The Sound: Pop Variant Galore

12 pop-ish songs I’m listening to right now

Hi friend, thank you for being here. I’m playing with a bipartite structure for this newsletter: The Sound / The Studio. The Sound portion of the newsletter will be the home for my music recs, with an accompanying playlist link. The playlist will be ephemeral; I’ll have 1 playlist where music will rotate in and out, so make sure to add it to your Spotify library to stay up to date.

The Studio is where I’ll be cooking, so to speak…writing about trends in music, reviewing albums, interviewing other artists, talking about my own process, and more unforetold future directions.

Today’s letter will be the Sound, the next will be the Studio. Let’s get into it.

---

The Sound: Pop Variant Galore

12 pop-ish songs I’m listening to right now.

run for the hills - Tate McRae

For fans of: Chelsea Cutler, a good ascending melody, yearning

I’m late to the Tate train but I finally got around to listening to her debut album “THINK LATER” and this is just the kind of longing pop sleeper hit I love. Normies listen to greedy; cool girls listen to run for the hills.

What’s Love (feat. MUNA)

For fans of: Taylor Swift, vocoders, momentum

This song’s energy is like riding a horse that’s cantering - it never fully develops into a gallop like I want, but I find myself enjoying the day anyway because I’m riding a mfn horse.

Laugh It Off - Chelsea Jade

For fans of: Caroline Polachek, reverb, minimalism

I saw Chelsea live in October when she opened for Yumi Zouma and—no shade to Yumi OR the Zoumas but—Chelsea stole the show in the way only an opener can. Her music is sparse yet catchy, poppy and yet often a study of pop itself. Her performance was like watching someone else make first contact with an alien: she walked off the edge of the stage, climbed onto the bar, slinked around all of us in the standing room, and sang directly to unsuspecting victims, 6 inches from their face, in a killer pantsuit.

Dune - Planet 1999

For fans of: Magdalena Bay, sour patch kids, childlike wonder

Been absolutely addicted to Planet 1999 since I discovered them. They scratch the hyperpop itch in the most fun way and play with distortion without being unlistenable, lol. I love their visual world, I love their sonic world. Take me to Planet 1999!

Too Much - Virg

For fans of: Kate Bush, 80s synth pop, chandeliers

Virg is the stage name of DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia for the uninitiated) artist Piano Giulietta Whitman. I came across her music through her Sofar Sounds set and gave her album “Weeks” a listen. I didn’t skip a single song. The project is cohesive, sexy, clever, and uber listenable. Piano is also the touring keyboardist for Oh He Dead, so no wonder her solo stuff rocks too.

ALIEN - cauliflower

For fans of: 808s era Kanye, jealousy, mesh

I’ll admit a conflict of interest here: Colin, aka Cauliflower, is a dear friend. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t also make a banger breakup song. I swear he put something in the second chorus of this song because every time I listen to it I audibly go, “MMM!” Just delicious.

Zsela - For Now

For fans of: Duendita, sound baths, palo santo-forward perfumes

I discovered Zsela’s debut EP through a game of follow-the-playlist last year and this song in particular is hauntingly beautiful. Her tempered vocals, the soft swimming bass, the evocative lyrics. I’m so excited to see where she goes next.

Icy - Kim Petras

For fans of: FLETCHER, ELFBAR’s, the word cunt

The Gays have known about this one for years and I’m embarrassingly late to the party. But I’d rather be at the party late than never make it at all. If you need Pop with a capital P in your life, look no further.

Say It Like That - Sabrina Song

For fans of: Maggie Rogers, linen, introspection

I saw Sabrina live at an NYC Sofar Sounds show back in 2019 where her friends joined her for backup vocals on a basketball court inside a startup-y hotel. I felt like her 2019 EP sounded muddy in its sadness, but she has come a long way. I love this song for a thoughtful bop (a thoughtbop?).

Kindest Intentions - Trash Bangs

For fans of: BENEE, adolescence, ghost pepper potato chips

Is it a play on flash bangs? Trash bags? Just a bad haircut? I don’t care, I’ve been playing their songs on shuffle all month. This duo makes catchy synth pop with vocals that fall somewhere in between BENEE and London Grammar. What more can you ask for? Maybe a full length album…

Ayonha -  Hamid Al Shaeri

For fans of: Khruangbin, road trips, playing the best music on said road trips

This song has been making the rounds in all my circles for good reason: Hamid Al Shaeri knows how to make a bop and a half. Al Shaeri is a Libyan-Egyptian singer that released his first album in 1988 and somehow keeps getting better. He should make a 10 hour extended version of this song.

Nowhere - Sadie

For fans of: Charli XCX, romanticizing your life, bubble tea

I’m convinced everything Sadie touches shimmers. Her catalog is full of slick production, great bass lines, twinkling vocals, and solid lyrics. I think we can expect great things from Sadie, and even if you don’t love her sound she’s worth a follow on Instagram for the curation of hilarious videos on her story.

---

This endeavor is the first of its kind for me, so I’ll be throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks for these first few pieces. Since you’re an early adopter you get a bit of a stake in crafting the end result. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Yours,

Sabrina