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.
Jack Harlow, ‘Hello Miss Johnson’
The Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow sounds positively smitten on his first solo single of the year, the smooth-talking “Hello Miss Johnson.” Over a bossanova-style beat produced by his younger brother, Clay Harlow, and Aksel Arvid, Harlow chronicles a whirlwind courtship — “Let’s go to Nice and give your sister a niece” — punctuated by several chivalrous phone calls to his girl’s mother, which function as the song’s chorus. “Hello Miss Johnson, you know why I’m calling,” he raps, an obvious musical nod to Outkast. But, ever the charmer, Harlow can’t stop himself from a little maternal flirtation while he’s still on the line: “Correct me if I’m wrong, but was it you that gave to her the eyes I be lost in?” If things don’t work out with the daughter, perhaps he knows who to call. LINDSAY ZOLADZ
Amber Mark, ‘Wait So Yeah’
Pillowy, bountifully layered oohs and ahs surround Amber Mark’s invitation to spend the night in “Wait So Yeah” from a new EP, “Loosies.” The ticking, programmed beat and the profusion of looped, multitracked vocal harmonies make her recording expertise sound like romantic anticipation. JON PARELES
Tyla, ‘Tears’
Tyla, the South African singer who has mixed R&B with amapiano, shifts toward folky simplicity with “Tears.” It’s just four chords strummed on acoustic guitar. But they accompany a promise of boundless compassion: “Give all your tears to me / and I’ll cry dem for you.” PARELES
Omar Apollo, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, ‘Te Maldigo’
Omar Apollo collaborated with Nine Inch Nails — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross — on this song from the soundtrack to the Luca Guadagnino film “Queer.” But there’s no ominous production: just acoustic guitar, bass and Apollo’s aching voice. “Te Maldigo” (“I Curse You”) is a sparse, hesitant bolero that gradually climbs into falsetto. “What a cruel world where you don’t love me,” Apollo laments, poised yet heartsick. PARELES
Moses Sumney featuring Anohni, ‘Is It Cold in the Water?’
Sophie’s song “Is It Cold in the Water?” is about taking a plunge into the unknown, about fear and bravery and transformation. The original version surrounded Cecile Believe’s vocals in rippling electronics, as if drowning could be imminent. This remake, from the compilation album “Transa,” incorporates physical instruments and exposes the voices of Moses Sumney and Anohni, making the choice to dive into “depths endless” even more visceral. PARELES
Miguel, ‘Always Time’
Delicacy meets dissonance from the beginning of Miguel’s “Always Time,” with a barbed vocal melody over calm guitar picking. A bitter realization gradually dawns — “Maybe this time love means letting go” — as guitars and strings swell behind him. While the song is a collaboration with multiple high-powered producers — David Sitek (of TV on the Radio), Jeff Bhasker, Jerry Duplessis and Ray Brady — Miguel’s voice sounds painfully alone. PARELES
Horsegirl, ‘2468’
The first single from the Chicago indie band Horsegirl’s upcoming second album, “Phonetics On and On” (out on Valentine’s Day and produced by Cate Le Bon), sounds like a playground game from an alternate universe: “Two, four, six, eight / They walk in twos,” Penelope Lowenstein sings in a droll but oddly catchy deadpan. A whinnying violin and overall sense of artful sparseness recall the Raincoats, signaling a promising new chapter for this group. ZOLADZ
Fly Anakin, ‘Yougotme!!”
Jagged, insistent jazz piano and drums accompany Fly Anakin, a longtime rapper from Richmond, Va., in “Yougotme!!” Often matching the piano line with a syllable on every note, he insists, “I give you everything.” But almost immediately afterward, he recognizes that “She want a wedding ring.” No wonder the track gives him no respite. PARELES
The post Jack Harlow Expands His Romantic Options, and 7 More New Songs appeared first on New York Times.
