NEW MUSIC FRIDAY SUMMARY AND REVIEW 7.03.25 #22

NEW MUSIC FRIDAY SUMMARY AND REVIEW 7.03.25 #22

Garden Of Eden—Lady Gaga (7.8/10)

Now that the Gaga album is out, we are left with the promoted single 'Garden Of Eden,' which is a good choice to put at the start of the album. It's fun, it makes you want to dance, and just like 'Abracadabra,' it's a rollercoaster of a party, which I truly believe has the power to get picked up by radio or even take Gaga to number one, and we need a hit single with staying power because right now 2025 has just been songs recycled from 2024. I'll be looking forward to hearing the full album 'Mayhem,' and this song is making me look forward to it even more!

Handlebars—JENNIE/Dua Lipa (5.5/10)

This song doesn't bring out complete utter nonsense, but it sure is boring. I've now heard multiple songs that are main singles from JENNIE'S new album, and they all don't really deserve any hype. In fact, this song is the best one yet; without Dua's verse, the score would drop, though. The interesting noises in production were also one of the only reasons why I spared it with this score. After these performances from her and the lack of interest that sounds like it's going to be in the album, the only thing pulling me in is the wide range of features on the project, disappointing.

Beautiful People—David Guetta/Sia (6.2/10)

This isn't the first time we've seen Guetta and Sia on a song together; last time we did, it went UK No. 1 and was a memorable smash radio hit that's still played on radio today. Now, will Beautiful People live up to that? No, I'm confident it won't, just like most musical duos after releasing a smash hit together; their next songs don't live up to the original hit, just like with Calvin & Ellie's 'Free' or Kendrick and SZA's '30 For 30,' etc. Guetta gave a less action-packed production, and it felt like the song didn't have much of a memorable hook, unsurprising because Guetta just sucks nowadays. The song still spares along the lines of fun and gives something that sounds like a summer song. I won't bash it because it's not terrible; it is repetitive, though, because now I see what people mean when talking about Sia's lyrics; they are the same as before and don't present much to the song, unfortunately.

Anxiety—Doechii (8/10)

And now the famous segment we all know and love is in a song, and Doechii nailed this too! The rest of the song kept the same level of sound, which I really enjoyed, and her vocals were soft and smooth, which was relaxing despite what she was rapping about. In the end, Anxiety sounds like it could be going places; social media should really pick this up!

Swing For The Fences—Elton John/Brandi Carlile (8.2/10)

LOVE to see Elton back, and just like the first single from these two, the second one is a smash hit! We could be having album of the year from these too! My only complaint is that Elton was a little hard to hear and got less time, and that's sad because I would've loved to see him get more of a part. Aside from that, this had a lovely, fun, and light piano melody along with an absolutely delightful production that sounds like the previous single along with sounds that feel very in tune with giving you a memorable listen. Elton has still got the power!! The rock along with the easy, stylish listen makes it sound like something that could be heard in a movie scene with a funfair; love this so much!

Future Tripping—Kelsea Ballerini (6.9/10)

Well, it just scraped the mark of acceptable to replay; it's not as good and as thought out as some of the singles from Kelsea's previous works, but it's definitely an alright step in the next journey of her career; it's just not an exciting step.

Sweet Dreams—J. Hope/Miguel (7/10)

I thought this was going to be interesting, and I was right; it's giving something that would've fit on Mac Miller's 'Balloonerism' as a good track. Miguel is very much capable of making something memorable, but when I saw J. Hope, I was questioning how this would sound. It turns out Miguel ruled most of the production elements, which I thought was a very good choice, and J. Hope did a great vocal job. A pleasant surprise!

Can You Please—GELO/Glorilla (5/10)

Flipping heck. GELO won't his breakout song Tweaker die will he? The start of this song is an obvious near-exact copy of that song, and the whole song ends up feeling like a tweaker remix with even lyrics of tweaker copied, not to mention the continuously rap crap lyrics where there are hawk tuah references from Glorilla, as the whole song is just about sex and the usual gangster activities, as the lyric video features money pouring down the screen. So, why did I spare this a five? The beat may not have been impressive, but it's definitely punchy and hits hard; it does what it's trying to do and well. What I don't get is why every rapper just talks about the same damn thing; it's so dull.

I'll be gone—SASAMI (7/10)

Just a really easy pop song that sounds easy to navigate, not special but not bad either, quite a calm listen.

Options—Cameron Whitcomb (6/10)

Sounds like something that Noah Kahan would do a great cover for, and it would even be good to push this to the American country radios as well. It's emotional, has those classic guitars often seen in the genre, and has a voice that sounds devoted to the song. As much as this isn't great, it sure will be for many people.

Enjoy Your Life—Tokimonsta/Oby Onyioha (6.3/10)

It's just a fun song with character flowing through the whole thing; it's not so common either; I respect this.

ILY - Kapo/Myke Towers (7.9/10)

Tell me why I'm not trashing this. I was expecting this to be a bland disaster after knowing more of the previous works by these artists, and it wasn't a disaster at all. The song made me feel like I'm on a beach in a foreign country and just enjoying my surroundings. Another way to say that would be that this song is relaxing in the way it sounds. I don't get the lyrics, so hopefully that doesn't stray far from what I've said, but I am just going off sound.


Do you think you could love me? - Yung Kai (3.9/10)

I don't know if I could love you, but I definitely cannot love this song. The mood just feels so depressing, and that's not to do with how it's supposed to be; I'm saying that in a critical way. Kai's voice is so languorous.

Classy Girl—Turbo/Gunna (4/10)

Yeah, yeah, it's also all the good-looking girls and how they want to take them all over the world; the beat is so dead and reflects no improvement for Gunna; it equals lazy.

Pop n Olive—Samara Cyn/Sherwyn (5/10)

Didn't really understand this.

I need a doctor—Youngboy Never Broke Again (0.2/10).

Grow up and get help. No way you can still be pumping out this poop stain of a song; you sound utterly LAUGHABLE. The vocal performance was so garbage that I'm seriously angry at this. He literally screeched "ANOO GARTAAAREAGHVCGHB," whatever the hell that means, and there's still YouTube bots commenting "real ones stayed up for this." I would have stayed up to stop this from coming out; the production choices were such a joke that I'm in shock this is a serious artist. I'm not even going to make a serious analysis on this because it's a waste of my time.

Run It Up—Hanumankind (7/10)

Really energetic and straight to the point, but this time not heading for virality it sounds more real to what they want to put out rather than trying to make their way up the charts.

Santiago - Richy Mitch And The Coal Miners (6.7/10)

I'm pretty much pleased with this; my favourite part was the extra boost at the end, which gives it a needed final push to uplift the song's quality. The vocals also were fittingly aside the beat; it totally works.

Happy Birthday—Black Country, New Road (4/10)

I can't hear anything that the singer is saying. The making of the song has some really questionable choices. Due to how dull they are. Black Country, New Road need to sort this out because just like their last song, this is nothing special. This is not special, and people overrate this just like K-pop stans, but instead it's not K-pop. Anyways, that was just some quick fire opinions to give.

Call me if you miss me—Max McNown (4.9/10).

Weak all over, some of the flow feels like a Taylor Swift filler when she's just rambling on about something even if it doesn't match anything about the song. Max's vocals felt like they weren't hitting the notes the song needed and instead were just going along for the ride as if he's shy.

Amigos? No. - Oscar Maydon/Neton Vega (5/10)

As you can expect, it's their usual, which if you've been following my reviews, you will very much know that I dislike their usual due to it being the same things heard everywhere else. I can be asked to explain the same thing again; I'll care when they make something new.

Edge of the world—MEDUZA/Innellea/GENESI/Nu-La (6.9/10)

It has some really loud and clear beats on this to keep you energised; it's a fun dance/electronic track that's sure to keep you going, but to me, it's nothing beyond the realms of fun.

BAD DECISIONS—Nemzzz (5/10)

It's the exact same rap/drill that we've seen from him and from others for possibly a decade on end; it's repetitive, it's supposed to be hitting, but now it feels tiring, and Nemzzz has lost the spark.

Satanised—Ghost (5/10)

Is this satanic or nah? Google won't make it clear. I don't want to promote Satanism, so I can't say this was good, but I don't want to be biased either, so I'll just say the beat was good.

Sex, Drugs & Existential Dread—Chloe Qisha (7.4/10)

Very different from her usual, it feels like something that a lot of music critics would like due to its more alternative sound that submerges you straight into the mix. Chloe Qisha has been one I've been keeping an eye out for a while; she legit sounds like she could be the next breakthrough. There just needs to be a lot more backing behind these singles, and voila, then we've got something going. Oh, and one piece of criticism: please take out the line "the world is on fire, let's go get Taco Bell." That one line makes me have a lot more dislike for the song and did affect the score, especially when the viewers thought they were working with a hot, getting-in-the-mood atmosphere.

Rich Junkies—Bay Swag/Kyle Ricch (5.2/10)

Sounds like a partly experienced rapper off of BandLab. That's not a huge insult, unlike the other things I've said to these rappers. Take it or leave it.

Nightlight—Livingstone (7/10)

Very well put together song; it's what you would expect from Livingstone, but I still pretty much like it. It's a "let's make an average but good song" move rather than trying to level up his skill set. After all this, though, I don't really care for the whole album. It's a sweet indie song about waiting for someone; it sounds like something Alex Warren would make in case you're interested.

If You Hadn't Been There—Dolly Parton (7.5/10)

Dolly is still rocking it at her age! It has that beautifully natural sound where it's clean and avoids using any non-natural extras that kill the clean feel. I love how she's keeping it real; hopefully, there's more!

Smoker—Jack Van Cleaf (9.3/10)

What an absolutely heartbreaking and truthful song that captures the feelings and stories around how he's smoking, from how he never thought he would to openly admitting that it became a habit. The pitch change in the vocals, particularly on the 'Smoker' part, was something that really added to the track and gave it a more raw and honest aspect. We should never let people promote smoking, but sadly many do, and now today we have people hooked up to oxygen masks fighting for their lungs. Don't smoke, and if you do, try to stop. This song really highlights everything on point and the guitar with the beat that makes you constantly think in a trance; it's truly a song we need in this world.

Back To Life—Wilkinson/Julia Church (6.2/10)

Reminds me of Sonny Fedora and Clementine's song a few weeks back, very simple and just lacks anything to propel its popularity forward; it just equals some DJ with an ascending beat and female vocals. We could've gotten better, but it's still alright.

WORTH SOMETHING—Icewear Vezzo/Big Sean/Skilla Baby (6.4/10)

Uninspired? Yes. Was the beat still kind of tough despite being part of rap crap lyrics? Yes. For that, it gets a 6.4 for channelling my inner gangster.

GFY - Julia Michaels (4/10)

Reminds me of Caity Baser or Mae Stephen's common and cringe song style, in the lyrics and in the production; Meghan Trainor probably would have gotten on this song without any question. It's the classic heartbreak framed in a more clever word style that doesn't sound clever at all; in fact, this just sounds stupid.

Girl I Never Met—Corey Kent (6.8/10)

I approve of a country song, finally, a random country song that keeps the country base while actually having style rather than sadly slugging along. The rock guitars fit well with Corey, and the production value is quite good for this.

Perdido—Gabito Ballesteros (3/10)

Yeah, I can't psychically get through all of this; from most of my listening, I can tell it's Mexican/Spanish crap (basically the same thing the artists here always pump out—when I say _____ crap, that's what I mean, and in this case it's the same trumpets and style of production that you can't tell apart from any other song of the genre).

Heaven On My Mind—Tobymac (7/10)

Finally, some good Christian music! We need to take out the common stereotypes that tend to come with Christian music, and this song does exactly that with an uplifting pop sound and easy-to-listen vocals. If only it would trend.

Abyss - Chloe Moriondo (6.9/10)

Really basic pop sounds like something that modern-day Rebecca Black could get on, and I don't mean that in an insulting way; basic doesn't always mean bad.

I got questions—Ken the man/Kaliii (4.9/10).

Rap crap, moving on.

Gone Girl—Neriah (5/10)

Sadly, this is like her previous song 'Don't Let Go,' which I tried to get into but feels as plain as your mouth when you wake up at 3am. Why can't Neriah stray out of making songs that sound like pop fillers that are only slightly liked for the sake of having an upbeat hook that sounds like 'Cruel Summer'?

Gone Fishing—Mackenzie Carpenter (8.2/10)

US country rock with a true powerful edge to it, Mackenzie's vocals have a powerful force. She's my new favourite Carpenter, much better than Sabrina Carpenter at least.

Sometimes—Tiago PZK/Teddy Swims (5.5/10)

Ok, so Teddy Swims needs to stop rapping because he's not good at it; instead, stick to the things like in 'I've Tried Everything But Therapy (Part One)' because this is a big downfall. Tiago gave a fairly okay opening; he did better than Teddy at least, just not by much. Teddy wants to step outside of playing it safe, but it's not working; the best I can do is applaud the effort.

Another Day—Adrien Nunez (5.6/10)

If Myles Smith was white, this is what his music would sound like. Flat and tasteless but somehow still manages to mean something in all its boringness.

Only God Knows—Struggle Jennings/Jelly Roll (4.5/10)

Do something different. Jelly Roll! Come on! This is the exact same rock he's been putting out for years with a message we've all heard, so repetitive, the same thing with the background, does nothing.

Can we talk about Isaac? - Rachel Chinouri (5.1/10)

Ok, I'm going to be honest, I've heard little from Rachel, but I don't get her huge appeal. The only thing I quite liked from her was when she did 'Even' with Cat Burns, but apart from that, it just sounds like there's nothing really to these songs; they're like unseasoned food, not really appealing. Rachel, try and jazz things up a bit, please.

Straight Rhymez—Aitch (6/10)

There's one problem here that makes me have a sour taste towards the whole song. Is it the beat? No, the beat is excellent and adds a funky side along with a clear character beat that sounds anything but boring. Is it the vocals? No, Aitch has great flow and can keep up easily and is great at doing that. Now, I'll tell you what it is: Aitch is chatting absolute rubbish as usual; you are NOT a top 5 rapper, and anyone who doesn't bring you up in a conversation about the top 5 rappers just has common sense! Don't let the pride get the best of you. Aitch, he then talks about how he never lies, despite what he says contradicting itself, as I explained when reviewing 'A Guy Called.' Aitch simply thinks he's the biggest and can brag about anything, and because he has a few great songs upon a mountain load of bad ones, he thinks he's entitled, and for that, the track gets me mad. There's a load of other lies there to which I'm not going to waste my time on. Without these bad lyrics, the song would be an 8.5 or so.

KAROAKE - James Arthur (3.7/10)

It appears James Arthur's run of making ok songs is over. The start sounded like it wasn't mixed to the best potential, the middle sounded like one of the most basic pop songs known to man, and the end sounded like I hired a Lewis Capaldi impersonator from Fiverr.

Maria Magdalena—Sevdaliza/irmas de pau (2.5/10)

Just unneeded filth that seems satanic, Sev's viral hit 'Alibi' was a lot better.

Function—Big Zuu/Capo Lee/INFAMOUSIZAK (6/10)

Biz Zuu carried; if the other artists lived up to his verse, then this would've been like an 8/10, but sadly, though, they didn't give their all at all, and it ended up just being entertaining because of Zuu.

Take A Pic—Ashley Walters/Giggs (5/10)

This was not as slick as they think it was; in fact, nothing here was worth listening to or talking about. What I do want to talk about is how Ashley Walters sounds like the name of a retired 95-year-old white grandma who spends her last days baking cookies; turns out it's a young, Black male who looks like they make gangsta music. Dude, get a name change right away. 😭🙏🏼

Lonely Love—Hybrid Minds/Ashley Singh (6.4/10)

We can take this; it's not the worst. It just doesn't hit the point on whatever it's trying to give; the verses, background, and style all feel like they miss the mark and instead deliver average.

PSILOCYBIN & DAISIES - Jessie Reyez (8/10)

It reminds me of another song that I can't remember; the name is on the tip of my tongue. Anyways, this is too short. I would love a longer version because this song feels super refreshing, and there's some tone in the track's vocals and bass that just makes me fall in love with it.

Cage El Paso - HUGEL/DERON/La Payara (3.8/10)

Pretty forgettable, don't you think?

Mandigo—Wu-Tang Clan (9/10)

Ladies and gentlemen, this is how you do a rap song. It's gritty and has those backing vocals that bring the before 2000s sound, although it still sounds like it's fit for modern day. I believe this could be part of the movie due to the credits and character scenes inside the song; if so, this must be a great movie because this is awesome! Not only that, but it has a wild and full, out-loud and clear sound that is bound to turn any frown upside down, with the screams and cuts fit into the perfect place.

Gethsemane—Car Seat Headrest (5/10)

I can't make it through this; I just can't sit through 11 minutes straight of an old progressive/indie rock with guitar and vocals, and for me not being able to listen to it, I can't like it. If it was shorter, this would have gotten more points from me, though; instead, this is just time-consuming.

Skullcrusher—Yeule (4/10)

Eugh, what is this two-minute mash-up of ear-splitting sounds? What is even going on here?

Ripped apart by hands—Weatherday (6/10)

Sounds pretty deep; if the production was a bit clearer, that would've been nice. Sounds like something Gigi Perez might make.

NASTYWERKKK! - I legit can't say the artist's name because it could get autocorrected and then my content could get banned. (5.9/10)
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It started pleasant, but then the vocals were drowned in the high volume and meant nothing. Sad. I'm only giving it 5.9/10 because of the good beat.

Thousand Yard Stare—Kmoe (7/10)

Production was the key element that made me give the score I did; the fade-out to the vocal blend captures a real essence in the song that I love to see.

Destiny Arrives—SPELLING (6.9/10)

Nice addition to the album, powerful vocals on a really well-made soul-rock song. I still don't feel the need to hear the full album, though.

High Horse—NMIXX (4/10)

I don't care what the mega stans say; it's still boring girl group K-pop. I don't care if there were a few vocal changes and it's not an identical copy of others in the genre; it's still incredibly boring because not much is done here.

Head Hunting—Key Nyata/Pouya/Denzel Curry/Shakewell/KXLLSWXTCH (8/10)

I like the detail and care that sounds like it was put into this. I rarely like southern hip hop, especially ones overpacked with artists, but this was a switcheroo from the usual. The hook feels sharp and intense to keep you hooked with a continuous loop that holds up really well.

Magic Clock - F5ve (4/10)

It's the same K-pop girl group that somehow probably has diehard stans despite them making music like any other K-pop band that has no flavour to it at all.

UK B*tches - Ovine Hall/Kurtains (3.8/10)

Maybe if it wasn't hard to understand piled-up slop, then the beat could actually be used.

+ Sargasso + - Vildhjarta (8/10)

I have no way to understand their words, so I'm just basing my rating off the sound, and the piano parts along the heavy rock were pieced well. I think Linkin Park would put a great addition to this song.

The Strip—The Orchestra (For Now) (6/10)

This has a really unexpected drop in depth, which needs to make you change the volume (which isn't the best). The rest of the song is well put together; it goes all out for the guitars and screams and puts on a good image for the act. Sadly, there's blasphemy, which makes me like it less, and due to that, I can't get into this.

Bad Influence Freestyle—LUCKI (5.2/10)

I have mixed views on this; some lyrics appear sharp and well phrased, while others feel paused to think for the freestyle, along with this not doing much anyway. It definitely doesn't need to be 5 minutes.

Stardoll—Ninush (8.2/10)

Seeing that I'm lying down at 10:30pm, it's very nice to get a soothing and easy listen; most likely the most relaxing thing I've heard in a while. The orchestral instruments coming in made me smile so hard because the gentle vocals with it just want to make you drift away in sleep, honestly beautiful, and I'm thankful to witness this.

Tongues—Thornhill (6.9/10)

It's really giving the 90s nu metal sound really well; reminds me of Deftones.

Love You Anymore - Mario Judah (3/10)

No offence here, but I'm not a fan of Mario's accent; his voice doesn't feel like something I can get into. This song was also just less than two minutes of confusion for me because I didn't get the end goal of the song; either way, nothing here impressed me.

Blue Demon—The Voidz (8/10)

The song is really catchy and sounds like something that the radio could pick up; the problem for me is that the immense autotune doesn't help with the song like they think it might. I think it's better using a more natural vocal choice. I'm getting into these synth-funk songs a lot more now, though.

Hell Raiser (Freestyle) - Lil Uzi Vert (3.8/10)

Why should I be surprised? Lil Uzi is putting out more demonic music as usual, but that's not even the main issue because what the hell is this beat? It's just random noises and sounds put onto his freestyle as if he never had a real producer. I mean, who would want to produce this anyway? His freestyle wasn't the sharpest.

Selekta - Kyle Gordon/Albie Wobble/Trixie B/SIDEQUEST (4.7/10)

At most this track will get a play on a Radio One show that nobody chooses to listen to by choice. Some of these verses were so bad that they escaped the studio.

Pumpkin—c418 (8.2/10)

I'm so glad that I discovered this guy! Really peaceful song; it's gentle and something you could fall asleep to, but at the same time, it's addictive to replay. No wonder why they got this guy to make the Minecraft songs; he's a pro.

Crystal Roses—Spiritbox (6.9/10)

I wish I could hear what they are saying, but apart from that, everything else is a check.

Pondeggi - E Wata/Yaeji (3.2/10)

The track is so long that it feels tiring, and whoever the second person on the song is sounds AWFUL; they are not cut out for music; they show no music talent whatsoever and completely ruined the song due to them being all over it.

Double See Freestyle—Lil Uzi Vert (4.8/10)

It's not as bad as his last freestyle, but in parts, Lil Uzi does sound like the majority of gang rappers who flood their vocals with autotune, resulting in them sounding like an alien species. At least he can rhyme.

Damn Right—JENNIE/Childish Gambino/Kali Uchis (7.1/10)

This is the first really good thing I've heard from the JENNIE album. Childish Gambino had the best part here; his part was executed correctly, and it provided the clean change in the song. Thankfully, that was followed by another clean vocal change by JENNIE. I think working rap into the album went away from playing it safe, which I'm pleased to see JENNIE do.

Like JENNIE - JENNIE (8/10)

And this comes as the second single. I really liked this from this album! Wow, I really think this should've been a main single! It's got an incredible dance routine as well. It has that constant pattern and fast ups and downs that make it like an action movie and keeps you hooked; Jennie's vocals are on point and fit in well with the constant pulse of the song. Give this a try!