Daniel Curry
“Wars” by Of Monsters and Men
Featured on Of Monsters and Men's 2019 album Fever Dream, "Wars" is a fun sounding track talking about an on and off relationship. "Wars" mainly talks about the 'War' of being attached to someone that you only want for fun. The song has light and echoes vocals giving the song a floaty feeling. On the instrumental side, the baseline runs throughout the majority of the song, giving it a funky taste. Swells of both instrumentals and vocals before the chorus give the song the bumps it needs to keep the listener too interested. Over all this track has classic pop-rock attributes and is a fun listen.4/5
Gio Battaglia
“all the good girls go to hell” by Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish is one of the biggest breakout stars of 2019; this is because of how her original sound intrigues an audience of all ages and will keep fans listening. Her brother, who co-writes the songs with Eilish, and Billie know exactly what they are doing to keep listeners invested. This song, “all the good girls go to hell”, is very different from the songs I have heard from Eilish. Her #1 single, “bad guy” focused on a repeated beat and haunting vocals. Eilish takes the vocals for this new song and virtually does the same, whisper singing with a basic beat behind her. Not to say the song is bad, but it sounds like a song I have heard many times before, if Billie is going to keep her image as bringing an original sound to the table, she’ll need to bring something bigger than this song. I will add this song to my playlist because I like it the same way I like “bad guy”, but again, nothing that differentiates the two songs. 3/5
Alexis Holleran
“Don’t Know Yet” by Silversun Pickups
“Don’t Know Yet” is the fourth track on Silversun Pickup’s sixth album “Widows Weeds”. The band has been making their take on alternative rock since 2005 and every album tends to explore more and more with different instruments to make each album different. Brian Aubert, lead singer and guitarist said in an interview that this album was the creation of his hard-earned sobriety, and he worked very hard to make “Don’t Know Yet” along with the rest of the album like a fever dream with all the organic sounds from the guitar and bass. “Don’t Know Yet” is about a rift in a relationship that is on the verge of being destroyed. Aubert is wondering if they should "chip away" and make the relationship work, or "keep defenses up" even though that may lead to a fallout. Silversun Pickups also has other songs that are climbing the charts such as “It doesn’t matter why” and “Freakazoid” from “Widows Weeds”. The group has a very funky personality and they really know how to bring life to the stage when performing any of their sounds. They are the type of band that will hopefully be making music until their fingers can’t physically play guitar anymore. 5/5
Maddie Lloyd
“Love Never” by Jimmy Eat World
The song starts with heavy guitar, drums, and bass giving the listener a pop punk feel immediately. Lead vocalist Tom Linton then comes in and the drums, bass, and guitar are brought back for the vocals. The lyrics are about the dark side of love. No sappy, lovey dovey lyrics here. The song is definitely catchy and gets the listener moving their head to the beat. It isn’t super long or complicated making it an easy listen. For those who loved their album Bleed American this song fits in really well with the feel of that album. I’d recommend this song to people who are looking for music with more instruments and real vocals and less auto tune and synthesizers; I’d give this song a listen. For me, this song is definitely being added to my pop punk playlist! 4/5
Zach Adams
“The Bones” by Maren Morris feat. Hozier
This piano driven piece of radio pop does a good job building and managing its dynamics. When so many songs seem like they are at their absolute loudest, even at their quietest, this song offers peaks and valleys to ride throughout the course of the song. That being said, the instrumentation still becomes kind of blown out in the later choruses. Speaking of the chorus, its catchy. The duet of Maren Morris and Hozier works well. Hozier’s verse also seems to add some dimension to the song, though it could go a ways further. For what seems to be a dime a dozen pop song, the execution here is solid. The only real negatives from this song would be that it doesn’t throw anything unique at you. 3/5
Cassidy Hayward
“Nice to Meet Ya” by Niall Horan
This new release from a solo Niall Horan shows how far the precious one direction member is willing to travel outside his debut genre. Being a little alternative and rock, this is not your typical pop song we’d expect to hear. Resembling the tones and song set up as The Black Keys, this piano and humming occupied piece is a sure play for a day filled with activities and to dos. The best is lovely and motivating while the lyrical story speaks of relentless pursuit of a specific girl. 2/5
Niko Coric
“Wasted Luv” by Dayvid
The new song "Wasted Luv" by new artist Dayvid is a great sound from someone that has true potential in the industry. While although his sound may not be anything game changing, his new release makes one look towards his future, which is not seen in many artists. With the large influx of artists in recent years, it has become harder than ever to stand out and Dayvid does. With more progression in his career, it’s interesting to see where he goes. 4/5
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