NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: Releases For The Week of August 28, 2020

Smile! It’s New Music Friday.

A smile has returned to New Music Friday, as we happily highlight the current albums and EPs from Dua Lipa, Internet Money and Katy Perry, as well as the new singles from BLACKPINK, Calvin Harris and David Guetta. Ready for some ice cream? Here’s the scoop:

Notable albums out this week: Colter Wall‘s Western Swing & Waltzes And Other Punchy Songs (iTunes), Disclosure‘s Energy (iTunes), Dua Lipa‘s Club Future Nostalgia (iTunes), Gregory Porter‘s All Rise (iTunes), Halsey‘s Badlands (Live From Webster Hall) (iTunes), Internet Money‘s B4 The Storm (iTunes), Jaden‘s CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3 (iTunes), JoJo‘s Good To Know (Deluxe) (iTunes), Katy Perry‘s Smile (iTunes), Lovelytheband‘s Conversations With Myself About You (iTunes), Metallica‘s S&M2 (Live) (iTunes), Mothica‘s Blue Hour (iTunes), NEEDTOBREATHE‘s Out Of Body (iTunes), PJ Morton‘s Gospel According To PJ (iTunes), Ricky Reed‘s The Room (iTunes), Seether‘s Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (iTunes), The Score‘s Carry On (iTunes), Tommy Siegel‘s Another Century Wasted (iTunes), Toni Braxton‘s Spell My Name (iTunes), At Home With The Kids (iTunes), Bill & Ted Face The Music (Soundtrack) (iTunes)

Notable EPs out this week: Moontower‘s What Day Is It? (iTunes), Rich Brian‘s 1999 (iTunes), Sam Fischer‘s Homework (iTunes), Skip Marley‘s Higher Place (iTunes), Victoria Canal‘s Victoria (iTunes), Zella Day‘s Where Does The Devil Hide (iTunes)

New digital singles that you can buy this week include:
“2014”, Jake Scott (iTunes)
“A Little Longer”, Lauren Presley featuring Sam Will (iTunes)
“Alright”, Clara Mae featuring Russell Dickerson (iTunes)
“Are You Bored Yet? (Mura Masa Remix)”, Wallows featuring Clairo (iTunes)
“Beautiful & Bittersweet”, Mia Rodriguez (iTunes)
“Better Tomorrow”, Matt Simons (iTunes)
“Brand New Thing”, Zayde Wølf (iTunes)
“Broke”, Teddy Swims (iTunes)
“Catalina”, Sheppard (iTunes)
“Come Over”, Rudimental featuring Anne-Marie & Tion Wayne (iTunes)
“Daydreaming”, Chris Wallace (iTunes)
“Dirty Nikes”, Ruth B. (iTunes)
“Don’t Go”, Gwen Bunn (iTunes)
“Down”, Mokita (iTunes)
“Downtown (2020)”, Allie X & Della Casa (iTunes)
“Exit”, Sebastian Mikael (iTunes)
“Expensive”, Ty Dolla $ign featuring Nicki Minaj (iTunes)
“Feel Good”, SAYGRACE (iTunes)
“Giant”, ZZ Ward (iTunes)
“Gifted”, Cordae featuring Roddy Ricch (iTunes)
“Hey Stupid, I Love You (Spanglish)”, JP Saxe & Mau Y Ricky (iTunes)
“History (Acoustic)”, Seramic (iTunes)
“House With No Mirrors”, Sasha Sloan (iTunes)
“Hug”, Love For Hire (iTunes)
“I Do”, Lukas James (iTunes)
“Ice Cream”, BLACKPINK & Selena Gomez (iTunes)
“In The End”, Sheryl Crow (iTunes)
“Kelly (Fickle Friends Remix)”, The Aces (iTunes)
“Kill TV”, ONR featuring Nile Rodgers (iTunes)
“Kings Of Summer”, Wylder (iTunes)
“Knife Under My Pillow”, Maggie Lindemann (iTunes)
“Lemonade”, Circa Waves featuring Alfie Templeman (iTunes)
“Lies”, Steve Aoki & KREAM (iTunes)
“Lighter (Acoustic)”, Nathan Dawe featuring KSI & Ella Henderson (iTunes)
“Like That”, GRACEY & Alexander 23 (iTunes)
“Little Runaway”, Celeste (iTunes)
“Lost One”, Jazmine Sullivan (iTunes)
“Love Language”, Crooked Colours (iTunes)
“Love Like”, Lu Kala (iTunes)
“Love U Again”, Olivia Holt & R3HAB (iTunes)
“Married In Vegas (Acoustic)”, The Vamps (iTunes)
“Midnight Drives”, Munn & Hannah Hausman (iTunes)
“Movin’ On”, India Shawn featuring Anderson .Paak (iTunes)
“Neva Felt This Way”, Tweet (iTunes)
“New Normal”, Cooper Alan (iTunes)
“Nightlight”, Illenium (iTunes)
“Over Now”, Calvin Harris x The Weeknd (iTunes)
“Pillow”, Ryan Woods (iTunes)
“Pure Love”, Julia Brennan (iTunes)
“Quiet”, Mark Diamond (iTunes)
“Royal Rumble”, Lil Tecca (iTunes)
“Rue”, Girl In Red (iTunes)
“Sail Away”, Surfaces (iTunes)
“See Me”, Emily King (iTunes)
“Since I Was Young (MC4D Remix)”, Wrabel x Kesha (iTunes)
“Snowblood”, ERRA (iTunes)
“So Annoying”, Mae Muller (iTunes)
“Sometimes”, Air Traffic Controller (iTunes)
“Speed Of Life”, Austin Burke (iTunes)
“Starting Over”, Chris Stapleton (iTunes)
“Still Feel Like A Kid”, Dawes (iTunes)
“Strawberry Blonde”, Rence (iTunes)
“Sugar Rush”, Addison Grace (iTunes)
“Take You Back”, Russ & Kehlani (iTunes)
“Temptation”, Tiwa Savage & Sam Smith (iTunes)
“Text Talk Touch”, Alt Bloom & Gnash (iTunes)
“The Day It Rained In Southern California”, Stela Cole (iTunes)
“The Drugs Don’t Work”, Boh Doran (iTunes)
“Too Far Gone”, Caro (iTunes)
“Too Fast”, X Lovers (iTunes)
“We Go Together Like”, Abby Anderson (iTunes)
“Why Do You Lie To Me”, Topic & A7S featuring Lil Baby (iTunes)
“Woman”, Nao featuring Lianne La Havas (iTunes)
“You Raise Me Up”, Mat & Savanna Shaw (iTunes)
“Younger Women”, VÉRITÉ (iTunes)
“Zoom”, Leikeli47 (iTunes)

Next week, the newest sets from Big Sean and Lauren Alaina are among the larger releases on the schedule. For Adam’s personal picks of the week, listen to the PGTC Friday Faves list on Spotify!

(PGTC supports the fight against racial inequality in our country: please use this resources website and help where you can.)

ADD LIB — Brace For (CHR) Impact (February 25, 2020)

Welcome to Add Lib, your Tuesday report on POP! Goes The Charts that’s mad about CHR/Top 40 adds, based on the station data provided by Mediabase 24/7 and Add Board. This week: Top 40 radio is still lonely for Lauv, who is looking top 40 bound with his latest single. Get in your feels and let’s add ’em up:

WHEN LAUV TAKES OVER: Blasting in with the follow-up to the Anne-Marie collaboration “F**k, I’m Lonely”, which got as high as #30 on the Top 40 chart last November and December, Lauv’s “Modern Loneliness” leads the adds update with 36 stations on impact. Though its first-week total is smaller than normal, an independent release taking the top spot is still very impressive. At this point, the song should easily find its way into the top 50 by the weekend, just ahead of the launch for his new album ~How I’m Feeling~ on March 6.

Much like with Lauv’s newest release, this week’s numbers for impacting tracks are generally lower, though a pair of collaborations led by Diplo and Meduza finish the day in the top ten with ties for second and seventh place, respectively.

Charting songs from Doja Cat, Khalid and Roddy Ricch are among those returning to the top ten on this week’s report.

A battle is brewing for next week’s adds report, as both Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga‘s new singles fight for the top spot.

MOST ADDED — THIS WEEK’S TOP TEN
1. LAUV, “Modern Loneliness” (AWAL/in2une)
2-T. DIPLO featuring MORGAN WALLEN & JULIA MICHAELS, “Heartless” (Columbia)
2-T. DOJA CAT, “Say So” (Kemosabe/RCA)
4. RODDY RICCH, “The Box” (Atlantic)
5. BLACK EYED PEAS x J BALVIN, “RITMO (Bad Boys For Life)” (Epic)
6. MONSTA X, “You Can’t Hold My Heart” (Epic)
7-T. KHALID x DISCLOSURE, “Know Your Worth” (RCA)
7-T. MEDUZA, BECKY HILL & GOODBOYS, “Lose Control” (Astralwerks/Capitol)
9. TREVOR DANIEL, “Falling” (Alamo/Interscope)
10. JUSTIN BIEBER featuring QUAVO, “Intentions” (Def Jam)

Check out our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for more adds coverage and commentary.

ADD LIB — Brace For (CHR) Impact (February 18, 2020)

Welcome to Add Lib, your Tuesday report on POP! Goes The Charts that’s mad about CHR/Top 40 adds, based on the station data provided by Mediabase 24/7 and Add Board. This week: Top 40 programmers are dying to add the new song from Sam Smith, as its total paces well ahead of other impacting titles from Conan Gray and Monsta X. Let’s add ’em up:

“FOR” PLAY: With the title cut off their new album, Sam Smith bursts onto the adds report with “To Die For”, managing to score 148 stations on impact. The performer now has 13 top 40 songs to date at the format, with this single entering the airplay chart last weekend at #37. It should continue to ascend quickly here and at the Hot AC format, where it topped the report with 39 adds.

Newcomer Conan Gray picks up 32 stations on impact for “Maniac”, which lands in fourth place this week. It’s the first radio single off his forthcoming album Kid Krow, due next month. The act Monsta X also starts in the top five with “You Can’t Hold My Heart”, tying for fifth place with 22 stations on the log. The K-pop group is looking for their second top 40 entry with their new single. Will the two emerging records make the top 50 by the weekend? Stay tuned.

Charting songs from Doja Cat, Justin Bieber and Niall Horan are among those returning to the top ten on this week’s report.

Collaborations led by Diplo and newcomers New Hope Club have some hope for a great adds week on the report next Tuesday.

MOST ADDED — THIS WEEK’S TOP TEN
1. SAM SMITH, “To Die For” (Capitol)
2. JUSTIN BIEBER featuring QUAVO, “Intentions” (Def Jam)
3. DOJA CAT, “Say So” (Kemosabe/RCA)
4. CONAN GRAY, “Maniac” (Republic)
5-T. MONSTA X, “You Can’t Hold My Heart” (Epic)
5-T. NIALL HORAN, “No Judgement” (Capitol)
7. KHALID x DISCLOSURE, “Know Your Worth” (RCA)
8. SELENA GOMEZ, “Rare” (Interscope)
9. ALI GATIE, “What If I Told You That I Love You” (Warner)
10. LIZZO, “Cuz I Love You” (Atlantic)

Check out our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for more adds coverage and commentary.

ADD LIB — Brace For (CHR) Impact (February 11, 2020)

Welcome to Add Lib, your Tuesday report on POP! Goes The Charts that’s mad about CHR/Top 40 adds, based on the station data provided by Mediabase 24/7 and Add Board. This week: Justin Bieber grabs the top spot once again with intention, as new titles fill the top ten from top to bottom. What bops are, well, bopping this week? Let’s add ’em up:

JUSTIN TIME FOR SECONDS: Just ahead of the release of his new album Changes, Bieber’s “Intentions” leads the way at Top 40 radio this week with 130 stations on impact. The album version of the track features Quavo, though an edit without him is also available for stations. The single also leads the reports at both the Hot AC (33 stations) and Rhythmic (34 stations) radio formats.

Niall Horan ties for the runner-up spot on the report with 65 adds for “No Judgement”, the latest radio single from his upcoming set Heartbreak Weather, due March 13. The track also finished in third place on yesterday’s Hot AC log with 17 adds. “No” is likely to chart at both formats by the weekend. Following Horan’s new entry, impacting songs from Madison Beer (#5), Ali Gatie (#7) and DaBaby (#9) are all making some noise on the report and should be top 50 bound in the next week or so. Of the three, Beer is in the lead for prior top 40 songs with two, while DaBaby has one as a featured artist and Gatie has never reached the region.

Charting songs from Doja Cat, Lizzo and Selena Gomez are among those returning to the top ten on this week’s report.

No songs are currently scheduled to impact at the format next week; we’ll see if this changes in the next few days.

MOST ADDED — THIS WEEK’S TOP TEN
1. JUSTIN BIEBER, “Intentions” (Def Jam)
2-T. KHALID x DISCLOSURE, “Know Your Worth” (RCA)
2-T. NIALL HORAN, “No Judgement” (Capitol)
4. SELENA GOMEZ, “Rare” (Interscope)
5-T. DOJA CAT, “Say So” (Kemosabe/RCA)
5-T. MADISON BEER, “Good In Goodbye” (Sing It Loud/Epic)
7-T. ALI GATIE, “What If I Told You That I Love You” (Warner)
7-T. LIZZO, “Cuz I Love You” (Atlantic)
9. DABABY, “Bop” (SCMG/Interscope)
10. RODDY RICCH, “The Box” (Atlantic)

Check out our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for more adds coverage and commentary.

RADIO ACTIVE — A Weekly Chart CHRonicle (February 9, 2020)

Welcome to Radio Active, a Sunday evening report from POP! Goes The Charts that gets to the chart of the matter: all the highlights from the CHR/Top 40 chart, as published by Mediabase 24/7 and Mediabase Research. Alas, we won’t be thanking the Academy for any awards tonight, but we can award some top pop hits with this analysis. Here’s what’s popping at the Top 40 format this week:

TO THE MAROON AND BACK: Maroon 5 holds at #1 for the second week on the Top 40 chart with “Memories”. The big hit is now up to its 11th week at the top on the Hot AC chart and also remains strong at the AC format, where it holds at #6 this week. The battle for next week’s #1 tune should be an interesting one, with both “Memories” and Post Malone‘s recent chart-topper “Circles” (at #2) in the hunt for an extra frame, as Dua Lipa‘s “Don’t Start Now” (at #4) continues its ascent through the top five.

The big midweek release from Khalid and Disclosure, “Know Your Worth”, blasts onto the survey at #33. The tune becomes their tenth and third top 40 entries, respectively. As “Juicy” continues to drip down the chart, Doja Cat rises from 41-34 with her second top 40 single, “Say So”. Justin Bieber also breaks into top 40 with the Quavo-assisted “Intentions”, another of the songs from his forthcoming album Changes, at #39. It’s the 28th top 40 hit for Bieber and the seventh solo entry for the Migos member. The track is the follow-up to “Yummy”, which has stalled out after a very short run and tumbles from 12-16.

All three top 50 debuts on this week’s update are performed by women: Meghan Trainor with the Nicki Minaj-assisted “Nice To Meet Ya”, Noah Cyrus with “July” and Demi Lovato with “Anyone”. They start at #44, #45 and #48, respectively. Trainor’s track also enters the top 50 (#43) on this week’s Hot AC chart, where Cyrus’s song is up to #38. (Lovato’s cut is just below the top 50.)

Check out our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for more chart coverage and commentary.

ADD LIB — Brace For (CHR) Impact (February 4, 2020)

Welcome to Add Lib, your Tuesday report on POP! Goes The Charts that’s mad about CHR/Top 40 adds, based on the station data provided by Mediabase 24/7 and Add Board. This week: Khalid and Selena Gomez know their worth at Top 40 radio, but which performed ended up in that rare and coveted top position on the report? Let’s add ’em up:

“KNOW” YOUR ADDS: After sneaking in a midday premiere and wide support from the panel, “Know Your Worth” by Khalid x Disclosure is this week’s Most Added song at the Top 40 format, ending the day with a total of 60 stations. The track only earned a handful of adds at the Rhythmic format on the latest list, though it did not impact there today. Expect “Know” to easily chart this weekend on the regular published update.

Of course, this means Selena Gomez‘s “Rare” ended the day in second place, but only by one add: 59 more stations came in for it this week. The title cut from her latest album is already flying up the Top 40 chart, making its top 40 debut this past weekend.

The latest single from Meghan Trainor, the Nicki Minaj-assisted “Nice To Meet Ya”, also managed to place in the top five titles this week. It earned 40 stations on impact, earning it a fourth place rank. The collaboration is featured on her album Treat Myself, which was released last Friday. It also placed in fourth on the Hot AC report yesterday, picking up 14 stations there.

Charting songs from Doja Cat, Taylor Swift and The Weeknd are among those returning to the top ten on this week’s report.

Next week, emerging songs from Ali Gatie, DaBaby and Madison Beer all aim to be da Most Added song of the week. Who will take the crown? Find out next Tuesday, baby.

MOST ADDED — THIS WEEK’S TOP TEN (ELEVEN)
1. KHALID x DISCLOSURE, “Know Your Worth” (RCA)
2. SELENA GOMEZ, “Rare” (Interscope)
3. LIZZO, “Cuz I Love You” (Atlantic)
4. MEGHAN TRAINOR featuring NICKI MINAJ, “Nice To Meet Ya” (Epic)
5. TAYLOR SWIFT, “The Man” (Republic)
6. DOJA CAT, “Say So” (Kemosabe/RCA)
7. THE WEEKND, “Blinding Lights” (XO/Republic)
8. NOAH CYRUS, “July” (RECORDS/Columbia)
9. CHELSEA CUTLER, “Sad Tonight” (Republic)
10-T. BLACK EYED PEAS x J BALVIN, “RITMO (Bad Boys For Life)” (Epic)
10-T. RODDY RICCH, “The Box” (Atlantic)

Check out our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for more adds coverage and commentary.

NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: Releases For The Week of June 17, 2016

Looking at a Red Hot debut.

Rock it out on this hot June weekend, but keep it a little Country too. We have a lot of both in this week’s schedule, so let’s get to it! Here are this week’s new albums and singles:

• RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS — The Getaway (iTunes)
  • They’ve had over two dozen top ten singles on the Alternative radio chart and a half-dozen top five albums. So, what’s the next challenge for this legendary rock band? Beating Drake, of course, and his six-week #1 album titled Views. At this time, it’s too close to call, but with “Dark Necessities” riding high at radio and retail, a #1 bow is a possibility.
• JON PARDI — California Sunrise (iTunes)
  • Pardi’s latest single, “Head Over Boots”, recently reached the top ten on the Country radio chart after a very long run. The California singer has been charting at the format since 2012. Look for him to debut somewhere in the top 20, just as his last album did.
• JAKE BUGG — On My One (iTunes)
  • Though this set will do much bigger numbers in the U.K., Bugg has a small U.S. audience that will come out in the first week for it. Single “Gimme The Love” tanked at Alternative radio, barely reaching the top 40.
• More albums out this week: Bassnectar‘s Unlimited (iTunes), Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers‘s Rehab Reunion (iTunes), Gojira‘s Mafma (iTunes), Laura Mvula‘s The Dreaming Room (iTunes), LoCash‘s The Fighters (iTunes), Neko Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs‘s case/lang/veirs (iTunes), Sarah Jarosz‘s Undercurrent (iTunes), The Tragically Hip‘s Man Machine Poem (iTunes), Thousand Foot Krutch‘s Exhale (iTunes), We The Kings‘s So Far (iTunes), YG‘s Still Brazy (iTunes)
• More EPs out this week: Disclosure‘s Moog For Love (iTunes), KT Tunstall‘s Golden State (iTunes), Mumford & Sons‘s Johannesburg (iTunes), Seramic‘s Found (iTunes)

New digital-only singles that you can buy this week include:

• “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now”, Kane Brown (iTunes)
• “Are We Ready? (Wreck)”, Two Door Cinema Club (iTunes)
• “Better Love”, Hozier (iTunes)
• “Broken Drum”, Cash Cash featuring Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick (iTunes)
• “Flowerchild”, Coleman Hell (iTunes)
• “Good Grief”, Bastille (iTunes)
• “Hallelujah”, Alicia Keys (iTunes)
• “Hope You Understand”, Grace (iTunes)
• “Mamacita”, Tinie Tempah (iTunes)
• “No English”, Juicy J featuring Travi$ Scott (iTunes)
• “Pieces (Sam Feldt Remix)”, Rob Thomas (iTunes)
• “She Thinks I Still Care (Alt. Version, Take 2)”, Elvis Presley (iTunes)
• “Somebody’s Love”, Passenger (iTunes)
• “Summer Nights”, Tiësto featuring John Legend (iTunes)
• “Titus Was Born”, Young The Giant (iTunes)
• “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore”, Phantogram (iTunes)

We’ll see you next week for new releases from Broods, The Avett Brothers and more.

NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: Releases For The Week of September 25, 2015

Fetty, set, go.

This week’s New Music Friday is our last one for the month of September, and though the month has gone by quickly, we have a number of big releases to close out the third quarter. Here’s a look at the week’s new album and single releases:

• FETTY WAP — Fetty Wap (iTunes)
  • This New Jersey rapper and singer is all about the numbers, at least to a certain extent. The 24-year-old, who gave us prior hits like “Trap Queen” and “My Way”, has a new hit in “679” and shows support to 1738, a shortened name for the squad that he’s involved with. However, he’s only looking for one number next week: #1. Destined to be this year’s top newcomer when all is said and done, a chart-topping album would be icing on the cake.
• THOMAS RHETT — Tangled Up (iTunes)
  • Rhett recently hit #1 on the Country radio chart with “Crash And Burn”, which is sure to be a strong candidate for a crossover single in the coming months. The new album features some unlikely collaborations with Jordin Sparks and LunchMoney Lewis. Hey, Country music ain’t what it used to be. This set will likely enter in the top ten, and a top five debut is possible as well. Stay tuned to see how high it goes.
• CHVRCHES — Every Open Eye (iTunes)
  • The Scottish trio out of Glasgow had a nice year in 2013 when their debut album, The Bones Of What You Believe, made the top 20 on the Billboard 200, while “The Mother We Share” did the same on the Alternative survey. They return with this effort, featuring the single “Leave A Trace”, which is currently in the top 30 at the format. Given a solid pre-order count, this should do moderately well.
• DISCLOSURE — Caracal (iTunes)
  • Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence took a slow run up into the top five on the pop radio survey one year ago with “Latch”, thanks in part to a featured credit from the red-hot Sam Smith. Their latest collaboration, a single called “Omen”, proves the lightning doesn’t strike twice (at least on that particular chart.) Will they avoid the sophomore slump?
• GEORGE STRAIT — Cold Beer Conversation (iTunes)
  • With the removal of older acts from many Country playlists as of late, Strait’s new material is stalling at the format that once treated him like a king. (The title track had a partial iHeartMedia hourly premiere earlier this week, but it is only a temporary boost.) That being said, this Apple Music/Wal-Mart exclusive will still do well with his fans.
• More albums out this week: Avant‘s The VIII (iTunes), Casey Veggies‘s Live & Grow (iTunes), Don Henley‘s Cass County (iTunes), Dumblonde‘s Dumblonde (iTunes), Erick Sermon‘s E.S.P. (Erick Sermon’s Perception) (iTunes), Firekid‘s Firekid (iTunes), Il Volo‘s Grand Amore (iTunes), Jgivens‘s Fly Exam (iTunes), JR JR‘s JR JR (iTunes), Julia Holter‘s Have You In My Wilderness (iTunes), Kaskade‘s Automatic (iTunes), Kurt Vile‘s B’lieve I’m Goin Down… (iTunes), Los Lobos‘s Gates Of Gold (iTunes), New Order‘s Music Complete (iTunes), Parkway Drive‘s Ire (iTunes), Patty Griffin‘s Servant Of Love (iTunes), Peaches‘s Rub (iTunes), Silversun Pickups‘s Better Nature (iTunes), The Dead Weather‘s Dodge & Burn (iTunes), Widespread Panic‘s Street Dogs (iTunes), Various Artists‘s Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Soundtrack) (iTunes), Various Artists‘s We Will Stand (Live) (iTunes), Various Artists‘s WOW Hits 2016 (iTunes)
• More EPs out this week: Big Grams‘s Big Grams (iTunes), Lauv‘s Lost In The Light (iTunes), Max Frost‘s Intoxication (iTunes), Ryan Egan‘s Postures (iTunes), The Score‘s Where Do You Run (iTunes)

New digital-only singles that you can buy this week include:

• “Alive”, Sia (iTunes)
• “As Crazy As It Is”, ZHU x A-Trak x Keznamdi (iTunes)
• “BURNITUP!”, Janet Jackson featuring Missy Elliott (iTunes)
• “Infinity”, One Direction (iTunes)
• “I Wish (My Taylor Swift)”, The Knocks and Matthew Koma (iTunes)
• “Lay It All On Me”, Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran (iTunes)
• “She Used To Be Mine”, Sara Bareilles (iTunes)
• “The Beach”, The Neighbourhood (iTunes)
• “When I Was A Boy”, Jeff Lynne’s ELO (iTunes)

Next Friday, our preview will include new albums from Avicii, Janet Jackson, Tamar Braxton and more. See you then!

RADIO REPORT: POP! Goes The Picks (August 2015) (Part One)

It’s time once again to analyze the airwaves and find out if your favorite new singles will be lighting up the national charts during the month. Which tracks will climb to the top and which ones will hit a stop? Here’s a small selection of new songs being serviced in August on the CHR and Hot AC formats in the first part of this month’s Radio Report:

CHR (*) and HOT AC (**)

FELIX JAEHN featuring JASMINE THOMPSON – “Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better)” (August 4) (*)
Label: Casablanca/Republic
14-year-old Thompson has been covering songs for years, and one such remake of the 1983 Rufus and Chaka Khan hit is taking a second chart run on. In October 2013, her original version peaked at #32 in the U.K. thanks to a Sainsbury’s ad for pizza. Now, a tropical house remix by the German DJ/producer Jaehn hopes to chew on the charts globally. Yummy. Ready for a musical meal?

CONRAD SEWELL – “Hold Me Up” (August 11) (*)
Label: 300 Entertainment
After blazing a “Firestone” of a song up the European charts with DJ/producer Kygo, the 27-year-old Australian singer is looking to set pop radio chart on fire in the U.S. without the help of that introduction. (RCA’s Stateside release is just below the top 50 on the format.) His solo single went to #1 in his native country in June, where it is certified Platinum. He can only go “Up” from here.

DISCLOSURE featuring SAM SMITH – “Omen” (August 11) (*)
Label: Capitol
Some say that lightning doesn’t strike twice, but in the case of the English duo out of Reigate and their good pal from London, it is perhaps a good time to try and dispel that notion. The brother act was previously on Interscope in the U.S., though they opted for a label switch to Capitol for their new set; Smith is already on there, and his In The Lonely Hour era was massive. Watch out for it.

ECHOSMITH – “Let’s Love” (August 11) (* + **)
Label: Warner Bros.
The four Sierota siblings keep it all in the family, and their Warner family is issuing this third single from Talking Dreams to both radio formats this month as the followup to recent hit “Bright”. Several live videos for the song were released in late 2013, but it’s unclear when an official music video for it will be premiering given its new status. Will the dream continue for this young quartet?

HAILEE STEINFELD – “Love Myself” (August 11) (*)
Label: Republic
Earlier this week, the Pitch Perfect 2 actress and singer appeared in a clip with Canadian singer and Vine star Shawn Mendes, as the two teens sang a new acoustic version of his latest single, “Stitches”. Now, her first solo single, which will be released to iTunes next Friday, looks like it could be a fall hit based on some early radio reaction. Yet, it’s still too soon to tell if the “Love” continues.

ROBIN THICKE featuring NICKI MINAJ – “Back Together” (August 11) (*)
Label: Star Trek/Interscope
Thicke is currently climbing up the Urban AC survey with “Morning Sun”, which seems to be responding nicely given the response to his legal issues earlier this year over the case concerning his hit “Blurred Lines”. Now, he looks to capture the pop audience and he’ll be bringing in Minaj to help. You may remember that the two worked together before on his 2009 song “Shakin’ It 4 Daddy”.

GAVIN JAMES – “Bitter Pill” (August 25) (**)
Label: Capitol
With the huge support of Beats 1 beginning a month ago and his current U.S. tour with the aforementioned Smith (see “Omen”), a push at the Hot AC format seems like the next logical step for this Irish newcomer and his label. Of course, his lovely cover of “The Book Of Love” has been #1 on my personal chart for two weeks, but this “Pill” isn’t hard to swallow, and it should be ranking soon.

RYN WEAVER – “Promises” (August 25) (*)
Label: Mad Love/Interscope
After a surge of blog coverage and notable hype in the summer of 2014, it was disappointing to see Weaver’s song “OctaHate” stall down in the 20’s on the pop radio chart earlier this year after an initial bump from a Cumulus block add. Nevertheless, her second radio single is being serviced later this month in both its original version and a new dance mix by French producer Norman Doray.

Which of these new songs would you like to see on top of the charts? Let me know! Comment below or click the “Get Social!” tab to find PGTC on social media.

RADIO REPORT: POP! Goes The Picks (February 2014)

If you follow the radio charts like I do, you’ll want to be on top of only the freshest music being serviced across the nation. So, I’m bringing back an early PGTC feature with a bit of a revamp. With this monthly series, I’ll be highlighting some great tracks at a few different radio formats I enjoy that will be fighting for airspace over the next few months. So, what are we waiting for? Let the battles begin.

CHR (*) and HOT AC (**)

Doin’ it Daftly.

DAFT PUNK – “Give Life Back To Music” (February 4) (*)
Label: Columbia
They are, in fact, the champions, my friends. With five wins at the recent GRAMMY Awards, it’s no wonder that Columbia Records is issuing a third CHR single from the Album Of The Year, Random Access Memories. However,  without the aid of Pharrell Williams, does it stand a chance to live that chart “Life”? We’ll see.

A perfect match and “Latch”.

DISCLOSURE featuring SAM SMITH – “Latch” (February 4) (*)
Label: Cherrytree/Interscope
You may know Smith from his collaboration with Naughty Boy, “La La La”, which is taking off nicely on the CHR charts after a few adds dates. Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence are behind EDM act Disclosure, who charted with this in the U.K. in 2012, reaching the #11 spot. It should be at least a minor hit at the format.

Girls just want to have “Fun”.

PARAMORE – “Ain’t It Fun” (February 4) (*)
Label: Fueled By Ramen/Roadrunner
After crashing the CHR top ten last year with their first song to do so, “Still Into You”, the Nashville trio goes to radio with this funky track with some lyrical edge. Don’t forget to check out the music video as well; the band tries to break ten world records in the clip. Let the vinyl smashing and screaming out of the car begin.

Flyin’ like an eagle.

BIRDY – “Skinny Love” (February 11) (**)
Label: Atlantic
About three weeks ago, I wrote this post about this track‘s second run at U.S. radio, which is now hovering around the #40 position on the Alternative survey. Though the Bon Iver remake is now going on three years old, it’s still new to the audience here, and will likely found a nice home thanks to other softer releases as of late.

A Rae of light at the end of the month.

HOT CHELLE RAE – “Don’t Say Goodnight” (February 25) (*)
Label: RCA
Here’s a band going from “Tonight Tonight” to “Goodnight”. If the lineup looks different, it’s because bassist Ian Keaggy left the group last year shortly after they released a single “Hung Up”, which attracted a little radio play. Now, with another single off their forthcoming album, the three guys are ready to party once again.

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ALTERNATIVE (*) and AAA (**)

Don’t call him Casper.

JEREMY MESSERSMITH – “Ghost” (February 4) (**)
Label: Glassnote
The performer originally born in South Carolina has been recording independently since 2006, but his forthcoming Heart Murmurs album, due on Tuesday, will be his first for Glassnote Records. An album track, “Tourniquet”, was released for free in advance of the effort. I liked the sound of that and this single is also really solid.

Preachin’ to the choir.

PANIC! AT THE DISCO – “This Is Gospel” (February 4) (*)
Label: Roadrunner
This trio is currently on tour in support of their Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! album, a #2 on the Billboard 200. While “Miss Jackson” keeps up its run on the CHR airwaves just inside the top 50, the group is moving onto “Gospel”, which charted as a promotional single last summer. A video was also commissioned for it.

“Young” at chart.

BRETT DENNEN – “When We Were Young” (February 11) (**)
Label: F-Stop/Atlantic
For those folks who enjoy folk music, 34-year-old Dennen is still promoting his album released last year, Smoke and Mirrors, which produced a #6 AAA hit in “Wild Child” in November. His ode to nostalgia has a poppy feel to it with a great set of lyrics. However, my favorite from him is 2008’s “Make You Crazy” with Femi Kuti.

Abracadabra, it’s a hit.

MAGIC MAN – “Paris” (February 11) (*)
Label: Columbia
I’m proud to say that these five guys and gals are a local act, originally from Boston, MA. Their debut EP, You Are Here, was released back in September. The song is currently just below the top 40 at Alternative and a handful of adds may raise it higher during the month. Their dreamy synth-heavy sound is worth more play.

This “No” is a yes.

CHET FAKER – “No Diggity” (February 25) (**)
Label: Downtown
Yes, that would be a hot Blackstreet cover that’s all sorts of groovy and particularly unique. Last year around this time, Faker’s remake was featured in a beer commercial during the Super Bowl, but it was never serviced for airplay despite the large placement. 12 months later, can the record actually do anything? I sure hope so.

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Which track(s) would you like to see do well from the list above? Let me know! Comment below or click the “Get Social!” tab to find PGTC on social media.