NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: Releases For The Week of January 14, 2022

New Music Friday gets brighter this week.

Look on the bright side: it’s New Music Friday, including new albums from FKA Twigs and The Lumineers and the latest singles from Muse and Tai Verdes…

Notable albums out this week: Bonobo‘s Fragments (Stream), Cordae‘s From A Birds Eye View (Stream), Earl Sweatshirt‘s Sick! (Stream), Fickle Friends‘s Are We Gonna Be Alright? (Stream), FKA Twigs‘s Caprisongs (Stream), Kid Ink‘s Alive (Deluxe) (Stream), Kota The Friend‘s Lyrics To Go, Vol. 3 (Stream), Skillet‘s Dominion (Stream), The Lumineers‘s Brightside (Stream), The Wombats‘s Fix Yourself, Not The World (Stream), Thomston‘s Crushed (Stream), Token‘s Pink Is Better (Stream), Underoath‘s Voyeurist (Stream)

Notable EPs out this week: Ant Clemons‘s 4Play (Stream), Valley‘s The After Party (Stream), Vaultboy‘s Vaultboy (Stream), Yot Club‘s Santolina (Stream)

New digital singles that you can buy/stream this week include:
“24/7”, Billen Ted featuring JC Stewart (Stream)
“A Lot”, John K (Stream)
“Absence Of You”, Grentperez (Stream)
“All Eyes On Me”, EARTHGANG (Stream)
“All Night”, S-X featuring Trippie Redd (Stream)
“Am I Really Going To Die”, White Lies (Stream)
“Angels” / “Church Boots”, Thomas Rhett (Stream)
“April”, Ben Kessler (Stream)
“Backseat Boyfriend”, Cayley Spivey (Stream)
“Bad Friend”, Corook (Stream)
“Bag”, Amanda Reifer (Stream)
“Bella”, Static & Ben El x 24kGoldn (Stream)
“Big Dreams And Faded Jeans”, Dolly Parton (Stream)
“Break My Heart Again”, Danielle Bradbery (Stream)
“Break The Man”, Tears For Fears (Stream)
“Breathe”, Arctic Lake (Stream)
“Brother The Cloud”, Eddie Vedder (Stream)
“Burn Butcher Burn”, Matthew K. Heafy (Stream)
“Call Me”, Gabry Ponte x R3HAB x Timmy Trumpet (Stream)
“Calling Out Your Name”, The Temptations (Stream)
“Catching A Dream (Sam Feldt Remix)”, Jonah Kagen (Stream)
“Clarity”, Justin Jesso (Stream)
“Close”, Matteo Bocelli (Stream)
“Closer”, Kiiara (Stream)
“Come Close”, Anson Seabra (Stream)
“Cowboys Don’t Cry”, Oliver Tree (Stream)
“Dancing Alone”, VIZE (Stream)
“Day By Day”, Frank Walker & Two Feet (Stream)
“Dead On The Beach”, Aly & AJ (Stream)
“Do No Wrong”, Tyla Yaweh featuring Trippie Redd & PnB Rock (Stream)
“Don’t Text Me When You’re Drunk”, Stacey Ryan x Zai1k (Stream)
“Enemies”, The Score (Stream)
“Everything She Ain’t”, Hailey Whitters (Stream)
“Forget About Me”, Aluna, Diplo & Durante (Stream)
“Forgotten”, Korn (Stream)
“Fxck Your Labels”, Carlie Hanson (Stream)
“Give My Heart A Break”, James Droll (Stream)
“Give You Love”, Declan J Donovan (Stream)
“Hard Being Alive”, Oscar Scheller featuring Chloe Moriondo (Stream)
“Human”, Ross Copperman (Stream)
“I Miss My Friends”, Zach Hood (Stream)
“I Never Learn”, Ai Bendr (Stream)
“If You Don’t Know Me, Who Am I”, Josh Pyke (Stream)
“Iffy”, Chris Brown (Stream)
“Insecure”, Donna Missal (Stream)
“It Won’t Be Love”, Jeremy & The Harlequins (Stream)
“Jackie Down The Line”, Fontaines D.C. (Stream)
“Just A Girl”, KIDDO (Stream)
“Keep Coming Back For More”, Matisyahu featuring Salt Cathedral (Stream)
“Kids”, Sophia Alexa (Stream)
“Kind Of Love”, Natalie Jane (Stream)
“Kissing Other Boys”, Dylan Matthew (Stream)
“Last Day On Earth”, Tai Verdes (Stream)
“Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me”, Bad Suns (Stream)
“Like A Woman”, BROODS (Stream)
“Little Bother”, King Princess featuring Fousheé (Stream)
“Loud”, Sofia Carson (Stream)
“Love Is Selfish”, Jack White (Stream)
“Love It When You Hate Me”, Avril Lavigne featuring Blackbear (Stream)
“Love Me More”, Mitski (Stream)
“Memory Lane”, Haley Joelle (Stream)
“Minotaur”, St. Paul & The Broken Bones (Stream)
“More Pressure”, Kae Tempest featuring Kevin Abstract (Stream)
“Need You Tonight”, JP Cooper featuring RAY BLK (Stream)
“Next To Normal”, Lucius (Stream)
“Noise”, Nicklas Sahl (Stream)
“Nuh Uh”, Greta Isaac (Stream)
“One Shot”, Murda Beatz featuring Blxst & Wale (Stream)
“Packs And Potions”, HAZEY (Stream)
“Partner In Crime” / “Taylor Swift”, Matt Cooper (Stream)
“Party, Humo Y Alcohol”, CNCO (Stream)
“Payback”, Kojey Radical featuring Knucks (Stream)
“Picture Myself”, Stephanie Poetri (Stream)
“Pity Party”, Stand Atlantic featuring Royal & The Serpent (Stream)
“Rapture In Blue”, Cautious Clay (Stream)
“Remedy”, Leony (Stream)
“Remember”, Russ (Stream)
“Ride Or Die”, Hippo Campus (Stream)
“Rock Believer”, Scorpions (Stream)
“Running”, Martin Jensen x Cheat Codes x Theresa Rex (Stream)
“Running In Place”, Chris Moreno (Stream)
“Same Team”, Josh Kerr (Stream)
“Sextacy”, SIDEPIECE (Stream)
“Shut Off The Lights”, Bastille (Stream)
“Sincero”, Don Omar (Stream)
“Sooner Or Later”, Years & Years (Stream)
“Squares” / “Y 13”, Cavetown (Stream)
“String Lights”, Peter McPoland (Stream)
“Surround Sound”, JID featuring 21 Savage & Baby Tate (Stream)
“The Least”, Shaina Taub (Stream)
“Thought About That”, Noa Kirel (Stream)
“Trouble With A Heartbreak”, Jason Aldean (Stream)
“Waiting For A Lifetime”, John Newman (Stream)
“Walking On Water”, The Knocks featuring Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (Stream)
“Want That Back”, Brett Eldredge (Stream)
“When’s It Gonna Happen”, Tenille Townes (Stream)
“Whiskey Sour”, Kane Brown (Stream)
“Wild”, Spoon (Stream)
“Wildfire”, Against The Current (Stream)
“Won’t Be Too Long”, Hudson Taylor (Stream)
“Won’t Stand Down”, Muse (Stream)
“Year Of The Ex”, Call Me Loop (Stream)

Next week, the new albums from AURORA and Walker Hayes are the largest releases on the schedule. For Adam’s personal picks of the week, listen to the PGTC Friday Faves list on Spotify!

NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: Releases For The Week of September 13, 2019

From Top to the top.

As the weekend arrives, so do these new releases for all the top boys and girls in the world! From rap to rock and everything in-between, here are all the top new albums and singles hitting stores this Friday:

THE LUMINEERS – III (iTunes)
Features: “Gloria”, a recent #1 song on the Alternative and Triple A charts, and “Life In The City”, now in the top 15 on the latter list

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Top Boy (A Selection Of Music Inspired By The Series) (iTunes)
Features: new music from AJ Tracey, Dave, Drake, Popcaan and more

Notable albums out this week: Charli XCX‘s Charli (iTunes), Drumaq‘s Vitamin D (iTunes), Emeli Sandé‘s Real Life (iTunes), Goo Goo Dolls‘s Miracle Pill (iTunes), Hardy‘s Hixtape (Vol. 1) (iTunes), Hobo Johnson‘s The Fall Of Hobo Johnson (iTunes), Joseph‘s Good Luck, Kid (iTunes), Korn‘s The Nothing (iTunes), Paula Cole‘s Revolution (iTunes), Prince‘s The Versace Experience: Prelude 2 Gold (iTunes), Puddle Of Mudd‘s Welcome To Galvania (iTunes), Sam Fender‘s Hypersonic Missiles (iTunes), Shawn Colvin‘s Steady On (30th Anniversary Acoustic Edition) (iTunes)

Notable EPs out this week: Jason Aldean‘s From The Album “9” (iTunes), LOVA‘s A Gentleman’s Guide (iTunes), MARINA‘s Love + Fear (Acoustic) (iTunes), Mark Diamond‘s Hummingbird Two (iTunes), Ruel‘s Free Time (iTunes), Wrabel‘s One Of Those Happy People (iTunes), Your Smith‘s Wild Wild Woman (iTunes)

New digital singles that you can buy this week include:
“@thebackoftheparty”, Push Baby (iTunes)
“1, 2 Many”, Luke Combs & Brooks & Dunn (iTunes)
“10/10”, Rex Orange County (iTunes)
“A Dream Is All I Need To Get By”, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (iTunes)
“Baddie”, Emily Vaughn (iTunes)
“Black & Blue”, Lost Frequencies & Mokita (iTunes)
“Black & Blue”, Nina Nesbitt (iTunes)
“Boys Will Be Boys (BWBB)”, Bülow (iTunes)
“Can’t Be Happier”, Sj + Sugar Jesus featuring GoldFord (iTunes)
“Choose”, Stan Walker featuring Hamo Dell (iTunes)
“Crying Underwater”, Dami Im (iTunes)
“Dear Future Self (Hands Up)”, Fall Out Boy featuring Wyclef Jean (iTunes)
“Doing To Me (Stripped Down)”, Astrid S (iTunes)
“Don’t Call Me Angel”, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus & Lana Del Rey (iTunes)
“Don’t Lose Love”, Quintino x AFSHeeN featuring Cher Lloyd (iTunes)
“Don’t Say”, Robinson (iTunes)
“Don’t You Worry” and “Please Don’t Go”, Jez Dior (iTunes)
“Dork”, Sueco The Child (iTunes)
“Dreamland”, Pet Shop Boys featuring Years & Years (iTunes)
“Exit Sign”, The Knocks featuring Gallant (iTunes)
“Faces (KAJ Remix)”, Gavin James (iTunes)
“Father Of All…”, Green Day (iTunes)
“FCK U”, Openside (iTunes)
“F*ck No”, 99 Neighbors featuring Brasstracks & PhiloSofie (iTunes)
“Genetics”, Meghan Trainor (iTunes)
“Ghetto Love”, WizKid (iTunes)
“Gift And A Curse”, Skizzy Mars featuring Yung Pinch (iTunes)
“Glorious”, Ella Henderson (iTunes)
“Graveyard”, Halsey (iTunes)
“I’m Not Alright (EDX’s Dubai Skyline Remix)”, Loud Luxury & Bryce Vine (iTunes)
“If You Need Me”, Julia Michaels (iTunes)
“Intentions”, Big Boi, Sleepy Brown & CeeLo Green (iTunes)
“Kintsugi”, Gabrielle Aplin (iTunes)
“LaLaLa”, Black Coffee & Usher (iTunes)
“Lost (Joel Corry Remix)”, End Of The World featuring Clean Bandit (iTunes)
“Louder”, Martin Jensen (iTunes)
“Make It Up To You”, JT Roach (iTunes)
“Mother”, Charlie Puth (iTunes)
“My Family”, Migos, Karol G & Snoop Dogg featuring Rock Mafia (iTunes)
“My Town”, Emily Burns (iTunes)
“Nothing”, Bruno Major (iTunes)
“Oh My God!”, Colouring (iTunes)
“Over Drinking”, Little Big Town (iTunes)
“Paranoia”, Digital Farm Animals featuring Alec King (iTunes)
“Post Code”, James Cherry (iTunes)
“Put Me Back Together”, Caitlyn Smith (iTunes)
“Que Calor”, Major Lazer featuring J Balvin & El Alfa (iTunes)
“Rather Be Alone”, Robin Schulz featuring Nick & Sam Martin (iTunes)
“Rent Free”, Russ (iTunes)
“Secrets”, Becky G (iTunes)
“Sleeping Next To You”, Ayokay (iTunes)
“Smile For The Camera”, UPSAHL (iTunes)
“Somebody To Love”, OneRepublic (iTunes)
“Sorry”, Saint PHNX (iTunes)
“Spirit”, Jack Larsen (iTunes)
“Stay Happy”, Au/Ra (iTunes)
“Suicide Doors”, French Montana featuring Gunna (iTunes)
“Tequila”, Pretty Sister & MarcLo (iTunes)
“The End Of The Game”, Weezer (iTunes)
“The Game”, Milky Chance (iTunes)
“The Great Divide”, Mayer Hawthorne (iTunes)
“The Way I Am”, Gavin Haley & Ella Vos (iTunes)
“This Is What Being Cheated On Feels Like”, Clinton Kane (iTunes)
“Ticket to L.A. (Acoustic)”, Brett Young (iTunes)
“Too Good”, Breathe Carolina (iTunes)
“Treehouse (R3HAB Remix)”, James Arthur with Ty Dolla $ign & Shotty Horroh (iTunes)
“Where Does It Hurt?”, Brigetta (iTunes)
“Wild West”, Dennis Lloyd (iTunes)

Next week, look out for new albums from artists like Blink-182, Brittany Howard, the Zac Brown Band and more. For Adam’s personal picks of the week, listen to the PGTC Friday Faves list on Spotify!

NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: Releases For The Week of July 13, 2018

Super troopers of the album chart.

Mamma mia! It’s time for the newest update of the hottest albums and singles on the schedule. Will you take a chance on them? These are the notable digital and physical releases headed into the market this Friday:

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Soundtrack) (iTunes)
This sequel and subsequent soundtrack likely won’t do as well as the original Mamma Mia! film from a decade ago, but this collection, featuring more covers from ABBA‘s catalog, should interest fans and longtime supporters of the band. A new version of “Fernando”, a duet between Cher and Andy Garcia, is currently receiving airplay at the AC format.

Notable albums out this week: Amy Shark‘s Love Monster (iTunes), Black Atlass‘s Pain & Pleasure (iTunes), Chris Lane‘s Laps Around The Sun (iTunes), Rayland Baxter‘s Wide Awake (iTunes), The Vamps‘s Night & Day (Day Edition) (iTunes), Wet‘s Still Run (iTunes), Wiz Khalifa‘s Rolling Papers II (iTunes)

Notable EPs out this week: Andreas Moss‘s Andreas Moss (iTunes), DREAMERS‘s Launch (iTunes), Kiana Ledé‘s Selfless (iTunes), NEEDTOBREATHE‘s Forever On Your Side (Niles City Sound Sessions) (iTunes), The Lumineers‘s C-Sides (iTunes)

New digital singles that you can buy this week include:
“16 Steps”, Martin Jensen featuring Olivia Holt (iTunes)
“A Little More”, Alessia Cara (iTunes)
“About You”, Tyron Hapi featuring Laurell (iTunes)
“Almost Love (R3HAB Remix)”, Sabrina Carpenter (iTunes)
“Both Sides”, Chantel Jeffries featuring Vory (iTunes)
“Don’t Fall For It”, Russ (iTunes)
“Don’t Go”, Vice featuring Becky G & Mr. Eazi (iTunes)
“Eastside”, Benny Blanco, Halsey & Khalid (iTunes)
“Feels Like Summer” and “Summertime Magic”, Childish Gambino (iTunes)
“Frozen Frames (Acoustic)”, Hannah Jane Lewis (iTunes)
“God Is A Woman”, Ariana Grande (iTunes)
“Harvest Love”, Tash Sultana (iTunes)
“Heaven Wasn’t Made For Me”, Terror Jr (iTunes)
“Hit The Lights”, Ghosted featuring RØMANS (iTunes)
“Honest”, Kim Cesarion (iTunes)
“I Choose Me”, Anna Dellaria (iTunes)
“If You Could See Me Now”, Savanna (iTunes)
“If You Wanna Love Somebody (Acoustic)”, Tom Odell (iTunes)
“It Was You”, Norah Jones (iTunes)
“Joke”, Third Eye Blind (iTunes)
“Jumpsuit” and “Nico And The Niners”, Twenty One Pilots (iTunes)
“Keep A Little Soul (1982)”, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (iTunes)
“Leaving You Behind”, Moontower (iTunes)
“Let Me Live/Let Me Die”, Des Rocs (iTunes)
“Li Di Da”, The Internet (iTunes)
“Like I Used To”, Tinashe (iTunes)
“Lucky Man”, Hearts & Colors (iTunes)
“Mama Look At Me Now” and “Satisfied”, Galantis / featuring MAX (iTunes)
“Moonglow”, Cape Cub (iTunes)
“Ooh Yea”, Fabolous featuring Ty Dolla $ign (iTunes)
“Road To Happiness”, Cam (iTunes)
“Schedules”, Sigrid (iTunes)
“Shadowboxer”, Good Charlotte (iTunes)
“Single-Minded”, Anna Mae (iTunes)
“Stay Awake With Me”, Dan Owen (iTunes)
“Still Wondering”, Jocelyn Alice (iTunes)
“Summer”, WILD (iTunes)
“Sun In Our Eyes”, MØ & Diplo (iTunes)
“The City”, Louis The Child with Quinn XCII (iTunes)
“Toothbrush”, Top Bunk (iTunes)
“Touch”, Great Good Fine OK (iTunes)
“Venus & River”, Capital Cities (iTunes)
“Wishing You Away”, HOLYCHILD (iTunes)

Next week: look out for new albums from Meg Myers, The Internet and more. For Adam’s personal picks of the week, listen to the PGTC Friday Faves list on Spotify!

NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: Releases For The Week of April 8, 2016

New Music Friday is ‘neer at hand.

A musical Alternative makes its return on this April week, bringing electronic, folk and rock music back to the forefront. Grab a banjo, a guitar and a synthesizer, because here are this week’s album and single releases:

• THE LUMINEERS — Cleopatra (iTunes)
  • No, they aren’t just the “Ho Hey” trio anymore, even if that remains their signature song. The lead single from the new album is “Ophelia”, a current top ten hit at Alternative radio, which gives them their third single at the format to reach those heights. Without a crossover single, this probably won’t do as well as their debut effort in 2012, but we’ll see what happens as the era goes on.
• DEFTONES — Gore (iTunes)
  • This California band has been putting out music for two decades now, and they have their first hit in three years at Alternative radio with “Prayers/Triangles”. They scored four top ten albums between 2000 and 2010, but they’ve had much more radio and sales support in the past. Can this bring them back to the region, or fall short again?
• M83 — Junk (iTunes)
  • This French group had a big Alternative hit several years ago with “Midnight City”. Their latest release, “Do It, Try It”, isn’t quite charting at the moment, but there’s still time. Their latest album will perhaps score a top 20 entry, a career-high peak if they achieve it.
• More albums out this week: Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals‘s Call It What It Is (iTunes), Eliza And The Bear‘s Eliza And The Bear (iTunes), Filter‘s Crazy Eyes (iTunes), Frightened Rabbit‘s Painting Of A Panic Attack (iTunes), Gallant‘s Ology (iTunes), MAX‘s Hell’s Kitchen Angel (iTunes), Mayer Hawthorne‘s Man About Town (iTunes), Skizzy Mars‘s Alone Together (iTunes), The Ready Set‘s I Will Be Nothing Without Your Love (iTunes)
• More EPs out this week: PHASES‘s Afterparty (iTunes)

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

• “Ain’t Your Mama”, Jennifer Lopez (iTunes)
• “Boyfriend” and “U-turn”, Tegan & Sara (iTunes)
• “Champagne Problems”, Nick Jonas (iTunes)
• “Crazy”, Lido (iTunes)
• “Crazy For You”, Michael Franti & Spearhead (iTunes)
• “Falling”, Trent Harmon (iTunes)
• “Friends”, Blake Shelton (iTunes)
• “I Want You”, Marian Hill (iTunes)
• “If Your Man Only Knew”, Erik Hassle (iTunes)
• “I’ll Be Standin’ Tall”, Josh Kelley (iTunes)
• “I’m Born To Run”, American Authors (iTunes)
• “Lake By The Ocean”, Maxwell (iTunes)
• “So Alive”, Goo Goo Dolls (iTunes)
• “That’s The Thing About Love”, Martina McBride (iTunes)
• “Ugly”, Fantasia (iTunes)
• “Wristband”, Paul Simon (iTunes)

We’ll see you next week for new releases from Bear Hands, Sturgill Simpson, Wild Belle and more.

TURN IT UP TUESDAY: What’s New In Stores This Week (August 20)

Another day in Paradise.

Whether you’re running to the rodeo or cuddling up at the coffee shop, it’s music connecting those two hot spots this week for your list of releases out today, August 20:

• Biggest week of the release comes from GRAMMY-winning singer and songwriter John Mayer. His sixth studio album, Paradise Valley, features collaborations with Frank Ocean and girlfriend Katy Perry. Two singles from it have been released thus far: “Paper Doll” and “Wildfire”. It will likely open at #2 behind Luke Bryan‘s Crash My Party, though it does have a slight chance of debuting at #1. (iTunes)
• He’s wasted away again, but not in Margaritaville. Jimmy Buffett continues his island party with Songs From St. Somewhere, featuring a recent duet with Toby Keith, “Too Drunk To Karaoke”. It’s a hot seller on Amazon and could be top ten next week.  (iTunes)
• Denver-based band The Lumineers have already gone Platinum with their debut self-titled album; now, a deluxe edition is out this week featuring a few new tracks and[ a cover of “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” by Talking Heads. (iTunes)
• Combining the talents of Tyrese, Ginuwine, and Tank, TGT is all over Urban AC radio with their first project together. Three Kings is out, which includes current hit, “I Need”. (iTunes)
• Two movie soundtracks leap from the silver screen into stores this week: Kick Ass 2 (iTunes) and The Mortal Instruments. (iTunes)
• Other albums out this week include A$AP Ferg‘s Trap Lord (iTunes), Blue October‘s Sway (iTunes), Frames by Lee DeWyze (iTunes) and Where You Stand by Travis. (iTunes)

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

• “Hurt You”, a classic R&B duet between Toni Braxton and Babyface. (iTunes)
• “Loving You”, the first U.S. single release for Matt Cardle along with duet partner Melanie C. (iTunes)
• “Next To Me”, already a hit in the U.S. for Emeli Sandé in a new mix with Alejandro Sanz. (iTunes)
• “Pass Me By”, the latest single from the Lynch siblings, R5. (iTunes)
• “That Girl”, the first solo single for Sugarland‘s vocalist Jennifer Nettles. (iTunes)
• “Trying To Be Cool”, an Alternative hit for Phoenix as remixed by R. Kelly. (iTunes)

Rockers Avenged Sevenfold and rapper Big Sean top the list of new releases for next week… can either make it to #1? Stay tuned for our next update!

Third Time Is The Charm: Totally Third Singles

First is the worst, second is the best, and the third one allegedly has the treasure chest. I have my doubts about that whole saying. However, these third singles could take the gold if they get enough attention from radio stations and retail. Will these two mainstream bands find that the third time is the charm? Here’s a preview of two songs you can expect to hear later this spring and summer.

No Taylor Swift remakes here.

MATCHBOX TWENTY – “Our Song”

Here they come again. Rob Thomas and the boys released their latest album, North, last year. While it did achieve a #1 debut on the Billboard 200 album chart, it hasn’t been certified yet, and radio support has been lacking significantly for the project. In fact, their last U.S. single, “Overjoyed”, was their first single to miss the Hot Adult Contemporary top ten since 2004 and their worst performance for a second single ever. Ouch. (“Put Your Hands Up” was released in Australia while “Overjoyed” was pushed here in the States; it didn’t do too well either.) Luckily, the boys are dusting it off and moving onto a rather energetic single that could’ve started off the album on the right foot in the first place. That would be “Our Song”, which goes for Hot AC adds on April 9. It already has an early add at Sirius XM/The Pulse. It was solely written by lead singer Thomas and produced by Matt Serletic. Now, this is the type of pace and sound that gave them a hit in “How Far We’ve Come” back in 2007. Sure, it’s not the typical Matchbox Twenty record, but it’s good to hear them sound alive. It’s uptempo, catchy, and fits in with everything that’s on radio now. Thomas sings, “I’m gonna be there always/After the pain has gone away/The feelings are so strong/This could be our song.” Short and simple and it does the trick. Will it be the “song” that gives substantial airplay and sales again? Probably not, but I’d like to be proven wrong. I’m imagining a #25 peak or so at the format at best, but it’s a song that could do well during the summer months (hence, the release) so we may have to wait it out. I’m just glad they even received a third single in the first place. The band begins their tour with another struggling 90’s group, the Goo Goo Dolls, in June, and is sailing the seas on a fan cruise this coming December. Hope they don’t have to walk the plank…

…but is it yellow?

THE LUMINEERS – “Submarines”

When folk music became fashionable on mainstream radio, our new favorite folksters from Colarado were blazing the trail with top five hit, “Ho Hey”, a foot-stomping, shout-it-out jam in just about two-and-a-half minutes. The multi-format smash continues to receive a lot of airplay today. Followup single “Stubborn Love” is already a hit at Alternative radio and it’s being serviced to CHR radio at this point. “Stubborn” is also a former #1 song at AAA radio, where this next single will be headed in just a few weeks. It’s available for airplay at this point, but no adds date has been revealed thus far. Something tells me that it won’t submerge into the seas of songwriters on that radio format despite that song title. “Submarines” was co-written and produced by band members Jeremiah Fraites and Wesley Schultz. It’s a weird subject matter for a single, but I think it will be the subject of a lot of analyzing should it blow up. The narrator talks about Japanese “submarines/Underneath deep blue seas/…No one will believe me.” Now, originally I thought it would have something to do with Pearl Harbor, but Baldwin Bay is also mentioned in the lyrics, which is off of Long Island. Huh? Is it a dream? Is it a symbol for something that happened for one of the writers of the song? Eerie ending, too: “In the end it boils down to credibility/I had none, so I will die with the secrets of the sea.” Goodness. There’s too much to unpack with this song. (Anybody want to help me out?) Although I think it’s meant to be another tune to tap your feet to, the drums almost sound like gunshots being fired out of a cannon. Better watch your hat. I do like the focus on piano on this song, however. It’s clearly not meant to be a pop hit, because tweenagers would probably turn the dial within five seconds of it starting, but it’s a good enough. It should swim rather than sink on their core formats.

Will either track become the breakout hit of the summer? Will they fade within the musical landscape? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter: @AdamFSoybel.

What The Pluck? The Rise (and Inevitable Fall) of Folk Music on Mainstream Radio

They’ve made this place their “Home”.

From mandolins to violins, there’s no denying that folk is the hot genre now both at radio and at retail. Once a music style that could only make Alternative listeners happy, it’s now fully made its way into the mainstream through key records like “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers and “Home” by Phillip Phillips, which have both made the top ten. It’s refreshing to many listeners who are tired of hearing the same old dance and pop material on their regular station, who can now skip seamlessly from a booming beat to a banjo. I feel as though I’m in that category, to an extent. However, it’s also very polarizing at a format which typically caters to teens; it’s not as though Mumford & Sons have the boyish looks of One Direction or The Wanted. With lots of recent GRAMMY nominations (and a few wins by Mumford & Sons) as well as a continual push of other new folk-based acts to crossover, it seems that 2013 will be an even bigger year for the genre in terms of its wider success. Yet, it’s bound to fall at some point. How long will this folk explosion last? Here’s why I think a backlash is coming sooner than you think.

Folk’s transition into pop music is a complicated thing because it’s technically two trends coming together at once. One is the genre itself, which I’ve already talked about: more organic sounds, more attention to lyrics, minimalistic arrangements and final product, etc. It’s far different from your glossy 3 1/2 minute pop single by Rihanna or Taylor Swift. The second of the two is a more basic item found in the composition: the incorporation of one-syllable words used as a call-and-response measure. In the aforementioned “Ho Hey”, we hear the emphatic “HO!” followed by a “HEY!” and these are repeated for the duration of the single. In “Little Talks” by Of Monsters And Men, it’s reduced to just a “HEY!” which is heard several times in the post-chorus exclusively. It’s just like any other temporary fad as of recent; remember the saxophone solos in songs like Katy Perry‘s “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and the whistling in Foster The People‘s “Pumped Up Kicks”? Exactly like that. It makes the song catchier while bucking a popular trend that’s blown up at the time. However, unless someone new comes along that tries to recreate this concept in the same sort of pattern, this is where it ends. The followup to “Little Talks” is “Mountain Sound”, which uses claps, but it’s not as distinct as the shouts. “Stubborn Love”, however, does have a sort of call-and-response section, but it’s not nearly as catchy as the one in “Ho Hey”. At least “Keep your HEAD UP!” and “LOVE!” don’t strike me that way. I don’t think either one will do well at mainstream radio for that and a number of other reasons, but that’s just my opinion. Point is, once one domino falls, so does the other. If the sing-along songs go, folk will eventually retreat.

For those of you who believe that history repeats itself, the folk-based movement reminds me a lot of what happened twenty years ago at the CHR format. By the early 90’s, a lot of the hair bands like Mötley Crüe, Poison and Whitesnake were on their way out of the mainstream consciousness. Some, like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, were able to adapt their sound by promoting softer sounding records, but for the majority of groups, 1991 and 1992 was basically their curtain call. At the same time, a sub-genre of rock out of the Pacific Northwest began gaining attention nationwide and in 1992, this resulted in a hit single that led a movement into the depths of grunge. You can probably guess that I’m referring to Nirvana‘s top ten hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Several months later, the Red Hot Chili Peppers made it to #1 on the format with “Under The Bridge”. While not a grunge band, the song set the mood for other slower tempo songs by bands like Pearl Jam, Radiohead and Stone Temple Pilots to hit the chart, which then led to even more obscure alternative bands making the top 40. I mean, remember when Letters To Cleo and Mazzy Star had top-40 hits? Punk bands also hit the survey: Green Day, The Offspring, etc. Alternative, grunge and punk took over the format, which only furthered CHR’s identity crisis, and led it to dismal ratings for several years. Even Z100 in New York City, the biggest pop station in the United States, had an Alternative lean in the mid-90’s. It was good for fans who wanted to rock, but stacked next to records by Ace Of Base, Elton John and Mariah Carey made it a mess overall. Ratings increased several years later when boy bands and teen female singers became popular and pushed a lot of Alternative crossovers into smaller rotation slots, eventually to Hot Adult Contemporary radio as the 2000’s began.

The same sort of thing is happening now. A lot of crossover rock bands that did particularly well on CHR in the early-to-mid 2000’s (3 Doors Down, Linkin Park, Nickelback, etc.) have seen their last significant success at the format and are now strictly being relegated to the Hot AC chart in addition to some limited Alternative or Active Rock play. This also includes acts like Lifehouse and Matchbox Twenty, and Train will be at this point (again) in another few years. None of these examples are hair bands, it’s true, but they’ve been shafted for our dear folk acts, who I’ve mentioned several times. It started last year with the slow rise of “Home”, the signature record this time around, and has blown up at this point. Pretty soon, new singles by Matt Hires and The Dunwells, twisted around in folky goodness, may be joining them. They’re already picking up station additions at the lighter formats. Yet, again, how do we transition from a Pitbull song to a Mumford & Sons song to a Britney Spears song at Top 40 radio? It sounds awkward as heck. Yes, it’s great that variety has once again shined through, but is too much of something a good thing? Oh, and don’t you try to tell me that every pop song sounds the same and every folk song doesn’t. Same twang. Same instruments. Same slight rasp in the vocals. It’s all there. Some stations are more committed to playing these songs; other radio companies hold off on these kind of singles until they make it up to a certain point in airplay for the sake of maintaining a Rhythm lean. Question is, what will be the shift that takes down folk if there is any? If there’s not, will we be looking at a massive free fall like we did two decades ago?

This post isn’t meant to bad mouth folk music. I think it’s awesome that programmers and fans alike can share in a good song or two and that a genre that’s been under-appreciated at this type of radio in the past can be rejoiced. My main concern is with the CHR format itself and how relevant it can be if it keeps going the way it’s going. While it could once regularly appeal to older listeners just as it is today, it’s not going to be sustained for years to come. There’s no doubt that, in the meantime, established artists will begin to play around with folk instruments in their new material in the same way that rock bands tried out disco-influenced singles in the late 1970’s. However, with the attention span of top-40 radio today, which is quick (albeit, not as quick as in the 70’s and 80’s), folk may be out of fashion tomorrow. Who knows? For the moment, it’s here to strum on, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when radio tells those folk folks to “pluck off”.

How do you feel about folk music’s sudden rise? Do you want it to stay around or go away? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Let me know in the comments or on Twitter: @AdamFSoybel.

Pop About To Drop: Love Is In The Air

That’s a whole lotta “Love”.

Valentine’s Day is under a month away, and while you’re out buying candy and flowers, here are some sweet new singles just in time for the big event:

CHER LLOYD – “With Ur Love”
Lloyd’s already had two charting songs at CHR radio: “Want U Back”, which hit the top ten, and “Oath”, which recently hit the top 30. This third single was already a top 5 seller in the United Kingdom way back in the fall of 2011, so it’s a little surprising that it’s getting a release in the States just now, but hey, I am totally not her record label. The former version featured American “singer” Mike Posner, but fortunately, he’s been dropped on this newer version. (Probably doesn’t look good that the promotion of his second album has been a dud. It has yet to be released.) The song has quite the hit team behind it, with writing and production credits for Shellback, and additional writing credits for Savan Kotecha and Max Martin. All three have had success independently, but have also worked together on big songs like “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” by Usher and “I Wanna Go” by Britney Spears. It’s a cute and catchy tune that should be a winner with the tween girls and fits in with the 80’s electronic inspired movement at mainstream radio with a drum and synth-heavy arrangement. Lyrically, Lloyd has just as much as attitude and edge as her previous stuff, although radio may be hesitant to play it with a lyric like “Used to always think I was bulletproof/But you got an AK and you’re blowing through,” given all the discussion lately about gun violence. I suppose it depends on the radio market. Other than that, it’s a harmless song that finds the girl bragging about the guy she has and how strong she feels her love is. Coming off an underperformer in “Oath”, this may not be the record that returns Lloyd to the top ten, but it should hopefully get some decent airplay during the spring. (P.S. a new video is coming soon for the solo version.)

MAROON 5 – “Love Somebody”
No, this is not a hot Rick Springfield remake. Their third single, “Daylight”, isn’t falling off the charts quite yet, but a music video is in production for this fourth single from their album Overexposed. The song was co-written and co-produced with Ryan Tedder, lead singer of OneRepublic and Nate Motte of the duo 3OH!3, along with lead singer/songwriter Adam Levine, songwriter Derrick Cagaanan and songwriter/producer Noel Zancanella (he’s a part of Tedder’s Patriot Records.) Most of the band’s albums have gone four singles deep, so expect this one to likely be the last release from it until their next studio release, which is already in the works. “Somebody” sees the group in a more dance direction than the previous hits, which are straight up pop/rock, but it’s an easy transition for Levine, who doesn’t miss a beat. Plus, I’m sure the fact that Motte and Tedder are behind the soundboard probably influenced the overall feel of the song. The song itself is about a guy looking for romance from a girl, who can “take [him] all the way” so that he can feel complete. Yet, he states, “if I fall for you, I’ll never recover/If I fall for you, I’ll never be the same,” which seems to indicate that the girl may be a risk for him. Oh, well, he still wants her, so don’t blame me if she turns out to be trouble. It’s a decent song, nothing new or great, but because it’s Maroon 5, it’ll probably be a mid-charter before leaving the national surveys in the spring. Levine should be back on television judging on the show The Voice by the time this song is gaining airplay, so at least it will be promoted well enough. Maybe the clip for it will premiere on there.

If you’re looking for a little more “Love”, here are some other songs to check out that are new on the radio:
LAWSON – “Learn To Love Again” (Single review!)
MUMFORD & SONS – “Lover Of The Light”
NEON TREES – “Lessons In Love (All Day, All Night)”
STEFANO – “Yes To Love”
THE LUMINEERS – “Stubborn Love”

For more new music as it comes in, follow the blog and let me know what you think on Twitter: @AdamFSoybel.

Wondering About One-Hit Wonders: 2012’s Potential List

That’s just his “Style”.

As 2012 draws to a close, some singers and acts have been more successful than their counterparts. Of course, established acts like Adele, Flo Rida and Maroon 5, who have consistently done well, once again showed that they have some major chart muscle. Others, like Jessie J, LMFAO and Owl City, artists who were generally considered one-hit wonders in the U.S. despite minor entries and/or international success, scored a second big hit, thus, opening up the possibility for more success in the future. Then, there is a category of artists who will be doomed to one big hit only… the dreaded title of one-hit wonder.

Now, not everybody who gets predicted to be a one-hit wonder actually ends up being one. I, myself, thought Carly Rae Jepsen would score her only hit with the catchy “Call Me Maybe”, but she made it to the top ten once again with, now, another two-hit wonder, Owl City, on “Good Time”. I was also wrong about a certain girl’s whose first major single was “Pon De Replay”. Look at Rihanna now. Look at that song now; you barely hear it. So, bloggers, fans, artists, take these predictions with a grain of salt, but prepare yourselves just in case it does happen. Also, remember, I’m strictly talking about one-hit wonders in the United States and mainly on mainstream and Top 40 stations; some may apply worldwide, but I’ll elaborate on everything as I go through each example.

Several acts on the charts at this moment are looking for their second big single. On CHR radio, Ellie Goulding is up to #25 with “Anything Could Happen”, her second top-40 hit following “Lights”. Even though her current single has brick walled right now, she’s most likely capable of securing another hit, especially with her collaboration with Calvin Harris, “I Need Your Love”. Cher Lloyd is up to #28 with “Oath” featuring Becky G, her followup to a top ten record, “Want U Back”. It’s not doing amazingly at the moment, but Lloyd is young and has a lot of potential, so she’ll probably stay around for a while. Both Goulding and Lloyd have been much bigger in the United Kingdom.

Then, we have acts who are in with their first big hit: Phillip Phillips with “Home” at #10, Ed Sheeran with “The A-Team” at #15, etc. It’s too early to call on some of the acts further down than that. These two should be safe to have at least one more hit, however. Phillips will be releasing “Gone, Gone, Gone” as his next single in early 2013, and Sheeran is already climbing at AAA radio with “Lego House”, which was a big U.K. release for him. Sheeran is also opening for Taylor Swift on her tour, which will keep him familiar with American audiences for some time. I think can both do particularly well, especially in the upcoming Spring season.

Now, the list. Well, five examples of could-be’s.

ALEX CLARE
Once upon a time, a long time ago… okay, fine, it was ten years ago, a little trio named Dirty Vegas scored a top ten record at CHR radio with a song called “Days Go By” that got widespread exposure through an advertisement for the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Though it was lyrically a breakup song, it had a danceable beat and it ascended the charts up to a high of #7 before falling off. Consider Alex Clare this decade’s version of that particular example. His song, “Too Close”, reached a high of #4 on the same airplay chart after being prominently featured in an advertisement for Internet Explorer. Though it’s lyrically a breakup song, it has a danceable beat and it ascended the charts and is just dropping in spins now. Déjà vu? Point is, his followup single in the States, “Up All Night”, is very unlikely to crossover to CHR radio, so he will likely have to settle with his one hit. This is happening globally too as none of his other singles have caught on. In other words, the coast is Clare.

As of April 2013, Clare has yet to score another mainstream hit here in the States.

GOTYE (and KIMBRA)
This one shouldn’t be any surprise considering that Gotye has basically accepted the fact that he’s going to be a one-hit wonder. In an article with NME, he said, “If I was to become a one-hit wonder, I’d be in some good company.” Well, “Somebody That I Used To Know” was a big #1 hit in the United States, and even though the followup, “Eyes Wide Open”, was a mid-charter at Alternative radio, it never became a national smash, and he hasn’t charted since. Kimbra is going to end up in the same category here in the States, but she’s managed to score a few chart singles in her native New Zealand, including one top ten earlier this year.

As of April 2013, neither singer has charted here.

HAVANA BROWN
Originally a hit in Australia in 2011, “We Run The Night” was Brown’s debut single, remixed for American audiences by successful producer RedOne and featuring rapper Pitbull. The result was a #1 Dance hit and a top twenty hit on CHR radio that was quite the slow burner. Brown has had better success as a DJ in Australian nightclubs. Her album, When The Lights Go Out, only hit a high of #16 on Australia’s Album Chart and second single, “Get It”, barely scratched the top 40 there. I guess very few people actually got it. Well, even if she gives up as a singer, she still has her other profession to fall back on.

As of April 2013, Brown managed to have another moderate single in her native Australia, the top 20 “Big Banana”. She has yet to issue any other releases here.

THE LUMINEERS
Have you turned on your radio lately to find a folky song playing? You think, “Hmmm, that’s not Mumford & Sons. It’s not Phillip Phillips either. Who could it be?” Congratulations, you’ve just found yourself another one-hit wonder, The Lumineers. Don’t blame this trio for stealing the particular sound that’s become the rage lately; “Ho Hey” has been around for a while. It, too, has been the subject of an advertisement campaign, but an online one for Bing. Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe this song is the shortest song to hit the CHR chart this decade. It clocks in at 2:35. It’s the shortest one to hit the top 40 since 2007, when the Jonas Brothers clocked in at 2:33 with the debut charting single, “S.O.S.”, a #23 hit. Followup single “Stubborn Love” is gaining minor airplay at Alternative radio, but it won’t do anything at Pop radio stations. “Ho Hey” is simpler and much easier to digest.

As of April 2013, “Stubborn Love” has received very little crossover play, and it peaked at a lowly #70 on the Hot 100. Who knows if the third single, “Submarines”, can do any better?

PSY
OK, guys, the fun is over: “Gangnam Style”, which will shortly be surpassing 900 million views on YouTube, is falling in both sales and airplay here in the States. Hey, it was no “Macarena”, though it did hit #2 on the Hot 100 and #10 on CHR radio. PSY has had multiple hits in South Korea for over a decade, so he won’t be a one-hit wonder there, but outside of there, he is the most obvious one-hit wonder with a dance craze-related single since Los Del Rio. Are you really expecting this guy to take the charts by storm again here in the States? Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, will try as he might to get some sort of second single on the charts, possibly featuring Bieber, but it’s not going to work whatsoever. 안녕, PSY. (That was goodbye, by the way.)

As of April 2013, PSY managed to have another hit! “Gentleman” made the top 5 on the Hot 100, but it was largely due to YouTube plays and not from airplay or sales. Oh well. He’ll still always be remembered for “Gangnam Style”.

Am I totally wrong? Right on? Missed a big one? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter: @AdamFSoybel.