October may have just begun, but the month’s new music roster is already impossibly stacked. The past week saw Coldplay reach the rare 10th-album milestone with pleasant pop record Moon Music, while FINNEAS finally followed up on his 2021 debut with For Crying’ Out Loud! ACM award-winner Nate Smith also dropped a sophomore album—California Gold—that features his second collaboration with MOOD cover alumna Avril Lavigne. Meanwhile, Victoria Monét blessed fans with Jaguar II (Deluxe), featuring a loop-worthy Sade cover and a Michael Jackson interpolation that’s guaranteed to get stuck in your head. Alongside the tidal wave of album drops, girl-group breakouts Lisa and Perrie delivered two catchy solo singles about kissing and reminiscing. Read on for the complete rundown on six of the week’s best new releases.
“Can You Die From A Broken Heart” - Nate Smith, Avril Lavigne
Heartbreak hurts—but a powerhouse country ballad certainly soothes the pain. Nate Smith’s new album, California Gold (Oct. 4), delivers that ballad in “Can You Die From A Broken Heart,” a soulful track featuring noughties icon Avril Lavigne. Smith’s husky vocals build to an emotional chorus before the pop-punk queen joins in full force; the song ends with the two singing in perfect, angsty harmony. Surprised Lavigne is in her country era? Her collaboration with Smith is far from her first foray into the genre. The pop-punk queen behind ‘00s hits “Complicated” and “Girlfriend” spent her early teens performing at country fairs, and even performed with Shania Twain in 1998 after winning a radio contest.
“Lotus Eater” - FINNEAS
Multitalented artist and producer FINNEAS has returned with sophomore album For Cryin’ Out Loud!, out Oct. 4. A heady mix of pop-rock and indie tunes, the record has an emotional bent similar to his sister Billie Eilish’s most recent project, Hit Me Hard and Soft, which he produced. Striking single “Lotus Eater” is sure to be a breakout. The track takes its title from the scene in Homer’s Odyssey in which a few of Odysseus’s men are interrupted in their homeward journey from war by the all-consuming pleasures of the lotus eaters. To eat the lotus is to forget the world—to the detriment of one’s goals. FINNEAS turns the classic tale into a wistful metaphor for a relationship so steeped in intense feelings that its problems go unresolved. The chorus is particularly infectious as it loops his resigned refrain, “I want to feel like this ‘til I feel alright.”
“ALL MY LOVE” - Coldplay
Moon Music is Coldplay’s 10th studio album, and if anyone doubted they could put together a worthy listen yet again, they’ll be pleasantly surprised. The sappy series of 10 songs (one of which is titled with just the rainbow emoji) samples from the band’s various eras, finding a through line in the sheer positivity of a life filled with love. Penultimate track “ALL MY LOVE” is a shining example of this theme: an uplifting piano ballad that promises its subject a love that can weather all seasons. While a bit too far on the sentimental side for casual listening, if anyone can sell the soundtrack to your next cry sesh—whether tears of joy, or of sorrow—it’s Chris Martin and his angelic voice.
“Moonlit Floor” - Lisa
Speaking of love songs, the latest single from Lisa (BLACKPINK) is a sweetly sensual tribute to a “Green-eyed French boy” with a sensual accent and a penchant for perfect kisses. It couldn’t be a song about a kiss without bringing to mind ‘90s hit “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer—”Moonlit Floor” interpolates the track in its breezy chorus, swapping the “milky twilight” for the “Paris twilight.” The song is a silky, melt-on-your-tongue ode to the City of Love, bolstered by a danceable beat and Lisa’s subtle humor on the verses. Case in point: the gem about falling for that French accent. The singer recalls, “Wasn't tryna break, baby, I fought back/ But when I heard you say, ‘Bonjour, bébé’/ I was like, ‘Damn.’”
“Love Is Stronger Than Pride” - Victoria Monét
New Victoria Monét songs are always welcome—covers included. On Oct. 4, the rising R&B star dropped a deluxe edition of her Grammy-winning debut album Jaguar II, featuring 10 additional tracks. Her take on Sade’s “Love Is Stronger Than Pride” soars with elevated production that gives the song an almost tactile, 3-dimensional feel. The thrumming electro-beat modernizes the original’s restrained drums, adding a layer of sensuality to the confessional track about love prevailing over one’s grudges. For the complete experience, you’ll want to listen to this one through headphones—over and over again.
“You Go Your Way” - Perrie
With the Little Mix hiatus still in effect, OG fans of the fierce English girl group have learned to savor every solo project. Perrie Edwards—releasing under simply Perrie—just dropped her third solo single, “You Go Your Way.” Penned as a touching tribute to her footballer fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the track is lyrically pretty standard pop fare given extra oomph by Perrie’s powerhouse voice. Jumping on the industry-wide trend of serving every single at least three ways, the skillful songstress treated fans to four bonus editions of “You Go Your Way”: a karaoke version, an acapella, an instrumental, and a nearly six-minute extended take.
Honorable mentions: “Filthy Rich” - Ella Henderson, “Porcelain” - JoJo, and “Much Ado About Nothing” - Waxahatchee.
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