September Track Roundup

Our thoughts on the latest music releases from September 2023!

“all american bitch'“ - Olivia Rodrigo
Written by Polina Berisheva

“all american bitch” is the title track to Olivia Rodrigo’s highly anticipated sophomore album GUTS. It is the ultimate ode to the teenage girl experience. With her new album, Rodrigo steps into a new, more authentic sound and her lyrics traverse between self-reflection and self-deprecation. “I know my age and I act like it / Got what you can’t resist,” Rodrigo explores the theme of girlhood and the conflicting societal pressures put on young women as they age. Vocally, Rodrigo embodies something between Lana Del Rey and Courtney Love. Referencing 90s and 2000s pop hits, americana aesthetics, and her personal experiences in the music industry and the public eye Rodrigo is able to make her highly referential songs feel authentic to herself. Rodrigo continues her streak of creating earnest, angsty, self-reflective hits showing growing confidence in her sound and artistry.

“Bongos” - Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion
Written by Daniel Rateau

A follow-up to their 2020 chart topper, ‘WAP,” rap queens Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion team up yet again to deliver an island-inspired, enticing successor. Arranged as a back-and-forth confidence anthem with references to personal pleasure, Bongos finds Cardi and Megan doing what they do best: being the main character. As they both describe how they like to be gratified dominantly, they take turns reciting the qualities they love about themselves while also making it known that they are truly on top. Rapping over a Brazilian-inspired, repetitive bassline, Megan and Cardi make it clear about being a powerful woman in rap through lyrics such as “My BD is a migo, your BD is a zero,” and “So sexy I could Met Gala in a robe,” which many may compare to the energy of their 2020 single. Whether hateful or in love with “Bongos,” it so effortlessly displays through lyrics and visuals that this dynamic duo knows they trump the pyramid and will continue to do so.

“Break Bread” - Berhana
Written by Willow Pannozzo

Berhana is known for his unique production and sound. His discography is a perfect blend of soul, R&B and ethio-jazz, and his lyrics transport listeners into his inner psyche.  “Break Bread” is the third song released off his sophomore album Amén: የዘላን ህልም following “Gone (Abebe Bikini)” and “Like A Habit”. Berhana has spent his musical career exposing western audiences to sounds of Ethiopia, which sets him apart from other artists and producers of our time. As for “Break Bread”, the only way I can describe it is Abstract. The ethio-jazz inspiration mixed with more western notions of R&B have a distinct sound that I haven’t ever encountered before. The lyrics take listeners through the toils and tribulations that come with relationships and how old scars leave an impact on interactions with new love interests. We follow the story of hesitation all through the verses and chorus but allow ourselves to give in to temptation and let go of our past experiences in the bridge. The song has been well received since its release on September 13th, and has gotten fans across the globe excited for the release of Amén: የዘላን ህልም sometime this winter. 

“Dream Song” - Shallow Alcove
Written by Kayli Harley

What does young love look like through the rearview mirror? Folk duo Shallow Alcove’s recent release “Dream Song” is a gentle reflection on the memories of a past love that won’t fade. With lyrics like “Just wanna press my nose up to the glass of your life / we weren’t good, but we tried” and “When we went cold, I was 19 years old / and learning you don’t always reap what you sow,” Grace Krichbaum and Dan Harris offer a poetic, mature perspective on the ache of young love. Krichbaum’s soft, angelic voice gives the song the impression of a goodbye letter, offering closure on a relationship that wasn’t healthy. The song acknowledges the painful reality that for two people to grow, they may need to let go of each other: “We let go of our grip / But I wouldn’t change it.”

“Haunted” - Laufey
Written by Vienna Chang

Laufey’s sophomore album Bewitched introduces a song unique from her others with its sexier and darker undertones paired with a sense of fleeting love and lust. “Haunted” jumps between a dream-like state and the harsh realities of rejection and unrequited love. Just as the title suggests, she’s haunted by her lover, alluding to the idea that he’s a ghost, therefore, he always visits but never stays. The cello solo creates a sense of yearning that can be felt throughout the song— through the crescendos and decrescendos of the strings to the reverb that emulates the whimsical, yet eerie space where this “love” takes place. Her lyrics such as “I’ll pretend you’ll stay forever / Lay me down / Ghostly sounds” capture the feelings of unrequited love- of wanting to be loved and allowing yourself to succumb to your desires despite the impermanence of it all. Laufey transported her listeners to their most vulnerable moments through “Haunted”, and perfectly encapsulated the raw vulnerability of unrequited love.

“I Smoked My Brain Away” - A$AP Rocky, Imogen Heap, Clams Casino
Written by Sarah Zhang

"I Smoked Away My Brain" by A$AP Rocky, Imogen Heap, and Clams Casino is a hauntingly atmospheric track that captures the essence of cloud rap's heyday. Produced by key figures in the genre's early development, it marries Clams Casino's iconic "I'm God" beat with A$AP Rocky's "Demons," and finally incorporates Imogen Heap's ethereal vocals for a surreal experience. The song embodies the dreamy, psychedelic state often associated with cloud rap, where the boundaries between reality and reverie blur. With its delayed release in 2020, the track serves as a nostalgic time capsule, reminding listeners of a genre's evolution and its influence on contemporary rap. The sampled Imogen Heap's haunting voice adds a layer of melancholy to the already mesmerizing composition, making "I Smoked Away My Brain" a unique fusion of elements that defined an era in hip-hop, showcasing the enduring impact of these artists on the music landscape.

“My Love Mine All Mine” - Mitski
Written by Emily Boyle

Mitski’s latest album The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We carries listeners into a flourishing abyss of love, unity, and peace. “My Love Mine All Mine” has solidified its place as a stand-out track, rising to #16 on Spotify’s US Chart (as of 9/26). Produced by Patrick Hyland, a soft, melodic beat accompanies Mitski’s jazzy vocal performance. Hyland, also featured on keys, bass, and drums, creates an air of mysticism through his dreamy instrumentation. With each line, Mitski seems to lure the audience in. She makes the celebration of love a shared experience, asserting that “nothing in the world is mine for free / but my love mine, all mine, all mine.” Ruminating on existentialist themes, Mitski questions what will become of her love once she’s passed. “To love is the best thing I ever did,” she explained on Instagram. “I wish that after I die I could at least leave behind this beautiful love in the world.”

“SEEING PINK” - hyejin, kasper
Written by Julia Vazquez

Hyejin’s latest release “SEEING PINK” featuring kasper is giving everything we want and more for this hot girl semester. The young emerging artist layers dreamy melodies, jazz-infused tracks, and brutally honest, anti-romantic lyrics that speak to her TikTok fanbase. The emerging artist’s sweet R&B sound transports listeners from the moment the track begins – her lyrics fearlessly confront the highs and lows of falling love, or more typically, being led on. The track does seem to lose its girlish vulnerability with the addition of Kasper’s short verse as the sultry beats quicken into a more synthy rapid tempo but Hyejin quickly regains the listener’s attention. Hyejin’s growth as an artist is one that everyone should take part in, for those who enjoy the sounds of New Jeans, Alina Baraz, and Radiohead; Hyejin will quickly take over your playlists, and “SEEING PINK” is just the start. 

“Sink or Swim” - Eric Nam
Written by Trinity Gustin

Imagine describing love without the typical red color of heart and passion, but with the color blue. Although we typically think of the color blue as melancholy and calming, this song approaches the idea of blue tones as waves of emotions and yearning within romance . To create such a passionate visual, the lyrics describe the night and tidal waves. These emotions are shown beautifully within the lyric, “Blue skies and tidal waves/ I’m with you either way”. Adding to the lyrics is the production of the song, using darker and heavier tones for verses and lighter and bouncier tones for the chorus and instrumental breaks. Creating a dynamic that makes you feel the yearning within a relationship, Eric Nam makes you feel the rise and fall of emotions as if you are within an ocean of passion yourself.

“So I Danced” - DPR IAN
Written by Kelsey Carson

DPR IAN is a storyteller beyond the ages. Through his latest release, “So I Danced,” the second single off his up-and-coming EP, “Dear Insanity…”, Christian combines masterful storytelling and his own journey with bipolar disorder to describe the story and beginnings of one of his alter egos and personas: Mr.Insanity. With a funky and whimsical beat, “So I Danced” explores the story of Mr.Insanity and his spiral into the depths of chaos and, well, insanity. In the music video, we follow an eccentric and seemingly indifferent main character through a colorfully wild heist, followed by a character MITO, who is a representation of Ian’s Bipolar Disorder, manifested through the use of a throaty, yet bass-heavy voice effect. Perfectly encapsulating the feeling of letting go, the repetitive use of lyrics like “So I just danced,” and seemingly arbitrary lyrics like “Flamingos are turnin' into giant pink rats,” expand the incredibly unique, complex, and distinctive storyline of Mr.Insanity, dramatically. Even the most casual listener can’t help but be roped into the world of DPR Ian.

“Will Anybody Ever Love Me” - Sufjan Stevens
Written by Praagna Kashyap

Sufjan Stevens is back and better than ever with “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?”, the second single off his upcoming album Javelin. With 20 years of music releases under his belt, Sufjan has perfected the art of warm, minimalist indie-folk dripping with melancholia and longing— and “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” is no exception. In its verses, Sufjan begs for someone, anyone, to absolve him of his misery with physical sensations that’ll replicate his innermost despair. He sings, “Tie me to a tiny wooden raft / Burn my body, point me to the undertow / Push me off into the void at last / Watch me drift and watch me struggle, let me go.” Soft piano and guitar surround lyrics that, though intense, perfectly encapsulate the feeling of thinking you’re unlovable. It’s heart-wrenching to imagine Sufjan in the same emotional space he was in two decades ago, still left wondering if it’s possible to be loved “without grievance, not for sport,” and “in every season.” Yet this brazen vulnerability is what first put Sufjan Stevens on the map, and as “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” shows, will continue to fuel his prolific career for decades to come.