Every Friday, pop critics for The New York Times weigh in on the week’s most notable new tracks. Listen to the Playlist on Spotify here (or find our profile: nytimes) and at Apple Music here, and sign up for The Amplifier, a twice-weekly guide to new and old songs.
Shaboozey, ‘Good News’
On his new single, “Good News,” Shaboozey doesn’t stray far from the basics of his No. 1, Grammy-nominated hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Once again he leans into his troubles with a guitar-strumming verse, a chorus with hearty male singalongs and a familiar setting; the singer is “the man at the bar confessing his sins.” But this time, there’s no consolation, not even temporary, in whiskey and dancing. The chorus is rowdy but there’s no happy ending; the good news he needs never arrives. JON PARELES
Yola, ‘Symphony’
The English vocal powerhouse Yola spells out her pleasure principle on “Symphony,” a funky, upbeat celebration of sensuality that will appear on her forthcoming EP, “My Way.” “Play my heartstrings with both your hands,” she commands, “and I’ll sing like a symphony for you.” Then, on a passionately belted bridge, she makes good on her word. ZOLADZ
Salute and Jessie Ware, ‘Heaven in Your Arms’
The dance-pop diva Jessie Ware teams up with the English producer Salute for this ecstatic banger. Ware’s vocals lend a dreamy, devotional quality to Salute’s garage-inspired beat, which briefly drops out toward the end for a quick trip to church, complete with a heavenly choir of multi-tracked Wares. ZOLADZ
Squid, ‘Crispy Skin’
“Crispy Skin,” from the English experimental rock band Squid’s upcoming third album, “Cowards,” is at once bright and nightmarish — a driving, six-minute post-punk tune inspired by a dystopian novel about cannibalism. “Am I the bad one?” yelps the singer and percussionist Ollie Judge, embodying a morally dubious character who is only just beginning to question the customs of his culture. A motorik beat, jaunty bass line and melodic wafts of keyboard make the track go down with a disarming ease. ZOLADZ
Lil Nas X, ‘Light Again!’
In the wake of his hit-producing, headline-generating 2021 album “Montero,” Lil Nas X has struggled to articulate a clear vision of his next chapter. This year has seen a few false starts: A busy, high-concept video did not make his January single “J Christ” a hit, and “He Knows,” a provocative duet with Camila Cabello, also failed to catch fire. He seems to be starting over on “Light Again!,” a track full of bouncy bravado that will likely appear on a forthcoming album called “Dreamboy.” Co-produced by Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter, “Light Again!” is, at least, the strongest single Nas has released this year — but that’s a low bar to clear. His rhymes are intermittently clever and the chorus contains several sticky hooks, but that fresh, benevolent trickster’s energy that made “Old Town Road” feel so ahead of the curve still remains an elusive quantity. ZOLADZ
Julia Holter, ‘The Laugh Is in the Eyes’
At once poised and playful, “The Laugh Is in the Eyes” is a fitting companion piece to the Los Angeles-based composer Julia Holter’s most recent album, “Something in the Room She Moves.” “I need to learn to make the sweetness stay,” Holter sings, restlessly navigating the song’s mazelike structure. Then, in the middle of it all, lulled by the flutter of Chris Speed’s clarinet, Holter seems to step outside of the labyrinth for a breath of fresh air. The track’s busy atmosphere reduces to just her breathy voice and airy washes of synth played by her partner, Tashi Wada. ZOLADZ
Angel Olsen, ‘The Takeover’
The indie star Angel Olsen will share her spotlight with some up-and-coming musicians on “Cosmic Waves Volume 1,” an forthcoming compilation that features Olsen covering songs by some of her favorite new artists alongside their own original recordings. Her first offering is a haunting interpretation of “The Takeover,” a new-wave-inflected tune from the Los Angeles-based Poppy Jean Crawford; Olsen slows the tempo and reimagines “The Takeover” as an eerie ballad that would sound appropriate performed at the Roadhouse on “Twin Peaks.” ZOLADZ
Eddie Chacon, ‘End of the World’
Eddie Chacon was half of the 1990s soul duo Charles & Eddie, and he re-emerged to make solo albums in the 2020s. “End of the World” was produced by the retro-soul experimenter Nick Hakim. With echoey chords topped by electric sitar, the track is plush, slow and deeply, inconsolably despondent. PARELES
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