TAYLOR SWIFT – ‘NOW THAT WE DON’T TALK’
‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ is another triumph in the pop icon’s project to re-record and reclaim control of her back catalogue. Complete with five new Vault tracks, ‘Now That We Don’t Talk’ honours the ‘80s-indebted sound that inspired the whole record, spinning sparkling synths and sizzling beats with Swift’s sharp lyricism, including brilliant lines like: “Now that we don’t talk / I don’t have to pretend I like acid rock / Or that I’d like to be on a mega yacht / With important men who think important thoughts.”
BABY QUEEN – ’I CAN’T GET MY SHIT TOGETHER’
Baby Queen has climbed the ranks of Gen-Z stardom over the past couple years with her pithy, relatable coming-of-age tracks about growing up and fumbling your way through young adult life. Her new single sticks to the theme ahead of the release of her aptly named debut album ‘Quarter Life Crisis’. ‘I Can’t Get My Shit Together’ is a funky, punchy confession to a life in “total disarray”, on which Bella Latham barely comes up for air on the piercing, rapid-fire chorus (“I can’t get my shit together / I take pills, I don’t get better / Coming down under the pressurе / Maybe I’m just not that clever”).
RATBAG – ‘DEAD END KIDS’
The rising New Zealand artist’s newest track adds another intriguing layer to the small but distinctive world she’s building with her immersive music – complete with a team of fictional Gorillaz-style bandmates that represent the various facets of her personality. ‘Dead End Kids’ tells a timeless generational tale that screams with punky angst, propelled by brisk, indie-folk instrumentals and wacky pop lyricism (plus an amazingly cathartic scream).
DEBBII DAWSON – ‘TOO STRANGE FOR THE CIRCUS’
The US country singer’s new track is an ode to feeling a little weird. A song “born out of frustration” translates to a gentle self-reflection in which the artist feels out of place in the world, being “too strange for the circus” yet “too human for Mars”. Diaristic lyrics sung with the wistful coo of Kesley Musgraves-style storytelling makes for an emotional release that seeks to remind us that we’re all strange in our own ways.
SIGRID – ‘WANTED IT TO BE YOU’
Taken from the Norwegian singer-songwriter’s new EP ‘The Hype’, ‘Wanted It To Be You’ is a reflection on a past flame that Sigrid thought would be her “end game”. A sweeping acoustic guitar and crisp drum beats make for a dynamic track that showcases just how adaptable her succinct pop lyrics are as her sound continues to evolve in new ways.
