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POP LIFE.
f@ ct
When it comes to legendary musicians, critics love to talk about their
phases. Massive discographies get split up over time, cataloged into
sections that are defined by sound, style, and era, each segment
parceled out neatly for listeners to engage with. And though it's only
her second album, on Happier Than Ever. Billie Eilish has already
ushered in a completely new phase - one that manages to sound
absolutely pitch-perfect without negating her prior work. Shifting away
from the eerie trap beats and ASMR pop that completely defined
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, this rising star cemented
herself as the important element, everything else can be swapped out
with apparent ease. Billie remains.
Happier Than Ever is a jazzy, sometimes too-slow, incredibly self
serious project, one that repurposes her righteous viral monologues
and Hindu poems with equal dexterity, Finneas' golden touch
mitigating the potential clunkiness of either. It's hard to imagine another
teenage pop star releasing a record that cites influences like Frank
Sinatra and Peggy Lee as major touchstones, let alone turning a slew
of songs with the sonic palette of a jazz standards songbook into a
commercially successful pop project, but she's done just that. As
different as her new blonde hair and doe-eyed promo photos are from
her previous green locks and blank stares, the songs on this second
album delve into sex, physical intimacy, trauma, lust, and
abandonment in a way that's leaps and bounds beyond the lyrics on
her debut. It's only been two years, but in Billie's world, everything has
changed.
- Caitlin White, Uproxx pop critic on Billie Eilish's unexpected shift on
her second album, Happier Than Ever.
NUMBER ONE STUNNERS
BTS
BTS might've replaced themselves at No. 1 with the brand new single
"Permission To Dance" (yes, Ed Sheeran was involved with the song,
what of it??), but it's still "Butter" that's melting hearts around the globe.
Their silky smooth single from earlier in the year returned to the No. 1
spot this week again, officially surpassing the impact of Olivia Rodrigo's
"Drivers License" with a nine-week run that overcomes her debut
song's eight-week streak. "Permission To Dance" stuck around in the
top 10 at No. g, but the song of the summer mantle seems destined for
their most golden bop.
LISTEN
LISTEN
CHECKOUT
BRUNO MARS - 'DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS'
(BLACK VINYL)
If you're anything Like us, you haven't been able to get enough of the
Silk Sonic songs that Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have been
dropping sporadically over the last several months. This week, we
wanted to go back to the beginning and revisit Bruno's debut studio
album Doo-Woops & Hooligans, which would set the stage for the
songwriter's massive career. Nearly eleven years after its initial release,
the album has sold more than 15.5 million copies, due in part to the
success of a handful of mega-singles that topped the charts all over
the world. Now, you can own Bruno's massive debut on black vinyl.
PICK IT UP
REMEMBER WHEN
TAYLOR SWIFT - AUGUST
a g u s t
Even if Folklore technically came out in July of 2020, not August, the
Swiftian acolytes who have forever devoted themselves to the track
that shares its name with this month are claiming August as their own.
Even for those who took a while to fall into the world of Swift's pivot to
melodic folk-pop, "August" was always an easy entry point, sounding
like it could've fit on Red, 1989, or even Lover- probably because it's
one of the few tracks Taylor made with Jack Antonotf, and not Aaron
Dessner. Regardless, the nostalgia and lovesick memories that make
"August" a fan-favorite are the perfect pairing for the humid vacation
days that stretch before us this month. Celebrate by remembering how
it felt to listen to Folklore last year, when it was just a week old! Time
flies when there's a new album from Taylor every few months, doesn't
I 't?.
LISTEN
LOVE LETTERS