Melissa Kacar

"party 4 u" by Charli xcx is a euphoric anthem of unrequited love, a song full of glittering synths and raw emotion. She sings about throwing an entire party with the hopes that just the one person she wants to see the most will be there - a very Gatsby theme that she translated so well into this song. It is featured on her 2020 album how i'm feeling now , which was largely created in isolation and released in the thick of the pandemic in May of that year. She worked with her frequent collaborator, A.G. Cook , on this song and the rest of the album. By the time the pandemic started, they only had about half of the album finished, so they decided to go with a DIY approach while finishing the rest of how i'm feeling now .  "party 4 u" had a much longer history by that point though, as Charli said in an interview with Apple Music. "This is the oldest song on the album. For myself and A. G., this song has so much life and story," Charli said. "We...

"Aperture" by Harry Styles He's baaaaack! The lead single off of Harry Styles ' long-awaited new album,  Kiss All The Time, Disco Occasionally ,  introduces a new sound and direction for him. It leans into a more electronic house sound than ever before, a clear vantage point for "Aperture" being Robyn's "Dancing On My Own" , with hints of LCD Soundsystem as well. It is a long and sprawling five minute confessional, almost feeling like a status update for where he's been for the past few years. He always writes from his own distinct perspective, shaping a narrative built around living in the moment, loving and embracing togetherness. There are so many ways for this song to be interpreted, it largely connects to "Lights Up" in the way it is a thesis statement for who he is as an artist and the encouraging environment he creates with his music, inviting the listener to just let the light in and spread love. The repeated phrase of ...

"Sold Out" by Gracie Abrams, Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner Gracie Abrams , Justin Vernon , and Aaron Dessner came together to create a deeply special song honoring the lives lost to gun violence. It's a heavy and important piece of music, written with such clarity and emotional weight. "Sold Out" captures not only the grief of where the world is right now, but the tragedies that continue to happen far too often, in the US and beyond. Alongside the release of the song, they shared; "We made this song last year in the wake of a school shooting. I was reminded of it this week as our hearts were broken yet again. It's a sad one to share during the holidays, but the world is hurting and we shouldn't look away." The song isn't available on streaming services currently, but you can purchase it through Gracie's Bandcamp . All proceeds are going to Everytown, which is an organization committed to reducing gun violence.   Buy the song here + fin...

"Broken Man" // St. Vincent One of the best songs of the entire year so far is the lead single from St. Vincent 's upcoming album called "Broken Man".  I love the industrial grunge direction she seems to be going in, this sound suits her so well and I cannot wait to hear more!  I already know her new album is going to be a major contender for album of the year for me!  "Take Me To The River" // Lorde I always know it's about to be a great day when we get new music from Lorde ! As a part of A24's Taking Heads tribute album to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stop Making Sense , Lorde released her cover of "Take Me To The River". This particular song also holds a lot of sentimental meaning for her too, as it was the very first song she ever heard from the band when she was 12 years old. She never misses with her covers and always finds a way to make them all her own. The lyric "Love is a notion that I can't forget, my sweet s...