Fresh New Music – Week of February 19th

Hot albums abounded this week, with highly anticipated releases from Future and Ryan Adams dropping this week. Ed Sheeran celebrated his birthday with a piece of his heart on How Would You Feel (Paean), Flo Rida took it to the courts in the most literal way possible on Game Time, and The Shins got nostalgic about growing up as an army brat on Mildenhall. There was a last minute addition from Lana Del Rey over the weekend on Love.

The names always change, but the story remains the same; head over to New Music Friday on Spotify for the latest and greatest tracks. Staying on top of new music is harder than it looks, that’s why we got you covered on New Music Friday All Stars for the best tracks over the last six months.

10. Dirty Laundry by All Time Low

A self acceptance song for the ages, ATL gets real here with lines like “She got her secrets, ya I’ve got mine too / I don’t care about what you did / Only care about what we do / Dirty laundry looks good on you.” The band told Alternative Press that the song is part of some things they’re continuing to explore from their album Future Hearts. Dirty Laundry is about coming to terms with the mistakes you’ve made and wearing them as badges.

9. I Don’t Wanna Dance by COIN

Let’s face it, not all were born for the dance floor or have that natural inclination. COIN picks up on that sentiment easily here, breaking it down for you the chorus (but not that you’ll have to break it down while they break it down). Lead singer Chase Lawrence got pretty introspective on the otherwise straight forward track, saying of the song “…it’s conflicted. We don’t want to ruin what is seemingly perfect by showing our less preferred side. We’re all gonna die, so why not live as yourself?”

8. Prisoner by Ryan Adams

No stranger to tackling heartbreak and heavy emotions, this week we received the first state of Ryan Adam’s full album of the same name. Getting right into the thick of it early with lyrics like “Free my heart / Somebody locked it up / Still waiting on parole, I can taste the feeling just outside that door.” The important thing to remember here is that any sad soul can make a song about heartache, but what sets Adam apart here is his relentless musicality, giving us a little harmonica in all the right places.

7. Victory by Joey Bada$$

You’ll be ready to hit the court basketball fan or not after a listen to Joey’s latest, with verses that are air tight and choruses echoing of “competition is slim to me.” The song is part of Courtside Project, a new venture put forth by Mountain Dew, which “aims to bring together figures from basketball, music, style, art as a crossover platform project,” as reported by High Snobiety.

6. Fry by The Orwells

Terrible Human Beings is the name of The Orwells just released album, but if you ask us the Straight Outta Elmhurst Illinois band is being just a touch dramatic for sake of a good album name. Fry is a standout track amongst the new thirteen, a sigh of frustration at the state of being overly entertained, and the havoc it can wreak on your brain.

5. Some Way by NAV, The Weeknd

The first track off of the forthcoming mixtape of Toronto rapper NAV definitely has got a feeling some type of way, giving us a down low vibe with a start from The Weeknd. It’s NAV’s first official mixtape, and he’s reppin’ both Toronto and the Weeknd hard on XO Records. On Some Way Abel kicks it off slow and sexy, while NAV’s part kicks it up a notch with dirtier one liners. NAV has been buzzed about for such a long time we can’t help but be psyched as to what comes next from him.

4. Rich Boy by Galantis

Last summer Galantis kept it real with us on No Money, letting anyone listening know that they ain’t got no money and under no uncertain terms that they ain’t giving you a dollar. This time the Swedish super duo keep the thought of money mainly on their mind, now delivering a ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ themed anthem that’s ready to get thee to the dance floor. It’s colorful, loud, and heavy, and we can’t get enough.

3. Fragments by Jack Johnson

Sometimes all one needs is a Jack Johnson song to unwind to, and on Fragments we’re given a laid back and barefoot ‘let all that is unnecessary drop from your mind’ vibes. But the mood here isn’t entirely easy and peaceful, as the track comes from Jack’s latest documentary The Smog of the Sea, tackling the disturbing reality of how much plastic currently resides in the earth’s oceans.

Over the course of five albums we feel like we’ve gotten to know Future pretty well so far, but this week introduced us to him a big way with FUTURE, his latest capitalized album. Admittedly the beat on Draco is very “busy,” and with so much going on and Future’s flow being not as crispy as some, it can be easy to be overwhelmed on the first listen or two. However, once you’ve committed the ultra catchy chorus to memory, this is one you’ll be hoping for warm weather to blast at full volume with windows down.

1 .It Ain’t Me by Kygo, Selena Gomez

One must admire the simply ingenious soul who thought to combine hot trop house powerhouse Kygo with the one of the most popular young pop star of our time. Stars combined with other stars create supernovas, and It Ain’t Me is powerful from word go. Selena laments on lost love and Kygo tweaks the beats in between.