DEMI LOVATO – ‘SWINE’
No holding back would be an understatement to describe Demi Lovato’s furious new single. Arriving ahead of the one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe V Wade, ‘Swine’ is an unapologetically rowdy protest song, written to “amplify the voices of those who advocate for choice and bodily autonomy”, as the singer shared in a press statement. Excoriating guitars and raging drums propel the fiery momentum in Lovato’s seething voice, who growls: “God forbid, I wanna fuck whoever the fuck I want…My life, my voice / My rights, my choice / It’s mine, or I’m just swine.”
CARLY RAE JEPSEN – ‘SHY BOY’
Weaving in and around ‘70s disco, ‘80s funk and a touch of ‘90s soul, Carly Rae Jepsen cuts her way onto the timeless dance floor to make eyes across the room. “You’re pretty, we’re drinking / So I say what I’m thinking / How come everybody’s dancing but you?” she teases to glistening synths on the cheeky chorus, which sounds like she might just meet Kylie Minogue under the disco ball. A track for unapologetic summer shimmying, shaking and grooving.
CLAUD – ‘IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU’
“It’s really not about you.” The five simple yet oh-so satisfying words that rise up from Claud’s synthy, guitar-driven new single. The latest teaser from recently-announced second album, ‘Supermodels’, the singer wrote the track about “people taking the things you’re going through personally”. Inspired by their own experience of coming out, Claud reflects on how others only deepened their isolation (“It’s something I couldn’t tell you / Even though you asked for truth”).
CORINNE BAILEY RAE – ‘NEW YORK TRANSIT QUEEN’
It’s hard to believe this is the same soulful artist that wrote ‘Put Your Records On’, as Rae’s new track opens with rapid hand claps and a big rock breakout of fierce electric guitars and reckless drum beats. Arriving alongside the announcement of her new album ‘Black Rainbows’, the confident, cocky new track is about a street smart, subway-riding “heroine” who “gets her rides for free”, following in the brash footstep of tracks like M.I.A.’s ‘Paper Planes or The Ting Tings’ ‘That’s Not My Name’.
CHARLY BLISS – ‘YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ME ANYMORE’
The first new single from the Brooklyn quartet in three years is a departure from the scuzzy, punky sound they first emerged onto the scene with. Leaning towards playful, lighter pop, the sugary new track swells with the carefree bliss Eva Hendricks discovered on her move to Australia. In plainer terms, it’s a “fuck it” song – the kind of abandon that’s only achieved after “burning your entire life down and starting over”.
