Eminem attempts to recapture his past glory with his grueling new song “Houdini,” the first single from his upcoming 12th album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). Inserting a sample of Steve Miller Band’s “Abracadabra” over a gorgeous rave beat, host’s gruff alter ego Slim Shady examines the current cultural moment and strings together some stilted rap jokes, Desperate to offend at every turn. The oldest trick in the book. Lindsay Zolarz
“Clancy” is the new album from the two-person band Twenty One Pilots, and is the fourth in a series of concept albums. But “navigation” doesn’t necessarily require a backstory. It’s a psychological crisis, as Tyler Joseph sings, feeling dazed and isolated, unable to speak but longing for connection: “Excuse my delay – I’m thinking” is the closest he comes to explaining it . The song is a buzzing, galloping, electrifying fusion of punk pop and electronica, opening with an arena-sized “Hey-oh” chant and trying to ride out the crisis on sheer momentum. Jon Pareles
Girl Scouts, “I Just Need You to Know”
Girl Scout singer and guitarist Emma Jansson fights back against the unhelpful complacency of the familiar phrase “that’s it.” Jumping guitar riffs turn into motorized drones and racing, layered, full-band attacks as she seethes, then wails, “I don’t know what this is/I want it to be more Okay,” continued the request, “really?” Is that too much to ask for? ” Pareles
Clairo, “Sexy for Someone”
Alternative pop star Clairo longs to be the object of affection—“No more, no less,” she sings—on a melancholic but melancholic song from her upcoming album, Charm, due out July 12. The energetic lead single. A kind of high-spirited summer hymn. Zolaz
“Emotions down, emotions up, what went wrong?” Shabz sang with Noah Cyrus. “My Bad” is a minor-key country duet set to fingerstyle guitar that reflects the added grip. They sing together, even though, paradoxically, they create an irrevocable separation. pareles
Ayra Starr with Giveon, “The Last Heartbreak Song”
Benam songwriter Ayra Starr issues a clear ultimatum in “Last Heartbreak Song,” from her new album When I Was 21 . Over echoing chords and soft African rhythms, Starr told her costar, “You don’t have to fake it because it’s crystal clear now,” and decided, “I’ll be gone before sunrise.” This prompted Given to apologize, And in his best croon he promises, “I’m going to spend my whole life here.” She was not convinced. “I’m better off by myself,” she declared, and he ended up singing the song with her. pareles
“La Presa” by Nessi Peluso
“La Presa” (“The Prisoner”) is an outlier on Argentinian songwriter Nathy Peluso’s new album “Grasa” (“The Vulgar”). “La Presa” is a high-energy, horn-driven salsa that celebrates her ambition and fights off the haters in an electronic anthem. Peluso plays a woman accused of murder who tells police that her man died because “I refused his kiss”; she would rather go to jail than be with him. “When love cannot set you free, it is a prison,” she declared. pareles
Nick Cave has reunited the Bad Seeds for their new album, Wild God, due out in August. The band is no longer the loud, aggressive one in “Frogs” – it’s solemn and hollow, surrounding Cave with marching drums, insistent orchestral tones, backing choir voices and shimmering, glockenspiel-like loops sound. Cave brings David Bowie-esque theatrics to the lyrics, which teeter between non sequiturs and dawns of revelation: “Jump to God, be surprised by love, be surprised by pain,” he sings. pareles
Bat Eyelashes, “Delphi Dream (Extended String Version)”
Natasha Khan, who recorded the songs for “Bat for Lashes,” was a new mother when she made her latest album, “The Dream of Delphi.” Its finale is an extended reprise of its title track, a meditation that seeks and summons hope: “Breath a new transmission, falling from the sky/My love is flying deeper, flying so high,” Khan says with weightlessness sang the soprano. Rising modal scales swirl throughout the piece, introducing swirls of orchestral strings and harp to contemplate possibilities. pareles
Blick Bassy and Ry X, “Mbondi”
Blick Bassy sings in Bassa, one of the local languages of his native Cameroon. But he was far from a country boy. He was also attracted to the electronic experimentation and intricately layered sounds of musicians such as Bon Iver. “Mbondi” is the latest addition to his 2023 album “Mádibá”, now renamed “Mádibá Ni Mbondi”. It’s a collaboration with Australian songwriter Ry X, whose soft, smoky voice is close to Bassy’s. The song is both folky and futuristic, juxtaposing acoustic guitar, rich orchestration and surreal harmonies. Bassy’s lyrics celebrate the way water brings life; Ry X then switches it up to an English love song, moving from fond memories to loneliness and need. pareles
For decades, Hermeto Pascoal, now 87, has been one of Brazil’s most playful and clever composers, fusing Brazilian rhythms with the musical techniques of jazz. “Conversação” (“Conversation”) is from his new album “Para Você, Ilza” (“For You, Ilza”), recorded this year with a Brazilian quintet; a tribute to his wife Ilza da Chi, who died in 2000 Tribute to Ilza da Silva. The dissonant three-note sting in the middle section makes the melody sound more harmonious on its return. Pareles.
