Justin Bieber Amazes With “Swag” and Ten Additional Fresh Tracks
Listen to songs by Jay Som, Tyla, Syd, Kassa Overall, and other artists.
Justin Bieber, “Daisies”
“Swag,” a 21-song album packed with lo-fi experiments and unexpected partnerships, was unexpectedly published by Justin Bieber. The singer, who has always been an astute talent scout, invented “Daisies” with the producer Dijon and the agile guitarist Mk.gee. “Daisies” is a basic song that contrasts vulnerability and power with just an electric guitar, drums, and Bieber’s vocals, which are mostly based on a classic doo-wop chord progression (I-VI-IV-V). “You know I can take it, whatever it is,” Bieber sings, seeming both needy and confident in his legitimacy.
“Die for This,” Syd
In “Die for This,” Syd (previously Syd tha Kid from the band the Internet) wholeheartedly embraces the delights of the here and now. With thoughts like “It feels like heaven with you tonight” and “We can have forever tonight,” she is supported by a drum machine and rich vocal harmonies. She’s completely committed; has she persuaded her spouse?
“Is It,” Tyla
“Am I coming on a little strong?” Tyla asks in “Is It,” a dance-floor flirtation that is both a come-on and an expression of authority. “Do I genuinely want to make you mine, or is it the notion that I like?” Tyla wonders before moving forward. As she assumes control, a chorus of male voices joins her, but the rhythm is straightforward—usually only drums and a few distorted bass notes.
Kaytranada and Flo, ‘The Mood’
In “The Mood,” the British R&B group Flo deftly navigates a difficult scenario: saying no for one night, promising future sensual kicks, and calming a potentially sensitive ego. “It’s just that I ain’t in the mood tonight,” they beg with a low, purring bassline and a quiet four-on-the-floor rhythm from Kaytranada’s production. However, they are quick to say, “I swear you’re the only one who does it right.” Additionally, they subtly nod to their R&B idols by inserting a few old song names into the lyrics.
“Starlight” by Danny L Harle feat. PinkPantheress
Danny L Harle, the hyperpop producer, has been active as a collaborator, but “Starlight” is his first song since 2021 to take the top spot, and it’s full of concepts. PinkPantheress sings about unmet wants in a shrill voice that has been filtered through a variety of devices: “I’ve met someone like you / They don’t love me back.” The production by Harle around her switches from melancholy electronic lament to frantic, hard-hitting electro-pop, scattering countermelodies everywhere.
‘Be Like the Water’ by Indigo de Souza
In “Be Like the Water,” from her forthcoming album “Precipice,” which will be released later this month, Indigo de Souza advises, “You can leave if you want to, and you don’t have to say why.” The song is both uplifting and fragile, and it may serve as a lifeline for someone who is in a difficult relationship. De Souza’s intentionally imperfect voice gives any listener a way out of a bad decision that doesn’t have to persist, whereas the track makes use of dry electronics alongside warm, hand-played instruments. She concludes, “I can just make it up as I go along.”
‘Float’ by Jay Som ft. Jim Adkins
A preview of Jay Som’s first full album as a bandleader since 2019, “Float” seldom sounds more upbeat than it does here. (In the interim, she has been working with others, including sharing a duet with Troye Sivan, playing bass on tour with boygenius, and recording an album as one half of the band Bachelor.) “Float” is a bright new wave rocker featuring wordless oohs and Police-style staccato guitar picking. However, even when the guitars and drums begin to charge, Som sings about separation and increasing alienation: “Is this the way it’s supposed to be? / Measuring your misery?” She has to fight her uncertainties with the lively melody.
‘Taka,’ by Blake Mills and Pino Palladino
With “Taka,” the bass player Pino Palladino (D’Angelo, Nine Inch Nails, Adele) and the songwriter, guitarist, and producer Blake Mills (Alabama Shakes, Perfume Genius, Lucy Dacus), two talented and unpredictable studio masters, present their second joint album, “That Wasn’t a Dream.” It’s an instrumental piece of global funk that appears to come to life immediately, similar to a Weather Report piece. Its modal, six-beat bass riffs suggest Moroccan gnawa music; flutelike melodies, which may be Mills employing a guitar synthesizer, come and go. The harmonic base begins to move and rise quickly, and everyone follows along.
‘Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)’ is the overall title of the book.
Although they were far from the only hip hop band to do so, Digable Planets frequently employed jazz vamps to support their rhymes during the 1990s. Kassa Overall, the band’s drummer and producer, has now taken back the song “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” for his jazz ensemble from an upcoming album of his instrumental renditions of hip-hop classics. With rolling saxophones and cascading piano chords, he brings the music back to the modal jazz of the 1960s, increasing the speed and introducing a complex skipped beat. The Digable Planets hook is only used enough to maybe attract some new jazz fans.
‘Long Ride Home’ by Noah Cyrus
With acoustic instruments at the center of elaborate studio illusions, Noah Cyrus’s second album, “I Want My Loved Ones to Go With Me,” is heavily influenced by old Laurel Canyon folk-pop. She describes the complete emptiness that follows a harsh, possibly murderous fight in the eerie “Long Ride Home,” singing, “I hope this is the bottom but I fear / That there’s nothing to push off from way down here.” Orchestral interludes break up calm verses. But the vocalist still comes across as being much more isolated.
