The Best Songs of April 2023 // New Music Friday!

- April 27, 2023

"Never Felt So Alone" // Labrinth & Billie Eilish

Labrinth's new song, "Never Felt So Alone" was previewed in the second season of Euphoria and was now officially released as a single leading up to his newest album. It also has an uncredited Billie Eilish feature, which made such a powerful addition to the second half of the song. Labrinth and Billie are both immensely talented and creative geniuses when it comes to their music innovations, so this collaboration is the perfect match. I also loved their Coachella performance, the live version elevated all of the emotions of this song to a new level - Billie's vocals were particularly some of the best I have ever heard from her.

"Chemical" // Post Malone

I always love hearing Post Malone's growth and evolution as an artist, "Chemical" is an upbeat pop song that I can see being a big hit this summer. His vocals are so strong and the chorus is infectious. It reminds me of some of Justin Bieber's best songs from Justice, which makes sense since Andrew Watt and Louis Bell collaborated on both projects with them. I love the new direction he has been going in recently!

"Born With A Broken Heart" // Olivia O'Brien

For her first song as a newly independent artist, Olivia O'Brien released a powerful and vulnerable ballad called "Born With A Broken Heart". I have loved her music since the early days of her career and this is truly one of her best songs yet. I'm excited to see what she has in store for the future because this feels like the start of a new artistic era for her!

"Rainbow" // JesseⓇ

For his first release in nearly three years after The Neighbourhood's last album in late 2020, Jesse Rutherford is back with new solo music. “It’s a true solo journey, and the music is just kind of soundtracking what I’m going through in my life. And I thought it was kind of time to grow as an individual, because I’ve put a lot of my time and energy into growing within relationships, which is a great thing,” he told Billboard recently. "Rainbow" is a beautiful reflection of that sentiment, of him finding joy, or a metaphorical rainbow, after a storm. I have loved his work with The Neighbourhood for years, as well as his previous solo work from several years ago, and I am looking forward to hearing what comes next for him.

"Mermaids" // Florence + The Machine

As a part of the deluxe edition of her incredible 2022 album, Dance Fever, Florence + The Machine released the stunning "Mermaids". The lyrics are haunting and so visual in the way she paints such a vivid picture of a drunken night in England behind the metaphor of glittering mermaids with their sharp teeth. The lyric, "you only get one night upon the shore, so dance like you've never danced before" fits into so much of what Dance Fever is all about.

"The Alcott" // The National & Taylor Swift

The National and Taylor Swift have teamed up yet again for a collaboration on the band's latest album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein. The music Taylor and The National's Aaron Dessner have made together over the past three years has proven to be such a special creative partnership for both of them, resulting in some of the best work of their careers. "The Alcott" feels like an extension of the story "coney island" told on Evermore, which also featured The National. "It’s about two people with a long history returning to a place and trying to relive a certain moment in time," Matt Beringer said of the song. The entire album is beautiful and there were so many songs that I loved and stood out to me right away - "This Isn't Helping" featuring Phoebe Bridgers and "Send For Me" were two other favorites.

"Eat The Acid" // Kesha

"You don't wanna be changed like it changed me", Kesha sings on this experimental track that is so introspective and explorative of her spirituality. "I searched for answers all my life, dead in the dark, I saw a light, I am the one that I've been fighting the whole time, hate has no place in the divine", is another lyrical highlight. It is such a different sound for her and I'm really looking forward to hearing the rest of her upcoming album, Gag Order.

"Bad Omens (Live at The Royal Albert Hall)" // 5 Seconds of Summer

5 Seconds of Summer's latest live album, recorded live at Royal Albert Hall last year, perfectly captures how incredible and high-energy their concerts are. I have always been blown away by how amazing they are as a live band and this entire album encapsulates the magic of their shows perfectly. I'm seeing them this summer in New York City for the fifth time and I can't wait to hear so many of their newest songs and old favorites at the upcoming show! "Bad Omens" is one of my favorite songs from their latest album, 5SOS5, and this live version is even better. If you haven't seen 5SOS in concert yet, listen to this album to get a glimpse into how electric their shows are!

Thanks for reading! If you are interested in more of my recent song recommendations, check out my list of the best songs of January 2023, February 2023, March 2023, and more from my New Music Friday series! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!

-Melissa ♡

photo credit to all owners - header designed by Melissa Kacar

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