Artsweek staff’s favorite songs from the spookiest month of the year.
“rain” by mxmtoon
The third single off her upcoming album “liminal space,” “rain” is mxmtoon’s homage to feeling lost and without a home after moving out of your hometown. In a recent TikTok, she explains that the song is “about that feeling, of moving to a city and discovering who you are outside of your hometown and then having to go back to it before you’re ready.” With a nostalgic instrumental coupled with lyrics like “And it’s so sad to think / That I won’t be here forever / Going home, going home / But I’ll always remember,” mxmtoon reflects on the temporality of the places you live when in your 20s and just how significantly they can impact your life.
Diana Mateescu, Staff Writer
“APT.” by Rosé and Bruno Mars
Teasing her long-anticipated debut album “Rosie,” BLACKPINK’s Rosé released “APT.” with Bruno Mars as the album’s first single track on Oct. 18. The title and the song are inspired by the amusing Korean drinking game “Apartment,” which can be seen embodied on the track with the vibrant and lighthearted beat. Throughout the chorus, “apateu” (apartment) is sung repeatedly, paying homage to the song’s inspiration and keeping its light-hearted nature. Rosé and Mars’ voices complemented each other beautifully, blending Rosé’s angelic voice with Mars’ iconic vocals. The addictive song has been well received by fans and non-fans alike, earning 13.32 million U.S. streams in its first four days of release, topping Spotify’s global and U.S. daily streaming charts. Rosé’s album contains 12 tracks including “APT.” and is set to release Dec. 6.
Nathalie Tovar, Reporter
“THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” by Bon Iver
Poetically cryptic lyrics laid upon a poignant, tensile melody — that’s the signature sound of Bon Iver, the indie folk band spearheaded by musical multihyphenate Justin Vernon. These qualities shine in their new track “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS,” where Vernon reflects on the cyclicality of time and the anxieties behind moving into a new stage of life, singing “I get caught looking / In the mirror on the regular / What I see there resembles some competitor.” The song is one of three in Bon Iver’s new EP “SABLE,” where the household name returns to a stripped-down, acoustic sound reminiscent of their early days — fitting for a triptych of songs that are among Bon Iver’s most introspective and visceral.
Emily Yoon, Editor in Chief
“ROCKMAN” by Mk.gee
Breakout indie-rock artist Mk.gee dropped his highly-anticipated single “ROCKMAN” on Oct. 18, after teasing the track for the past month in his world tour. The track diverges from his first single since his breakout album, “Lonely Fight,” which was closer to a ballad. “ROCKMAN” has his trademark DIY feel to it, featuring his raw, unbridled vocals with a distinctive, crackly guitar tone reminiscent of Phil Collins and The Police. It’s a jam that is endlessly replayable and urges your body to dance along to the growly, dirty bassline. With praise from Eric Clapton and an upcoming collaboration with Justin Bieber, there’s so much to look forward to in Mk.gee’s young career.
Nathan Kwon, Reporter
“Disease” by Lady Gaga
After a drought of pop music from the Oscar winning and thirteen-time Grammy award winning superstar Lady Gaga, fellow fans were met, not with a sprinkle, but a flood. Crawling out of her Joker-induced jazz dungeon — which I am a fan of — this dark, electric and grungy new single for her highly anticipated album “LG7” harkens back to the pure energy of her “The Fame Monster” and “Born This Way” eras. Mother Monster, dawning a mask of a dominatrix, teases her lover: “I could play the doctor, I can cure your disease” and insists that they scream for her “like you’re gonna die.” Over a distorted and over-the-top production, the audio equivalent of a highly carbonated Redbull, the singer gives some of the best vocals of her career. “Disease” is 2009 Gaga matured, just like a fine wine.
Zack Kramer, Staff Writer
“Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek” by Charli xcx and Caroline Polachek
Expectations were high leading up to the Oct. 11 release of Charli xcx’s “Brat and it’s completely different but also still Brat” album, featuring reworked renditions from the critically acclaimed album “Brat.” The standout track from the remix album is Caroline Polachek’s feature on “Everything is romantic.” Polacheck elevates what was already hit, and turns it into a masterpiece. The remix track centers around a conversation between the two artists, discussing their struggles with idealized fame and success, a la “living that life.” It’s a more introspective and toned-down rendition of the original track, while still maintaining that impeccable contrast between vulnerable and partygirl. This duality is what elevates “Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek” from the rest of the remixes — you could listen to this song while partying in an East London club or to drown out the sounds of foxes keeping you awake. Like Charli and Polachek say, everything is romantic.
Lauren Chiou, Artsweek Editor
“Cool” by Gracie Abrams
Following the success of her second debut album, “The Secret of Us,” singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams released the deluxe version on Oct. 18. “Cool” was the first deluxe track featured and it was the strongest opening Abrams could have chosen. Abrams captures the emotional facade one has to put up when a relationship doesn’t turn out the way they hoped. One of the opening lines goes “I’m actin’ bored, it’s my right, after all the love / That you bombed” and it sets up the song’s theme perfectly. The whimsical instrumentation adds to the chorus and post-chorus’s build up to the bridge which really drives home the feeling of pretending to be “fine” and “cool” post-situationship. All of Abrams’ deluxe tracks are linked thematically and are definitely worth listening to in order.
Kendra Martinez, Asst. Artsweek Editor