This week’s new-release roundup features personal and fictional narratives. Fans are encouraged to puzzle through real-life references (receipts, proof, timeline, screenshots…) or map out an imagined story with characters and motifs. The former is the case with Ariana Grande’s buzzy feature on Charli xcx’s Brat remix album, “Sympathy is a Knife featuring Ariana Grande”—and, to a lesser extent, The Kid LAROI’s blunt love song “APEROL SPRITZ.” Meanwhile, storytelling comes into play in the Kate Bush-inspired single “I Never Loved You” from Halsey’s highly anticipated concept album, The Great Impersonator. The Cure also spins a melancholy tale with mope-rock track “A Fragile Thing” from their long-awaited 14th album, Songs of a Lost World. Finally, Tyla delights on Tyla+, the deluxe edition of her hit debut album, with genre-blurring “PUSH 2 START.” Keep reading for the complete rundown on five of this week’s can’t-miss new releases.
“Sympathy is a knife featuring Ariana Grande” - Charli xcx, Ariana Grande.
Brat and it’s completely different, but also still brat—Charli xcx’s (work it out on the) remix album—finally arrived on Friday (Oct. 11). While fans have already had three of the remixes on loop (“Guess featuring Billie Eilish,” “Girl, So Confusing featuring Lorde,” and “Talk Talk featuring Troye Sivan”), the complete track list boasting the likes of Shygirl, Caroline Polachek, and Bladee left everyone guessing which new take would shine brightest.
The heavily reworked “Sympathy is a knife featuring Ariana Grande” is a strong contender for a new fan favorite: speeding up the track and changing most of its lyrics, Charli and Grande mine the pitfalls of fame. Charli’s insecurities are no longer triggered by “This one girl” but by friends and fans who complain she’s changed—and the people waiting for her downfall now that she’s on top of the pop scene. Grande, meanwhile, uses her verse to carve into plastic surgery rumors and in-fandom fighting. The topics may cut, but the duo’s voices glide smoothly as they alternate lines in the electric, modulating chorus.
“I Never Loved You” - Halsey
Halsey serves up a stirring ballad with the latest single from her highly anticipated upcoming album, The Great Impersonator (out Oct. 25). “I Never Loved You,” which takes inspiration from legendary “Running Up That Hill” singer Kate Bush, weaves a tearful story of a woman dying in a hospital and reflecting on a rocky relationship with a lover. Said lover arrives too late to reconcile with her. The song is steady and piano-driven. With a dynamic beat featuring whirrs and murmurs alongside its uplifting piano notes, “I Never Loved You” impersonates the unique production style that characterized Bush’s soaring oeuvre. Its title isn’t straightforward, either—”I never loved you in vain,” the “Colors” artist specifies in the final refrain of the consolatory chorus, capturing the ambivalence of it all.
“APEROL SPRITZ” - The Kid LAROI
The Kid LAROI’s love songs aren’t conventional, nor are they sappy—as you’d expect from someone whose 2020 breakout mixtape was titled F*ck Love but who has since come around on the subject of romance. “APEROL SPRITZ,” out Friday (Oct. 11), is his latest foray into those mushy feelings. Presumably, an ode to The Kid LAROI’s current partner, burgeoning alt-pop star Tate McRae, LAROI praises his girlfriend, playfully disses her ex, and promises she has no competition for his heart. His unapologetically blunt delivery of lines like “There's a whole lotta girl up in here, but/ Can't nobody fuck with my bitch” makes the song hypnotic after just a couple of listens. You’ll likely be bumping along to the beat without intending to—especially after a few Aperol Spritzes.
“A Fragile Thing” - The Cure
Songs of a Lost World, The Cure’s first album in 16 years, is almost here. While fans wait for the complete record (out Nov. 1), the English rockers have dropped another single to tide them over the sorrowful, atmospheric track “A Fragile Thing.” The single isn’t entirely new—it’s been part of their live-show setlist for a minute—but the studio version is its own experience. A long, instrumental intro blends into near-weeping vocals as Robert Smith unravels the pain of a couple’s isolation and futility in the face of the past. While there’s a medley of instrumentals to dive into, the guitar is the quiet star of this single, energizing Smith’s melancholic resignation into a multi-dimensional display of feeling.
“PUSH 2 START” - Tyla
Three new songs appear on Tyla+, the deluxe edition of Tyla’s self-titled debut album. The record dropped this Friday (Oct. 11), and the lush “PUSH 2 START” is already on many empowering playlists. The South African artist brings her signature genre fusion to the song’s production, combining elements of Afrobeats, Amapiano, and a little reggae for a soulful medley. In her catchy chorus, she demands her lover match her energy: “Only serve it up if you deserve me, yeah/ Pull up and earn me,” she croons. Her ethereal vocals elevate her oh-so-relatable lyrics—when people talk about ear candy, they mean this.
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