Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this segment.
Lana Del Rey released her seventh album last Friday, and ‘White Dress’, the seemingly autobiographical opening track that sees her looking back at her early years when she “wasn’t famous, just listening to Kings of Leon to the beat,” is one of its strongest highlights. Channeling a not-too-dissimilar, Mazzy Star-esque kind of splendor are Lightning Bug, who unveiled the shimmering lead single off their debut album, ‘The Right Thing Is Hard to Do’; not to stretch the Lana comparisons too far, but it’s not hard to trace her influence on Ethel Cain’s latest single, the shoegazey ‘Crush’, either. Sorry returned with their first new music since their debut LP last year, and ‘Cigarette Packet’ is propelled by skittering, nervous energy, while Laura Mvula served up an infectious, 80s-inspired synthpop jam with ‘Church Girl’. Finally, Squid previewed their upcoming debut album with another promising single, the unsettling yet ultimately cathartic ‘Paddling’.
Best New Songs: March 22, 2021
Sorry, ‘Cigarette Packet’
Lightning Bug, ‘The Right Thing Is Hard to Do’
Lana Del Rey, ‘White Dress’
Song of the Week: Laura Mvula, ‘Church Girl’
Ethel Cain, ‘Crush’
Squid, ‘Paddling’