Beyonce, Betty Who, Frankmusik + More: 5 Must-Hear Pop Songs Of The Week
It's Tuesday! Time for another round of "5 Must-Hear Pop Songs of the Week!"
This week's roundup features the glorious return of a pop diva on the rise, some heartbreakingly sad disco, and a really good excuse to bring a #SURFBOARDT out on the dance floor. Read on!
1.) Beyoncé, "Drunk In Love (Joachim Garraud Remix)" featuring Jay Z
It was only a matter of time before Beyoncé's bathtub banga got the remix treatment -- and that time is now. Over the weekend, the diva's latest smash hit got a full round of killer remixes, including a reinterpretation by French DJ Joachim Garraud.
Equipped with a snappy backing beat (which sort of sounds like Lumidee's "Never Leave You," aka AMAZING), the remix breathes new life into the track, complete with a hint of Middle Eastern flair that'll have you icing your cigars in no time. Grab your #SURFBOARDT, and report to the dance floor immediately.
2.) Betty Who, "Heartbreak Dream"
After stealing our hearts last year with her euphoric Movement EP (which included "Somebody Loves You" and "You're In Love"), rising pop diva Betty Who has returned to us in 2014 with a stunning new track, "Heartbreak Dream."
The lead track off of her upcoming follow-up EP, Slow Dancing, the song builds on Miss Who's hazy '80s electro-pop sound (something like Katy Perry meets M83 meets Empire Of The Sun) and adds an extra layer of crunch and crashing drums, resulting in her kickiest track to date.
Between that swelling, immediately memorable hook of a chorus ("We're living in a heartbreak dream!") and the majestic instrumentation courtesy of Movement producer Peter Thomas, this is truly the stuff (heartbreak) dreams are made of.
+ Listen to Betty Who's "Heartbreak Dream."
3.) Frankmusik, "Dear Nicole"
Dream pop boyfriend Frankmusik has been making some seriously gorgeous sounds as of late. Back in December, he warmed our hearts with the haunting "Ephemeral Summer," and now he's got us swooning even harder (and breaking our hearts) with a devastating track.
"Seasons changed us, now our shameless love just takes a bow," he reflects above a gentle, nostalgic piano melody. "Nicole" is probably the greatest show of Frankmusik's ridiculous vocal skills to date -- especially towards the very end, as the track explodes and he starts wailing with all his might. It's seriously insa-aane.
You know when an artist has put their everything into a song? Yeah, this is that kind of song.
+ Listen to Frankmusik's "Dear Nicole."
4.) Tommy, "Why Did I Say Goodbye?" featuring Sally Shapiro
One mysterious synth-pop act is always fun, but two on the same track? You're spoiling us, Disco Gods!
Sally Shapiro, the notoriously shy Swedish disco-pop duo made up of heaven-sent vocalist Sally Shapiro and her producer Johan Agebjörn, have teamed up with rising French producer Tommy, a fellow limelight dodger, for an original collaboration.
The result is "Why Did I Say Goodbye?", a lush, six-minute bout of sparkling, '80s electro-encrusted breakup angst. "I did something wrong and I'm wondering why/ Why did I let go, why did I say goodbye?" Sally dreamily laments. This is sad disco at its finest.
5.) Erik Hassle, "Pathetic"
Swedish prince (not actual prince, just a pop prince... for now, anyway) Erik Hassle has had quite a year. Remember Shakira and Rihanna's "Can't Remember To Forget You"? Yeah, he wrote that. And now, he's preparing to release a new EP this spring.
"Pathetic" is the latest track to surface from the collection, which sees the singer-songwriter moving away from synth-pop heartbreak toward funky R&B, à la Prince. "I'm so emotionally needy baby," Erik coos in his falsetto above a snap-filled, tripping beat. (Boy, tell me about it.) He might be feeling a little pathetic, but this groove's nothing to feel bad about.
+ Listen to Erik Hassle's "Pathetic."
Bradley Stern is a writer from New york. In his spare time, he enjoys organizing his Britney Spears CD collection in reverse chronological order and writing impassioned letters to Congress urging that Madonnalogy be taught in all public schools. But most of all, he spends his time tweeting musing daily about pop music on his blog, MuuMuse.
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