NEW SOUNDS

SZA

After teasing the track way back in late 2020 and Spotify apparently released the song prematurely a few weeks ago before pulling it back, SZA has officially dropped her latest single, "Shirt". With production and co-writing with Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and "Freaky" Rob Gueringer, SZA delivers a smooth ballad about missing her former love and willing to fight his new woman, leaving a trace of her blood on her shirt. The music video is a mini-movie with veteran video director, Dave Meyers behind the camera and actor, LaKeith Stanfield making an appearance. With offbeat, artful visuals, this violent clip is about lovers on a crime spree, leaving several bloody bodies in their wake. And at the end during the credits, SZA teases a brief sample of another song which she revealed is called "Blind". It would seem like a new album should be on the horizon but it's been over five years since her debut was released so it's clear that SZA will only deliver the record when she feels it's ready.



RIHANNA

People have been losing their minds waiting for new music from Rihanna and after almost seven years, the wait is finally over. However, it is not the first single off a forthcoming new album but a song for the soundtrack to "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever", the long-awaited sequel to one of the biggest superhero movies of all time. "Lift Me Up", one of two songs she contributed to the album, is a haunting, mournful ballad that will express a feeling that appears to be part of the plot for the film. The actor, Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther, passed away in 2020 from cancer and he was not recast, leaving his absence to be explained in the movie. Since it's been announced that Rihanna will be the performer for this year's Super Bowl half -time show, I have a feeling that an actual new album from the Barbadian pop superstar will appear sooner rather than later.

And to add to the holiday theme of Halloween, Rina Sawayama has released a video for her song, "Frankenstein" from her second album, "Hold The Girl". The British artist reveals how she wants a lover to rebuild her to a better version of herself, no longer wanting to be a monster. The video is set at a wild party and features some dance moves that have a vibe straight out of Michael Jackson's now classic creepy clip, "Thriller".

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Rina Sawayama and her 2020 debut album, "Sawayama" was critically acclaimed yet this amazing record still didn't get nearly enough attention by the public that it deserved. But there was one famous fan who was paying close attention: Elton John proclaimed Rina's pop album was one of his favorites of the year. And that lead to a friendship between the two British performers and now a musical collaboration. The veteran artist teamed-up with the thirty year old vocalist for a cover of a track off her album, "Chosen Family". This stripped down version details the importance of having the support of people who may not be related to you but are just as close as any biological family member, something of great significance particularly to queer people.



Here are a few new songs I'm enjoying right now I would like to share:

Indie rocker, Liz Phair decided to create her own path to making music after returning to her family home in Chicago after failing in an attempt to enter the business in San Francisco. Beginning with her 1993 debut, "Exile in Guyville", Fair became a critical darling and a fixture of the modern rock scene. And while Phair has been busy touring and working on projects, she had not released any new music in almost eleven years. That is about to change with the announcement of her upcoming seventh studio album, "Soberish", due out in June, and the first single, "Spanish Doors". The album was inspired by music of the singer's youth which included the sounds of 1980's new wave and art rock. "Spanish Doors" looks at when someone's perfect life comes apart, leaving them unsure of who they are anymore. 

SAWAYAMA

What better time to have a collection of new music that manages to simultaneously deliver an old-skool vibe while taking us a thrilling dance-pop journey that feels fresh and modern. That record would be "Sawayama" the debut album from Rina Sawayama, the twenty-nine year old Japanese-born, British-raised artist.

While studying in college to pursue a practical career, Sawayama decided to move in to music. In between classes, she performed with a hip-hop outfit called Lazy Lion before graduating with a degree in political science. In 2013, she self-released her first song, "Sleeping in Waking". That was followed by few more singles before independently releasing a mini-album, "Rina" in 2017. This would help deliver Sawayama some buzz, leading to a small tour in the US and a opening slot for Charli XCX on her tour through Britain last year.

At the beginning of the year, Sawayama was signed to Dirty Hit Records and began releasing the singles, "STFU!" a ranting, heavy-metal influenced track (and my favorite song from the record), "Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)" a slinky dance tune which takes on the narrow ideas of masculinity and another favorite, "XS" that examines a world in crisis due to capitalism and global climate change.

It is very easy to see how Sawayama's music certainly found inspiration from Lady Gaga along with many other dance-pop acts from the early 2000's. But the singer, who co-wrote the entire album, brings her own sense of musical style and razor-sharp wit to her songs, making this already one of the most exciting pop albums of the year.

I have become a huge fan so please listen to a little sample of the music of Rina Sawayama: