Awesome Songs: June 2023 | Playlist 🎧

7. The Weeknd, “Popular” (Ft. Playboi Carti & Madonna) 

💿 The Idol, Vol.1 (Music from the HBO Original Series) • 🏷 The Weeknd XO / Republic • 🗓 2023

“I’ve seen the devil / Down Sunset / In every place / In every face.” Sure, if you say so 🎙 Madonna! Madge performs most of the intro of 🎵 “Popular”, the second single from 💿 The Idol Vol. 1 (Music from the HBO Original Series), the soundtrack to 📺 The Idol, helmed by 🎙 The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye). The 🏆 Grammy-winning Canadian R&B impresses on “Popular,” assisted by 🎙 Playboi Carti and Madonna. Following the into, a terrific groove anchors the production (The Weeknd, 🎛 Metro Boomin, and Mike Dean). Besides the beat, the bright, warm synths stand out.  As always, Tesfaye serves up sick vocals. The songwriting is enjoyable and entertaining, fitting the premise of the HBO series.  The best sections are the pre-chorus and chorus, both performed by Tesfaye. In the incredibly catchy chorus, he sings:   

“Beggin’ on her knees to be popular  

That’s her dream, to be popular (Hey)  

Kill anyone to be popular (Hm)  

Sell her soul to be popular.”  

Playboi Carti enters the mix briefly on the post-chorus being true to self! Madonna gets an expanded role in the second verse, dropping an f-bomb.  From there, her and Tesfaye duet in the pre-chorus/chorus section. Carti also gets an expanded role in his second post-chorus as well as the bridge before the final chorus closes out this electrifying, 🎵 “Popular” R&B joint.

8. Kelly Clarkson, “favorite kind of high” 

💿 chemistry • 🏷 Kelly Clarkson / Atlantic • 🗓 2023 

Ah, there is nothing like being sky high… via love and romance, of course.  That is the high that 🏆 Grammy-winning pop superstar 🎙 Kelly Clarkson touts on 🎵 “favorite kind of high”, the third single from her tenth studio album, 💿 chemistry.  The love is lit 🔥 to say the least: “So I close my eyes, kiss you how I like / I’ve been waitin’ for you.”  Clarkson is impressive in the vocal department.  She’s particularly strong once she ascends into that powerful, upper register.  The theme is simple but relatable: being so taken with someone that you’re willing to give into them without a hitch.  In the second verse, she asserts, “When you’re in the room, all I feel is you…” The best moment in this exuberant pop joint is the chorus, thanks to those feelings of L-O-V-E that dominate:   

“You’re my favorite kind of high  

Rushin’ through me like a fire  

And I need you to know  

I say I won’t, but I do  

When it comes to lovin’ you  

I don’t have no control   

You’re my favorite kind of high.”   

 Ultimately, 🎵 “favorite kind of high” is another high-flying record from Kelly Clarkson.  🎛 Jesse Shatkin produced this latest B-O-P by Queen Kelly!   

 9. Peso Pluma, “Bye” 

💿 Génesis • 🏷 Double P • 🗓 2023  

“Bye / Mejor sigue tu camino / Mientras fumo y tomo vino / Que estar contigo ya no me convino.” Woo! In the excerpt from 🎵 “Bye” (💿 Génesis) an intriguing single from Mexican singer, 🎙 Peso Pluma (Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija), things are ending between him and his girlfriend. In the chorus, excerpted above, Laija suggests this breakup is for the best, and goes on later to add other girls have his attention. The narrative is familiar and relatable; Love and the plight of love is universal, after all and NEVER gets old.  Furthermore, Pluma sings sublimely with ample expression – he sells it to us, baby! Additionally, “Bye” is a melodious track too.  The tunefulness makes it endearing, regardless of the ability to comprehend Spanish or not. With the theme reflecting the end of a relationship, Pluma’s voice showing a gifted star, and tuneful melodies giving the track a lift, the music might be what is most ear catching. Pluma produced “Bye” alongside 🎛 Parka. Embracing a different realm of Latin music, “Bye” exemplifies Música Mexicana – Regional Mexican music.  The instrumentation includes horns, particularly that assertive, saucy trombone, string bass, and of course, guitar.  The end result is a surefire vibe – a must-hear addition to the listening rotation!    

Appears in 🔻:  

• Best Songs of 2023 (So Far) 

10. Bring Me The Horizon, “AmEN!” (Ft. Lil Uzi Vert, Daryl Palumbo & Glassjaw) 

🎵 “AmEN!” • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment UK • 🗓 2023   

When it comes to 🎙 Bring Me The Horizon, is there any way possible NOT to rock TF out 🤘? Hell naw! 🎙 Oli Sykes and company brings religion into it on their single, 🎵 “AmEN!”. “I hope you have fun rotting in hell / Swim the witch, slay the infidel,” Sykes sings in the first verse, adding, “Suck a dick, heretic / I hate you / And I’d like to see you burn, burn, burn.” WOO! If you were wondering if Oli had grown religious, however, no worries – he’s still very much atheist: “Just let me suffer (suffer in peace).” Assisting Sykes are the colorful 🎙 Lil Uzi Vert, 🎙 Daryl Palumbo, and 🎙 Glassjaw. Safe to say, Sykes, Uzi Vert, and Palumbo kick ass and take names on “AmEN!” – can I get a hallelujah, church 👏 🙌?  With the tone set in the first verse – again, “suck a dick, heretic” 😂 – the chorus puts a cap on it. “Too late to repent / The wicked will reap what they sow,” Sykes sings, assisted by Palumbo, adding, “We will sanctify (Rise, my brethren ) / Purify (Purge out the sin).” Holy Hell – err, I mean, heaven! Palumbo performs the second verse, continuing to highlight heresy and such, with Lil Uzi Vert supporting the second half: “Yeah, you fanatics prey on me, hate on me / Patiently waiting to watch me bleed / Get your head from out of my ass / Got me feeling like a human centipede.” Gah-day-ummm! Basically, Oli and company are telling religious fanatics to leave them TF alone! Message received, in a colorful, rock-tastic way on 🎵 “AmEN!” a surefire BANGER!   

11. Victoria Monét, “On My Mama” 

🎵 “On My Mama” • 🏷 Lovett Music, Inc. / RCA • 🗓 2023

“Put that on my own mama, on my hood / I look fly, I look good / You can’t touch my bag, wish you could / I look fly, I look too good.” The talented 🎙 Victoria Monét is confident AF on her single, 🎵 “On My Mama”.  Basically, you can’t touch her – she’s the sugar honey iced tea! On this fab record, she gets a groovy, soulful backdrop from  🎛 Deputy and Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman.  It’s not all neo-soul vibes though as 🎙 Chalie Boy brings the hip-hop swagger in the post-chorus, gassing up Ms. Monét ⛽️.  While the chorus takes the cake, EVERYTHING about “On My Mama” is the cat’s meow 🐈. Monét has opted against being humble – an understatement.  “Tell me, is you down / ‘Cause I’m tryna go up tonight,” she sings in the first verse, continuing, “Hoes and hoochies left and right / I just wanna live in a fantasy / I think we deserve it, right?” WOO! Furthermore, she brags, “Sex game go stupid / Snappin’ like a toothpick /… Might be too fine to hit it from behind” Lawd Jesus! As untouchable as she is,  There is no way you can deny how entertaining she sounds on 🎵 “On My Mama”. Is it too much? Perhaps in real life, yes, but for the purposes of a contemporary R&B record where fierceness is desired, NO! 

12. David Lerner, “Caught”  

🎵 “Caught” • 🏷 Partisan • 🗓 2023 

One thing is for sure: “I won’t get caught in a faceless stare.” That is what queer, Tel Aviv-based singer/songwriter 🎙 David Lerner asserts on his single, 🎵 “Caught”.  Lerner keeps things short but incredibly sweet on “Caught” which is hypnotic and mesmerizing  – strange, unexpected, and unique.  Sure, everyone overuses the word vibe for everything but dang it, “Caught” is definitely a VIBE!  On IG, of his first single, Lerner describes “Caught” as “a song about wounded and paranoid love; when the fear of getting caught outweighs the desire to love.” Instrumentalists on the track include producer, 🎛 Shlomi Mantsur, who plays bass, guitar, and piano, and handles programming and synths. Additionally, 🎷 Niv Levy adds a colorful soprano saxophone. Lerner, who arranges with Mantsur, draws the listener in with his enigmatic, masculine pipes, an alternative, art-pop aesthetic, and, of course, the hypnotic sensibilities.     

Prior to NOT getting caught in a faceless stare, the handsome musician also asserts that despite being “Hot underwater,” he “won’t get wet” or “get caught in a restless tan.” The lyrics are entertaining and simple.  There is definitely a sexual vibe, amplified by the left of center, titillating, music video 🎶📼.   Per an IG post, Lerner describes the video as “a 1:55 short film about a bisexual triangle that goes out of control.” Ooh-wee! In the first scene, we see a hottie (Vivo Popov) in only his undies (briefs for that matter) with the video camera.  The video, directed by Nimrod Peled, also features Tati alongside Lerner.  Ultimately, it would’ve been impossible for 🎵 “Caught” not to catch our ears – it is one-of-a-kind in the best way possible. An utterly sublime addition to the LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 catalog.   

via GIPHY 

Appears in 🔻:  

• David Lerner, “Caught”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 No. 22 (2023)  

13. Shawn Mendes, “What The Hell Are We Dying For?”  

🎵 “What The Hell Are We Dying For?” • 🏷 Island • 🗓 2023

“Smoke’s in the air, the city’s burnin’ down.” Well, yes, 🎙 Shawn Mendes, there were gnarly forest fires in Canada that created some sus air quality and pollution in the US, particularly the likes of New York in early June 2023. Early on 🎵 “What The Hell Are We Dying For?”, it seems like the 🏆 Grammy-nominated Canadian heartthrob is committing to a call to action regarding climate change.  However, in this song written and produced with friends while experiencing that horrid air, his love life also creeps in. “I wanna save us, but I don’t know how,” Mendes sings vulnerably at the close of the first verse. It leads into the chorus, which might have dashes of the population’s indifference to climate change, but definitely embraces the end of a relationship (*cough* another break up with Camila Cabello). “If we don’t love like we used to / If we don’t care like we used to / What the hell are we dying for?” he asks, continuing, “If it doesn’t cut like it used to / If you’re not mine and I’m not yours / What the hell are we dying for?” Mendes is in his feelings, particularly in the bridge (“Livin’ without you / Is not livin’ at all”) as well as the expressive, ultra-nuanced ad libs and powered vocals towards the end.  There is a raw nature, amplified not only by the short amount of time “What The Hell Are We Dying For?” was conceived, recorded, and released, but also the pop/rock aesthetic itself. All in all, 🎵 “What The Hell Are We Dying For?” is an enjoyable record.  It gives some mixed messages – the climate change message sort of goes out the door early on – but hopefully, Mendes gets out of his love funk. 

14. Ty Dolla $ign, “Motion” 

🎵 “Motion” • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 2023

“That’s when I get my motion / Our bodies in the moment.” WOO! The ‘walking vibe,’ 🎙 Ty Dolla $ign, brings good vibes on the brief but electrifying 🎵 “Motion”. “Motion” fuses acid, dance, house, pop, and R&B. There is no doubt that his voice is a key part of the success of “Motion.” The songwriting doesn’t hurt either.  It’s not poetic or characterized by depth, but the lyrics do what they are intended – create a vibe (“Come from on high / Won’t let me go vibe / Start feelin’ so right / It’s takin’ control”).  This motion involves dancing, and, likely, more intimate dancing 😈.  The production carries plenty of weight as  🎛 Stryv and Nasty Kutt give Ty Dolla $ign a fitting backdrop – one meant as a surefire catalyst of the motion. The keys and synths are locked-in, while the groove is infectious to the nth degree. Honestly, is there anybody who won’t get their motion listening to this? The high is real!   

15. Maluma, “Coco Loco”  

🎵 “Coco Loco” • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment US Latin LLC • 🗓 2023  

“Móntate al trineo, baby, que llegó tu Santa.” Ooh-la-la 🎅! 🎙 Maluma is GNIKCUF hot 😍. Sadly, on the cover art of the hot single, 🎵 “Coco Loco” , while Maluma flaunts sweet abs, eye-catching tats, and muscular arms, the love below is censored by his coconut 🥥 (🤣). Anyways, before even listening to the Colombian heartthrob sing a note, “Coco Loco” is giving five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! 

Beyond making us thirsty, Maluma is also quite talented.  He sings beautifully, using his charm (and sex appeal) to his advantage vocally. Producer 🎛 MadMusick effectively samples a 2001 🎙 Daft Punk gem (🎵“Veridis Quo”). The musical inspiration is in full effect, fueling ‘Maluma baby’s’ fire 🔥. With so much focus sex appeal, it shouldn’t be surprising that “Coco Loco” drips in it. When translated from Spanish to English, “Coco Loco” references rain many times.  The accompanying music video features Maluma giving a concert in the rain with gorgeous female dancers, as well as a couple dancing in the rain, in Miami. Also, not to beat a dead horse, but 💿 Don Juan singer just happens to be shirtless in many clips 😉. The fun and steamy music video matches the energy he gives in the audio and cover artwork.  You don’t need to understand a lick of Spanish to appreciate the vibe that is 🎵 “Coco Loco”. It’s the perfect summer smash!    

via GIPHY 

16. Cooper Bloom, “End of Time”  

🎵 “End of Time” • 🏷 Cooper Bloom • 🗓 2023 

“If asteroids come rolling in / The atmosphere in our world came to an end / Whether it’s years or its minutes / Just know I’ll be in it / To the end of time.” Those are truly dedicated and sweet lyrics by 🎙 Cooper Bloom.  They appear on the Canadian pop singer’s (with a dash of western flavor) third single of 2023, 🎵 “End of Time”. A warm instrumental fuels Bloom’s fire.  The guitar-driven timbre shines, providing that country, western vibe.  As for Cooper, his vocals are on-point – gorgeous to the nth degree. The richness of his tone stands out, as well as his authenticity and nuance. Of course, the theme and lyrics give Bloom reason to sing sublimely.  The dedication – the feels – are turned all the way up, and it’s delightful.  Early on, Cooper sings, “You’re the north star in the sky / When I don’t know where to go / Turn my darkness into light / When my light is running low.” Aww 🥰, Cooper! Later, in the second verse, he addresses his partner (presumably) “With you there is no gravity / My feet won’t touch the ground / You’re the cloud that I’ve been floating on / And I’m never coming down / No, I’m never coming down.” He acknowledges the imperfections of the relationship, which are part of every relationship, but ultimately, as the chorus confirms, he will always be there. Oh, the beauty of love, first and foremost, as well as the utter beauty of 🎵 “End of Time”, a must-add to the listening rotation.     

17. Foo Fighters, “The Teacher”  

💿 But Here We Are • 🏷 Roswell • 🗓 2023 

“Hey kid, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Did your teacher or parent ever ask that question in some form or fashion? 🎵 “The Teacher” runs past 10 minutes in duration.  That is ambitious for any song, particularly the penultimate number.  Even with its length, “The Teacher,” the ninth and penultimate track from 🎙 Foo Fighters’ 11th studio album, 💿 But Here We Are, is honest, meaningful, reflective, and vulnerable. 🎙 Dave Grohl uses various metaphors to express grief and a difficult time in his life, following the passing of beloved drummer, 🎙 Taylor Hawkins, and specifically about his mother, Virginia (“You showed me how to breathe, never show me how to say goodbye”).  The reference to death and loss are prevalent, such as “Sun goes down, windows wide / One step closer to the other side,” as well as, “There are some things you cannot choose / Soul and spirit movin’ through.” Grohl concludes “The Teacher” dynamically with the repetition of what he was never taught: “Goodbye.”   

18. BLP KOSHER, “Special K” 

🎵 “Special K” • 🏷 Dreidel Gang LLC / Encore Recordings • 🗓 2023

“Make ‘em run, Tom Hanks / Every opp gon’ walk the plank.” Sigh, that 🎙 BLP KOSHER certainly has a way with words, doesn’t he? Here, he gives us 🎦 Forrest Gump as well as pirates – arr matey 🏴‍☠️! Once more, KOSHER is #captivating on 🎵 “Special K”. He tickles our fancies by dropping a chill yet potent flow – almost oxymoronic!  Fueling his fire is a banging, malicious backdrop courtesy of 🎛 ExquisiteJJ and Prod. Nate 💪. 

There are no shortage of ear-catching bars from BLP KOSHER on “Special K.” It all commences with the chorus, which begins with an f-bomb: “Fuck a opp, that boy a bimbo / Getting low, they playing limbo / Tried to slice me, I went Kimbo / Opp hoes get turnt to widows.” Damn, KOSHER ain’t playing! The rhyming words continue on a couple more lines, including KOSHER dubbing himself “The fiddler on the roof,” fitting given he’s Jewish.  Beyond the chorus, there is only one verse, including that glorious Tom Hanks line. BLP also strikes a chord with “And I’m forever smoking Nazis, I’ma pass the blunt to Ann Frank.” And of course, “Special K” wouldn’t be “Special K” without mentioning Special K: “.38 Special, that Special K got lots of carbs too. So, we’ve got guns and cereal/cereal bars.  It goes without saying that BLP KOSHER is a bit idiosyncratic.  That is part of his charm, which comes through strong on 🎵 “Special K”. 

via GIPHY