There has been a lot of great new music released over the last few weeks. You can find out what was released this weekend in our New Music Report, but take a look at what we've been listening to lately. Our editors Nicole, James, and Isha have shared some of their Expert Picks for the week. Check it out below.
Nicole's Picks:
Kygo featuring OneRepublic - "Stranger Things"
Kygo's new album Kids In Love is finally out, and I am in love with many songs off the LP, including the OneRepublic-assisted "Stranger Things" -- which he coincidentally released to fans the same weekend the second season of Stranger Things debuted. And though the song and show are not related, you can definitely draw some parallels between the plot of the series and some of the track's lyrics like "We used to run around this ghost town," and "We left a life/That's ordinary from the start/We looked for stranger things," and "Snow white mountains in a foreign state" -- cue the eerie floating white matter from The Upside Down.
Madison Beer - "Say It To My Face"
Madison Beer has no time for your nonsense, and I love it. She said it with her previous single "Dead," and she's continuing the sentiment with her latest single "Say It To My Face." The edgy pop song as produced by Fred Ball (Rihanna, Little Mix), and is from Madison's upcoming debut EP. In a statement, she said of the song's meaning, "This song, to me, is about power and confidence. Don’t ever let anyone steal your power. Stand up for yourself and demand to be treated with respect."
YES. 🙌🏻
Follow Nicole on Twitter: @NicoleMastr0
James' Picks:
Aly & AJ - "I Know"
Aly & AJ's return to the scene has been nothing short of thoughtful perfection and their comeback continues with a new slice of dream pop called "I Know," which dropped on Friday. Serving as the follow-up to September's comeback track, "Take Me," the three-and-a-half-minute track takes listeners into a dreamy landscape, full of '80s-influenced synth and crooning vocals. It's part of the duo's forthcoming EP, Ten Years, which drops November 17 and marks the singing sisters' first new offering in a decade sans their side venture under 78violet. "This song was written a few days after we found out an acquaintance from our past had lost his battle with cancer," Aly & AJ said in a statement. "After seeing such an outcry of love & support from his close friends and family we decided to write something dedicated to friendship and the commitment we are all capable of giving when someone needs us most."
&around - "Dreaming All Night"
Tropical dance trends, delicate vocals and light synth were some of the very ingredients that budding producer &around used to create “Dreaming all Night.” At almost-four minutes, the track does a stellar job at not burning its genre-crossing focal points and instead creates an almost soothing fusion of sounds. If you like what you hear from &around, make sure you be on the look out for even more new music from the South Londoner before 2017 wraps up.
Follow James on Twitter: @newyorkinstinct
Isha's Picks:
DJ Premier featuring A$AP Ferg - "Our Streets"
DJ Premier called on A$AP Ferg to hop on his soulful collaboration called “Our Streets.” Ferg raps on the beat, “Preemo put the soul in it, I make the track hot/ This thing, forever, got the game in a padlock / I just want something real, I’m tired of the ass shots / Don’t wanna go to the club, I’m tired of them trap spots.”
In the track’s SoundCloud description, Ferg states: It's a dream to be able to work with the legendary DJ Premier on this record. Preemo has worked with all the NYC hip hop icons and greats - Nas, Biggie, Guru, Hov, KRS-one, and The Lox. Just knowing I was working with him pushed me as an MC.”
Chris Brown – "Rock Your Body"
Chris Brown’s Heartbreak On A Full Moon is definitely a great album to listen to…when you have the time, that is. It consists of 45 songs and each of them goes hard. And out of the MANY dope songs that are on the project, some stood out because they really blew us away. One of the songs that did this was “Rock Your Body.” This track is only a little bit over two minutes long. But, from the sexy lyrics to the hot production, hearing “Rock Your Body” will make you want to do just that.
Follow Isha on Twitter: @IshaThorpe