could have come harder.

Review by Clove Mera 15 May 2026 Single released 13 May 2026 Track written by Tove Lo, Ludvig Söderberg Published by Pretty Swede Records

Tove Lo, one of Sweden’s best known and established musical exports, returns with brand new single “I’m your girl right?”. Its arrival commences the rollout of the hitmaker’s sixth studio album, ESTRUS. Lo’s early albums were defined by maudlin self-destruction (Habits (Stay High), True Disaster) and eventually exchanged this for a gleeful attitude (Equally Lost, 2 Die 4). Consistent across every album is a proclivity for vices and emotional authenticity near unrivalled in the pop landscape. This new single, “I’m your girl right?” is no exception. A ponderous albeit mundane state of purgatory, Lo hopes there’s something deeper beneath a physical relationship.

“I’m your girl right?” didn’t immediately make a strong impression with its droning bass and checked-out vocal performance. The majority of this track exists in a state of low energy. I appreciate the orchestration of music, vocals and lyrics. They immerse me in Lo’s insecure state of mind. Words of attraction, “Is that perfume, or is it you I taste?/ Bite the skin thin”, contrast with a numb vocal delivery by Lo, exposing the detachment she feels from her partner. They “fuck all night on Ritalin” but all she wants is for her partner to “Tell me what I want to hear now, don’t make me doubt” in a chant-able but plain chorus.

Tove Lo (Credit: Press)

I understand music and vocals are purposely orchestrated to accentuate the story but the end product doesn't hold up. For comparison, Lo’s “Mistaken” off Sunshine Kitty, explores similar relationship uncertainty.

Where Lo affects numbness in “I’m your girl right?” she is bleeding from her eyes and her heart in “Mistaken”. The track wastes no time establishing its mood. It opens with a mournful synth and somber rhythm, discreetly kneading additional sonic elements throughout. Beautiful haunting music scores Lo’s moving vocal performance. As if holding back tears throughout the duration of the record, she confesses, “Man, I'm freaking out, but casually trying to hide it/ Damn, your past, it ain't too bad, and it was before my time”.

“Mistaken” captivates immediately. “I’m your girl right?” banks on the listener’s patience for an unfurling story to assume its true form only in its final seconds. That’s an odd choice for a comeback single.

“I’m your girl right?” is an underwhelming track, but this doesn't concern me in the slightest. It's one track off a full album, which I’m confident holds some future favourites.

Tove Lo’s ESTRUS is available to pre-add and pre-order right now and you can watch the music video for “I’m your girl right?” below.

Subtle yet evocative, motivational through determination, Big Deal is a delightfully relatable single that proves your circumstances hold less power over you than your attitude toward them.

Review by Clove Mera, 10 September 2024 Single released 05 September 2024 Track written by: Andy Bull

Andy Bull

Big Deal by Andy Bull juxtaposes defeat with determination, silence with fullness, using a sparse soundscape that holds your interest as carefully selected musical elements are woven into the composition as the song progresses.

Same as last week, I'm browsing new music on Apple Music to find something to review. I see a handsome young white guy with a smirk on the cover art on a single called Big Deal. I'm curious more than anything else, curious what the tone of this song will be. My mind wondered at the possibilities, one which included the song being a response to his deniers. I came to this conclusion because the artist's outfit and the effects on the image made it look like an old school photo. In a way, I was right about the contents of this song.

Promptly, Bull sets the tone for this song, his opening line a lamentation, "I used to be a big deal/ I had my own showreel". The soundscape is barren, lonely, with little more than synth organ playing bar length chords, which themselves sound like warped and distorted minors. Bull's opening stanzas are a threnody of all that he's lost, and fascinatingly, he doesn't come across as braggadocios singing "You know I had my own tv show", but relatable. i too have been battling and writing about feelings of defeat. With his conversational cautionary tale style of delivery, you the listener have arrived at this low state of mind with Bull, where it doesn't matter where you were but where you find yourself. It's relatable.

In fact, I come to root for Bull when he sang, "Man I thought I was the new wave… And now I sound like an old guy/ coming down from a long high". His vocals come alive on that "guy" line, with a scrumptious raspy fry. Later, he delivers his chorus hook, "Don't cut me off" with smooth theatre-like vibrato.

Bull deploys the trumpet as a musical motif for determination. It appears in the space between verse and chorus, as though his state of mind is shifting steadily from glum to fiercely motivated.

Musically, Big Deal could be studied for its soundscape's final form, full and satisfying yet subdued in its velocity. The most that's ever happening is that trumpet, with the softest of kicks and a steady rhythmic snare. Towards the end, Bull adds a new layer of intrigue for the ear with a simmering square-like synth which complements the drum rhythm, itself gaining hi-hats as the song's dreamy outro continues.

While I was listening to Big Deal I was reminded of the legend Judy Garland's By Myself, performed live on her television show 60 years ago. If you were to compare the two then Bull would come out short, and I don't want to diminish the success of his record, rather I want to draw similarities between the twos' messages and composition.

They begin in a place of defeat, accentuated with a glum musical composition. The song progresses and both Garland and Bull straighten up their backs, pull up their boot straps and find a new strength within themselves, as orchestral elements fill out the soundscape.

Bull reminds you that he hasn't given up, singing "Don't cut me off/ Don't write me out" while Garland bitterly embraces that she alone must build the life she envisions, singing, "I'll try to fly high above/ For my place in the sun/ I'll face the unknown/ I'll build a world of my own."

Bull is talented, I appreciate his adept creative decisions, but Big Deal follows classic soul sensibilities which are not attuned with my personal taste palette. Even with that said, I have been replaying the trumpet and the "Don't write me off" hook in my mind quite often, I can see it someday acting as an empowering self affirmation. That will be where the success of Bull's single is found, even though it wasn't something I immediately fell in love with, it stayed with me. And for who knows how long?

Big Deal is available to stream right now, listen to it on YouTube below. Please visit my blog to find more music reviews and follow for future posts!

The decisions made through Beabadoobee’s third studio record both play to its strengths and hamper its own excellence as a cohesive project. 

Review by Clove Mera, 03 September 2024

Album released 09 August 2024

Dirty Hit

Usually I review artists who I’ve been a fan of many years, but that comes with a clear bias. As someone trying to write reviews and not necessarily analytical celebrations, I wanted to listen to something which I had no biases for or against. This lead me to the Browse section in Apple Music, where I’d go perusing newly released music. The first I saw of This Is How Tomorrow Moves was the album cover, which certainly piqued my interest. I’d never heard a Beabadoobee song before, I knew the artist in name only. I chose this album to review with zero expectations, and what I received was a mixed bag. 

We begin the album with Take a Bite. Energetic vocal melodies and rolling drums combined with wet guitar harken back to nineties/ oughties indie rock. Followed by California, another up tempo indie rock record, Beabadoobee starts the album strong.

In Real Man, I endured swing in the verse vocals and tediously drawn out delivery in the chorus, all atop a stop start guitar melody. Overall, the pace was wildly inconsistent with choices that grate against my own sensibilities rooted too deep in the song to overlook. 

This record’s pace had become a trudge through fondant by the time Tie My Shoes plays. The song, which is seemingly about her relationship with her father, is in fact a lesson in crafting a deeply compelling downtempo song - one I wish was applied throughout the album. Its arpeggiated guitar gives a laid back and tranquil sensation, one I enjoyed through the song’s long musical sections. Side note, songs built on a simple guitar loop can be tremendously powerful, see Hurt by the late Johnny Cash, for example. 

Just like the two aforementioned songs, Ever Seen began with the threat of yet another tediously slow song, and until halfway through I thought this was my fate. Thankfully the song shifts gears halfway through, and the album switches palettes. 

This album’s strength lies in its throwbacks to oughties shoegaze, as Post does with its acoustic drums and guitar. Another source of entertainment for me came in the occasional inclusion of out-of-left-field musical choices. There’s a wiry effect before the “He Said/ He Said” refrain in Post and without warning, Coming Home features a short Spanish trumpet section. In any project, subversive musical choices such as these cause my ears to prick up, eagerly awaiting where the curveball will go next.

Earlier I said Tie My Shoes was allegedly about a paternal relationship. Why “allegedly?” Usually my reviews touch on lyrics, why is that not the case this time? Throughout the duration of this project, Beabadoobee’s diction was such I found it near impossible to interpret her words. I’d made the choice to purely listen to this album. No lyrics, only audio. This severely impacted on my ability to receive the album’s meaning. Whatever heartfelt lyrics may have featured throughout this album were mired by unintelligible diction, further mired by poor mixing. In Coming Home, I caught a fleck of the beginning and at the end, I got “I’d sure make a movie/ before planning what to say”. With everything in between lost, I had no clue what that phrase meant. I only discovered the meaning of Tie My Shoes for the sake of this review.

I had no knowledge of Beabadoobee before listening to this album other than occasionally seeing her name on the internet. I came to this project ready for a positive impression and even possibly a few new songs to play nonstop. Although there were lots of good elements to this project, there was a lot of mediocrity in between. I hope Beabadoobee contributed lots more than her voice and her words to This Is How Tomorrow Moves, otherwise I’d say her producer(s)’ work carried the album. The first two songs set an expectation of enjoyable head bopping rock music, but the project defaulted on its own promise with numerous tracks which could soundtrack the sensation of being shot with a tranquilliser dart - and I’m not talking about ketamine. This Is How Tomorrow Moves is an experimental album with variety in its offerings, ranging from high energy rock songs with very complex and enjoyable musicality to pared back ballads, and a few delightful out of left field choices which I always enjoy.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves is available to stream now, Beabadoobee’s latest single “Beaches” is linked below:

An enjoyable power ballad with just enough Gaga to endure Mars

Review by Clove Mera, 20 August 2024 Single released 16 August 2024 Track written by: Bruno Mars, Stefani Germanotta, Dernst Emile II, Andrew Watt, James Fauntleroy Interscope Records

I came to “Die With A Smile” as a Lady Gaga fan, not a Bruno Mars fan. For this reason, it came as a surprise when Gaga only had two lines in verse two completely to herself before Mars began duetting with her. Even though the music video was published to Lady Gaga’s YouTube account, the song was conceived by Bruno Mars who then invited Gaga as a featured artist (Chelosky, 2024).

Although the song is more a Bruno Mars song than a Lady Gaga song, Gaga’s voice is still gorgeous to listen to. During her latest album, 2020’s “Chromatica”, the “Hold My Hand” singer’s voice took on a miraculous new quality which it had never done before. Her voice throughout the album, and “Die With A Smile” as well, felt like it was a tight, warm hug that was holding me safe. The bulk of this song is enjoyable but Gaga’s moments are its high points for me, especially the way she sings_ “Right next to you”_during the segue from chorus to bridge, in a register reminiscent of earlier records “Speechless” and “Yoü and I”.

Gaga is no stranger to power ballads about love, with “Hold My Hand” being a recent example. Just like a good power ballad, “Die With A Smile” does a great job signalling emotion with levels and escalation, across vocals and music. Gaga and Mars sing softly pained threnodies about their love being “…the only war worth fighting for”_against reverberated strumming acoustic guitar, and effortlessly scaling up with quick melodic guitar complemented by a bass guitar and powerful kick snare cymbal rhythm, belting “_If the party was over/ And our time on Earth was through/ I'd wanna hold you just for a while/ And die with a smile”. 

The chorus is clearly engineered for you to singalong and dance with it. It’s no coincidence that they switch from finely controlled vocals to louder, almost-shouting, in the chorus. That’s an invitation for you to join in. Similarly, I think the bass and drums act as cues to dance with.

Bruno and Gaga’s lyrics are beautiful in their imagery, singing about the world ending and the party being over. Those are lonely situations, if they aren’t something you’ve experienced then you’ve probably seen them in a movie. It’s a bittersweet love in which intrusive thoughts of splitting apart are combatted with powerful vows to love each other “…Like it’s the last night.” 

Those are practically the two modes this song has, reflecting on the relationship’s troubles and the pair’s resoluteness to fight for one another. A really powerful emotional moment comes in the bridge, which strips everything but the distant strumming guitar, which generates forward momentum, and glides into the chorus’s powerful instrumental, where the tension and release makes the chaos and the passion hits especially hard.

It’s a good song, that is indisputable. I suppose if I want to be able to enjoy it, though, I need to reframe how I perceive it. It’s not a Lady Gaga song, it’s a Bruno Mars song featuring Lady Gaga. What I miss in this song is the Gaga-ness of say, an album single. The truth is, I probably wouldn’t play this song many times, and probably wouldn’t have listened to it once, if not for Gaga’s presence.

“Die With A Smile” is available to stream and its music video is linked below.

Reference list

Analysis by Clove Mera, 13 August 2024 Single released 11 July 2024 Track written by: Ina Wroldsen, Tove Lo, Steve Mac Liberator Music

Thanks to 2023’s viral hit “Padam Padam”, Kylie Minogue has been enjoying a level of visibility in the pop culture landscape which she hasn’t seen for decades, perhaps since 2001’s Fever and its breakout hit “Can’t Get You Out of my Head”. From the perspective of a lifetime fan of Kylie, I’m so excited to see the heightened success it has brought her, from a Vegas residency to her new music being visible on Apple Music playlists, and new single “My Oh My” reaching the peak of her Top Songs on the same platform. Releasing a single in July, ten months after album “Tension” is also astute timing, as it prolongs her momentum. In fact, she even performed the song with its featured fellow pop stars Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo to a crowd of 65,000 people at BST Hyde Park 2024, according to Left (2024).

The string like synths which lead the sparser more tranquil sections of the song possess a powerful, punchy, bass. They emerge pretty much right away, and truly they take proper advantage of a decently bassy speaker. The song knows that it wants to be heard in a club, where the bass is pounding, and a multi sensory experience does a lot of favours for the song.

Another asset to the song is its infusing of Minogue’s playful personality into the song’s lyrics. If you watch Minogue in any recent interview, you will shortly see how lighthearted her demeanour can be. Minogue, Rexha and Lo each perform a refrain similar in nature, transcribing a flirtatious exchange, with Minogue singing,“When you asked, "What's your name?”/ "What's your sign?" I'm Kylie, it's Gemini/ What's your drink? Let me buy/ You had me when you said, "Hi”/" followed with an actual spoken, “Hi”.

Lyrically, “My Oh My” is similar in concept to “Padam Padam” in two different ways. The stories told in either song are pretty much about seperate sides of one intimate relationship. Where “Padam Padam" was framed around the anticipation while meeting someone,  “And I can tell you how this ends (padam)/ I’ll be in your head all weekend (padam)”, the tapering flush of infatuation is explored in “My Oh My”,  “Yesterday was just a day/ I didn't know my life was gonna change/ Yesterday, light years away/ You came in here, now, nothing is the same.”  Something I regret is that certain imagery is very similar between the two songs. In the former she sings, “You keep me up at night/ La-la-la-la/ I’m feelin' fireflies” and in the latter she sings, “Shivers and butterflies (padam)/ I get the shivers when I look into your eyes (padam)”

This is part of the overall concerns I have about “My Oh My”. The track feels like a by-the-books attempt at crafting another successful hit, with its ingredients pulled from obvious references. Earlier, I mentioned Minogue’s massive hit “Can’t Get You Out of my Head”. It is not difficult to recognise the interpolated “La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la” refrain, even with its slower pace, higher pitch and heavy autotune effects.

The kicks in the chorus remind me of Tiësto’s moderately recent signature flare. For example, Tiësto’s 2021’s song “The Motto”, deploys a deep punchy bass as its leading danceable element. Typically bass is a subdued element, hidden yet a powerful presence in the soundscape. But Tiësto really subverted the way bass is programmed, with high cutoff, low attack and quick release, turning it into the main element like the lights in a laser show. Tiësto is one of the enduringly dominating names in techno music, and is often with or ahead of the curb on music trends. If Kylie’s team wanted Tiësto, why not hire him for a truly current beat?

But if this song is borrowing from the sound and subject matter of the recent Tension era - while being a seemingly seperate single with a dissonant visual aesthetic in the music video - then I am unable to gauge whether Kylie’s upcoming releases will be an extension of Tension or something new. The ambiguity makes it hard to get excited. Are we to anticipate something new, a pivot from country to disco to techno like we got with her previous three albums, or are we going to linger in the recent and successful sound of Tension?

With its similarity in musicality to 2023’s album Tension, and its dissonantly themed music video, it is difficult to gauge where “My Oh My” stands between her projects. Is it an after shock from the previous era, or an indication of what’s coming next? Am I to expect another genre shift, akin to the shift from country to disco to techno in Minogue’s previous three albums? A big contributing force in Kylie Minogue’s successful decades-spanning career is her ability to reinvent herself, and though I do enjoy “My Oh My”, I hope she doesn’t forget that lesson and remain chasing the high that “Padam Padam” gave her. All I know is, whatever Minogue does, I’ll listen to it.

“My Oh My” is available to stream, the music video is linked below

Reference list

Victoria Monet’s groovy r&b song is a source of confidence, independence and the power to curb lovers because you can.

Review by Clove Mera, 6 August 2024

Song released 14 June 2024

Track written by: Victoria Monet, Louis Kevin Celestin

Lovett Music, Inc., under exclusive license to RCA Records

Victoria Monet’s “Alright” delivers coherent harmony between vocals, lyrics, music and production, the result a suave laidback song about doing what you want, with the added perk of knowing it comes at the cost of someone else’s aspirations.

What I like about “Alright” is its experimental musicality, what I love is that it’s minimalistic in its elements. A rhythmic double snare glyph, which snaps persistently throughout the song, possesses a strangely erotic quality to it. I can’t easily put to words why I interpret this two key flair this way, and I can’t picture what’s so sexy about it, but it’s one part of this song’s trippy appeal for me.

The main melodic lead, a soft pad with a sharp edge, has a slow side chain on it. From the very beginning, it creates a downtempo pulse that invites you to begin dancing. This is part of the song’s allure, effortlessly incorporating an element from techno’s uptempo realm into a downtempo R&B song, and subverting genre norms in the process.

Monet begins the song cooly apathetic towards a lover who mistook her need for them, singing, “He gave me some dick in bed/ Now, he think his dick is embedded”. Throughout the track, Monet maintains an unbothered tone as she sings about how she’ll curb men and be totally alright on her own. There’s an aspirational quality to this tale, one you will either relate to or sing along with while imagining the fortune of having lovers to jilt. The line, “Yeah, he might call me a ho but I like to call it immortal” brings a degree of self-indulgence to the song, taking pride in your choices and indulging in the things you’ve been waiting to do for yourself.

The song’s hook is a self-affirmation for those listeners, one you reinforce through carefree dance, “Plus, I got this feeling life’s/ Alright, alright/ Alright/ Alright, alright”. The track’s pulse is built upon in this section, with a soft wiry lead winding around in the distance of the soundscape. It’s a subtle addition to the soundscape, which together with the hook, transports you into a hazy dance party where everyone’s gleefully dopey on morphine. The song never overcomplicates itself, rather indulges in its own pleasure.

Each choice made for “Alright” across lyrics, vocals, music and production make it a unique song unlike any I have heard before. A downtempo R&B song in which power lies in relaxation, sensuality in rejection and pleasure in one’s self.

“Alright” is available to stream and the music video is linked below.

Suki Waterhouse’s uplifting glam rock inspired single has me playing it on repeat

Review by Clove Mera, 29 July 2024 “Supersad” released 21 June 2024 Track written by: Suki Waterhouse, Chelsea Balan, John Mark Nelson, Lita. Sub Pop Records

Suki Waterhouse’s “Supersad” became my favourite track almost instantaneously, with its 80s glam rock influence and later, its relatable message about acknowledging your own crises and peacefully accepting they’ll only be temporary.

Waterhouse begins in an ennui mood, singing “Everything’s going wrong/ tryna reach out, can’t find my phone” with a low and monotonous register against an electric guitar’s chords prolonged by an extended delay tail.

In the chorus, that dejected heroine is swept off her feet by a new state of mind, one which has found a new perspective in its familiarity with glumness. Waterhouse sings, “Could be the worst night I ever had/ Lose my mind, always get it back,” in a higher register as though ignited by her emotions. “Supersad”’s entire message is contained within the chorus line, “All of the tears, wish I never cried/ End of the world toll I’m doing fine/ There’s no point in being supersad”. Waterhouse has become so well-acquainted with her own panic mode and seen enough greener pastures that she can confidently reassure herself: even though the present is tough, it always got better and it will do so again.

What follows the chorus is an anthem-like rallying cry, an “Ooh-ooh ooooh, ooh-ooh ooooh/ There’s no point in being supersad” which soars above a whirlwind of emotion. It’s this section I frequently replay in my mind and is the part I anticipate when I replay “Supersad”.

Another strength for this track is its musicality. From the very beginning, a subtle bass guitar plucks along steadily, prolonging momentum even in the verses’ glum state of mind. A powerful kick flares throughout the song, reenergising the soundscape at the perfect time every time. Finishing with that “ooh-ooh ooh” refrain is rewarding tension and release, paid off with an abrupt cutoff and ending in a tapering reverb tail.

Although brief, “Supersad” feels complete as a song. It offers me the perfect amount of enjoyment and doesn’t outstay its welcome, rather it leaves me wanting more. I replay this track often. That the lyrics don’t allude to a specific situation but rather a state of mind, I think it will be universally relatable. I personally have related to this track, I’ve used it as my cheerleader and I have repeatedly got up to dance with it.

“Supersad” is available to stream now and its music video is linked below.

Lana Del Rey’s new single with Quavo features slivers of her greatness but fails to stand out amongst her legendary portfolio.

Review by Clove Mera 9 July 2024

Single released 3 July 2024

Track written by: Lana Del Rey, Andrew Watt, Benny Negrin, Clayton Johnson, Elysse Jane Yulo, Henry Walter, Jack Antonoff, Jaxson Free, Josh Dorr, Maddox Batson, Nick Bailey & Quavious Marshall

Quality Control Music/Motown Records/UMG Recordings, Inc

Though I can say I enjoy “Tough”, my feelings towards it are mixed. When the song released a few days ago and even now, I don’t feel quite ready to embark on a new album rollout with Del Rey. Her most recent album, Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd had not even been out in the world for a year and a half and, being that I hardly enjoyed the album, more time is needed until I develop a hunger for new music. However, when I unwittingly heard a glowing review for the song, I decided to give it a listen. 

“Tough” begins with a country sound, which is not aligned with my personal tastes. The vocals were so drenched in reverberation, could hardly make out what Del Rey was saying. I decided to roll with it and absorb the sonic soundscape. When the trap influenced accelerated cymbal or shaker kicked into gear, my interest was piqued but I wasn’t excited quite yet. The infusion of hiphop influences into country isn’t necessarily an innovation on Del Rey’s part, and without her distinctive storytelling and high register evocative of a flirtatious angel in line, “Like the smoke in the drawl of your "Y'all" and the way you talk slow”, and the bridge’s abrupt tranquillisation of the song’s pulse, then “Tough” would veer into generic territory. However, my criticisms for Del Rey never include generic. 

Eventually “Tough” reaches a point I gleefully dance along, but this only happens in its final chorus. Each of the three choruses build on themselves in layers. By the final chorus, everything comes together into a hard hitting mix which stunned me the first time and I anticipate each time going forward. The verse’s trap drums are imported, bass heavy kicks are injected into the rhythm, a distant guitar wet with reverb fills the soundscape with a cinematic quality. Together, these new elements lift the unchanged chorus vocals to a deliciously complex zenith I love from Del Rey.

With each album, Del Rey explores new sounds, genres, themes, influences, but there will always be a few songs with gloriously highly sophisticated, almost orchestral, musicality. Some of my favourites include “The Grants”, “Text Book”, “Cinnamon Girl”, “The Blackest Day”, “Shades of Cool” and “13 Beaches”. What “Tough” has in common with those songs is its complexities in its production, the carefully selected additions to fill the highs and lows between the foundational drum and guitar. I especially enjoy Del Rey’s coolly distant “Ahh, ah, ahh” background glyph which repeats throughout the song.

Another enduring element in Del Rey’s art is her poetic and complex lyricism. Lana Del Rey is a role model to me in my songwriting, and this song is another exhibition of why that is. Each album acts like a life update with new topics to muse on, often influenced by where in America she finds herself, be it “Norman Fucking Rockwell”’s California backdrop, “Born to Die”’s New York setting or various rural states like Arizona and Nevada - “West Coast” and “Fucked my Way Up to the Top.” No matter the sound or the influence, Del Rey always brings sophisticated and evocative lyricism to the table. Throughout “Tough”, Lana and Quavo reflect on love persevering through hardship and juxtaposing toughness in the self and one’s experiences with “… Scuff on a pair of old leather boots/ like the blue-collar, red dirt attitude”. As a writer, I get excited by rhyme sequences I wouldn’t have seen coming. The imagery, rhyme sequence and storytelling in chorus line, “Like a .38 made out of brass/ tough like the stuff in your grandpa’s glass” is a standout moment.

Recently the trend of billing a featured artist as an “&” has settled into the music industry’s status quo. It becomes hard to discern from a song’s credited artists whether it will be a proper duet with two singers present throughout a track or entirely one artist with the other tacked onto the bridge. To my delight, “Tough” is indeed a duet. They sing the chorus together and call-and-respond on verse two, with some sing-talking sprechgesang in the outro. Quavo’s lyrics and vocals provide a sharp juxtaposition to Del Rey’s playful softness. 

“Tough” by Lana Del Rey and Quavo meanders through numerous humdrum sections to reach its forceful final chorus. I’m doubtful of the song’s replay value and also doubtful I won’t skip it if it plays on shuffle. Even though Lana has clearly signalled she’s moving in a different direction with her incoming album, I still feel it is too soon since her previous album. It has strong moments but its shortcomings render the song good when Del Rey is known for being exceptional. 

“Tough” is available to stream and has a visualiser attached below.

Slayyyter is back with tangible hunger for stardom as her lyrical protagonist fumbles it.

Single published by Slayyyter, under exclusive license to FADER Label

Review by Clove Mera, 13 June 2023.

Slayyyter returns from a brief post-album/tour break with “Out of Time”, making her claim to pop icon status with an 80s pop track infused with the best of influences.

From the jump, “Out of Time” captures me with its piercing wiry lead and strangers’ voices harmonising together. A clock is ticking away, signalling the spirit of the song and stepping past conventional instrumentation for storytelling, reminiscent of Melanie Martinez’s “Crybaby” or “Soap”. As I honed in on these elements, I got excited about the intersection of Slayyyter’s impressive narrative lyricism, see “Serial Killer”, and the glitzy, sophisticated instrumental.

“Out of Time”’s main body consists of a pulsing bassline that doubles as the track’s rhythmic force. It immediately summons memories of Lady Gaga’s empowering Christina Aguilera collaboration, “Do What U Want”. Alongside Slayyyter’s vocals, the instrumental emanates a sexy but grungy attitude, welcoming us into the club where stars are made and unmade.

Slayyyter’s brand-new single blends the fun of her debut album’s “Over This” with the narrative depth of “Serial Killer” into a glitzy pop track. The tale of a star with the presence of a mountain is told in concise, accelerated phrases. Within a few lines, listeners are rooting for the heroine who “… Knows she’s powerful” and “… moves so incredible.” Musically and vocally, “Out of Time” will impress people who hear it, but lyrically, it’ll impress people who listen.

Slayyyter rides the rhythm like a pop veteran during her verses. Even as the tale of stardom sours in verse two, her matter-of-fact coolness remains unfazed. Rhythm, bass and stylishly autotuned vocals soundtrack the protagonist star’s downfall with insidious apathy. Slayyyter keeps the crowd dancing as someone realises there’s

Regrettably, I’d have to point to the chorus as the weak spot in “Out of Time.” The four line stanza is a little too brief and misses the same juiciness her verses showcased. Its four lines lack the vocal oomph and melodic adrenaline to hook people or match the track’s epic presence. It’s the rump when it should be the most memorable part.

I could understand if Slayyyter and her five producers preferred an earworm, committing itself to memory. Like a true pop-cultural phenomenon, everyone will be singing “Say goodnight/ Angel eyes” to themselves. However, this is no Sia’s “Chandelier”. Choruses are hard to do, especially when it feels like there are both endless vocal possibilities and none. However, I make music alone, and Slayyyter certainly was not that.

Although “Out of Time” uses the same music on its verse and chorus, Slayyyter sufficiently differentiates the familiar sections with melodies and risen vocal tension in her choruses. The producers becloud their routine instrumental by reducing the bass’s cutoff and wielding it as a chance to kickstart verse two, bringing it back with a kick flare.

By the second chorus, the adrenaline pumping since the opening’s riser/pause combo is lost. Slayyyter syncopates brief phrases to melodic synth stabs, giving high pop with an early days Lana Del Rey twist. Drawn out phrases “You could be/ Out of time” need supporting musical elements, and the third chorus’s belting backing vocals cast that spell for a brief time; before the song eventually snaps back to a form the listener is long familiar with.

Dua Lipa’s “Hallucinate” is a subtle example of texturing the sonic complexity. Synth chimes decorate the third chorus at such a gain that its effects are felt and when noticed, adored. They make you want to get up and throw your body around in dance.

Musically, Slayyyter is locked and loaded to dominate pop and earn her spot beside the Dua Lipas and Ava Maxes of the world. In presentation, “Out of Time” and its likely impending era is an evolution beyond Slayyyter’s “Troubled Paradise” era, itself a step beyond her eponymous mixtape. Never remaining static, Slayyyter is brandishing tangible hunger for a career in the stratosphere.

“Out of Time” is available to stream on all platforms.

Watch the visualiser below.

Album published by Stomp Down

Review by Clove Mera, 30 May 2023

I approached Monaleo’s album as a fan drawn to her confident but authentic lyrics and charmingly wide smile, hoping she would be able to surprise me. Across a few of her singles, Monaleo appears to have only one flow. Combining the candid venting on single “Ridgemont Baby” with the title of this album and hazy album art depicting Monaleo as a rose growing out of the pavement, I had faith in her ability to deliver.

“Ass Kickin” and “Wig Splitter” are two confrontational rap tracks. The latter had a catchy hook but both felt like more of the same Monaleo I’ve come to expect. The beat and flow on the latter bored me.

This is why bars on aforementioned “Ridgemont Baby” are needed. Learning about “Me and Keke running from the laws, that’s a true story/ You bitches grew up with family dogs in a two-story” help me understand Monaleo’s struggle and relate to her on a human level.

Authenticity is provably Monaleo’s language and she speaks it across whatever genre she deems applicable. Bookending the album is two ballads, “Sober Mind” and “Cosmic Love”, about protecting one’s mental peace and moving on albeit with spite.

Both tracks showcase Monaleo’s strong vocal abilities, indicating a fluidity that could help her venture further into the mainstream. Such conjures memories of early days Nicki Minaj, outspoken about being a rapper who sings (uncommon at the time). Imagining such as Monaleo’s trajectory renders the album art an apt representation of where she stands today.

Monaleo’s desire to traverse genre is already spotlighted within the album. Such is her true surprise for me. “Return Of The P” and “Goddess (Feat. Flo Milli)” are both self-love rap tracks, top candidates for dominating the internet. Sharp edged bars like “You let a dirty dog off the leash, expect him to roam/ I’m trynna see what goes through n**** heads cause it can’t be a comb” and “‘Cause I ain’t ever known a n**** to make shit but a bad bitch crazy/…Tell a man you wanted a rose, he come with a daisy.” will empower anyone miffed by a man.

Meanwhile, double track “Sauvage (Interlude)” and “Cologne Song” are a confounding R&B package I can’t discern as sincerely flirtatious or a tongue-in-cheek sendup. Even I can be stopped dead in my tracks by a man’s scent, but do lyrics like “What kind of cologne are you wearing/ I could smell it on the way home/…Smells so good that I’m writing this song” ring true? Not enough to sing about.

Monaleo has not cornered herself into any niche and being so young, she still has the world at her fingertips. “Where The Flowers Don’t Die” is a sampler of the 22-year-old’s appetites and although it hosts some skips, it’s also home to a few bops. Her lyrical material is guaranteed to enamour people around the world and I look forward to watching her hone in on her sound and flourish like the rose she is.

You can stream or buy Monaleo’s “Where The Flowers Don’t Die” today.

Watch the music video for “Ass Kickin” now.

Review by Clove Mera, 27 September 2022.

2022, Top Dawg Entertainment

Up and coming rapper Doechii has spent the last few years showcasing a unique imagination, and applying her creativity to her music, visuals and lyrics. Doechii’s 2022 EP and first project under label Top Dawg Entertainment, “she / her / black bitch – EP”, is an exemplification of her artistic stylings.

Best embodied on track “Swamp Bitches”, Doechii welcomes her producers to try a tapestry of varying sounds which appears as a manifestation of Generation Z’s love for chaos. What begins with a hazy guitar, black and white movie showdown between two gun-toting cowgirls, switches into a forward-thinking spiralling synth loop. Like Nicki Minaj, Doechii doesn’t shy away from different genres and displays the prerequisite skills to traverse them effectively. 

Doechii has as many flows and vocal cadences to offer as her producer did sounds on “Swamp Bitches”. Not only she but her guest features Rico Nasty and Jst Ray deliver flawless annunciation. Across flows with varying paces, all women are easy to understand. I omit SZA as I’ve yet to tune my ears to her soulful style of singing.

Annunciation and imagination are not prerequisites contemporary hip-hop gatekeepers (or even audiences) use to find their next superstar. The last few years have revealed a cultural endemic of rappers rising quick and fading faster with freaky lyrics and a promiscuous persona. Doechii eschews such pathways in the presentation of her art and delivers work with promised longevity. Though I'm sure Doechii wishes she could have both adoration and artistic integrity, it seems there’s needed changes bigger than any one person for that to happen.

And on that front, I wonder what chances this record has for radio play when all tracks but “Persuasive” feature the word bitch in their titles. “Bitches Be” has the most commercial sound and best resembles a contemporary breakout hit, but would Top Dawg Entertainment ask radio jockeys to announce an edited version as simply “Be”?

“she / her / black bitch – EP” is a valuable listen for those who enjoy experimental and imaginative hip hop. Brief but dense in its content, Doechii proves she doesn't need too long to prove what she has on offer. If you have a free half hour, take a trip into the Florida rapper’s mind and let it be a gateway into her catalogue of similarly creative EPs

“she / her / black bitch – EP” is available on streaming and you can find the music video for “Persuasive” on YouTube below.

Another experiment, this time fumbling its attempted references.

Review by Clove Mera, 27 September 2022.

Track written by: unknown at time of publishing

From “Dirt Femme”, 2022, Pretty Swede Records/ mtheory

Tove Lo’s new record grabs me during its high points but its lows can be hard to overlook as a music producer. While Lo demonstrates further growth in her vocal abilities, there are choices made both musically and lyrically which prohibit it from achieving its implied intentions.

Lo’s earlier single “True Romance” is a showcase of the voice she has come to master. Both there and here she delights me with her ability to navigate her songs’ ebbing and flowing notes.

The lyrics had me ensnared instantly with their confessional destructiveness. Admitting that “Pulling us apart is all I'm good for”, Lo allays my own trepidation toward being candid in my lyrics. People generally have a sense of solidarity with people paying for their mistakes. It's these kinds of words, coming from the heart which stand the test of time. Another such record is Rina Sawayama’s “Bad Friend”.

On select occasions there’s a weird quality to Lo’s voice, notably during “I can’t face what I know” and “Your heart’s colder than stone” in which her voice is briefly garbled. I wonder if this vocal track was recorded in full with live instruments and the whole shebang; a candid moment they chose to retain as a Keepsake of the day.

Sentimental as this idea is, “I’m to Blame” doesn’t give itself enough time to absorb me in its passion enough to not notice such things. ‘I’m to Blame” applies the somewhat dated tension and release technique of intensifying its bridge with new elements before stripping it all back to something raw where the vocalist repeats a previous stanza with pained, finely controlled vocals.

This track’s briefness hinders its application of tension and release. Within 94 seconds we’ve reached the dramatic high and without the time to be absorbed in the stream of emotions and go flying off its waterfall we instead go tumbling down onto a bed of rocks. Such is to say the change isn’t exciting but instead disorienting and confusing.

Its misgivings continue into the third chorus, Lo delivering the same melody as both before it. There’s no escalation or finality and the song abruptly ends with little cues given to indicate so. I think it’s highly likely this occurs because the next track on the album continues right where this one ends. Such seems an odd choice, releasing half a double feature as a single.

Tove Lo’s “I’m to Blame” reads like another of Lo’s experiments in genre like last week’s “2 Die 4”. Talking to Zane Lowe for Apple Music about “True Romance”, the songwriter revealed she in fact pulled its narrative from the movie of the same name. With this interview in mind, the idea of fiction and candidness play tug of war. There are moments when the candid lyrics resonate, attributable to Lo’s performance, but there are other times where I feel like I'm listening to a song intently crafted to play over a montage at the end of an angsty teen drama episode where everything is going to crap for its protagonists.

You can stream or purchase Tove Lo‘s “I’m to Blame” and access the Apple Music interview below.