Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.
These tracks from artists including Leigh-Anne, BABYMONSTER, Frank Turner and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist.
It’s easy to picture rising alt-pop star Maude Latour enjoying the kind of breakthrough hit that Tate McRae recently enjoyed with “Greedy” later this year: after a string of encouraging singles in which the former philosophy student prodded at the existential quandaries of pop stardom, Latour is gearing up for a debut album this summer, and will be joining Fletcher on tour in the fall. Most importantly, new single “Too Slow” finds Latour zeroing in on a style and persona that cuts through the pop-playlist clutter and grabs you by the shoulders — a brash post-teen spirit singular enough to stand out in a crowded field.
“Too Slow” opens with a mix of ascending vocal chants and aggressive handclaps that immediately announces its mischievous streak, and from there, Latour fulfills that early promise. “So I took a shot from the fountain of youth / But babe, if you’re not drinking with me, I’ll have nothing to do, okay? / ‘Cause me and my friends are meeting up under the bleachers / Where the band kids kiss the football team and I keep kissing cheerleaders,” she sings, while dressing up as a cheerleader in the track’s music video.
A song like “Too Slow” doesn’t work if it comes across as overly bratty, but fortunately, Latour boasts the charisma and chorus to have the listener follow her when she beckons you toward her joyride. The new single suggests a corner turned for the singer-songwriter as she gears up for a mainstream shot — when the hooks are delivered this confidently, the sky’s the limit.
Here are some new pop songs worth checking out this week…
Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock is forging ahead as a solo artist, and new single “Stealin’ Love” carves out a rhythmic pop lane in which she sounds self-assured, crooning over a chattering vocal sample and asking open-wound rhetorical questions about a broken romance.
“Letters” races, and with the galloping drums and nimble guitar work in mind, nothing moves faster than Frank Turner’s scorched-earth vocal performance, in which the singer-songwriter reflects on a withered relationship like he’s going to explode unless he unleashes his feelings.
K-pop girl group BABYMONSTER spin pop-rap magic on “SHEESH,” a thunderous showcase for the collective that deploys its titular exclamation with jubilation — BABYMONSTER strikes a balance between playful and cutthroat on the track, which is not the easiest line to toe.
Neither rapper Rico Nasty nor producer Boys Noize specialize in subtlety, and “H.O.T.,” from the new collaborative EP Hardcore Dr3amz, clangs forward with a boisterous energy that leaves nothing to the imagination — they’re hot, they declare as much, and the song matches that description.
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