here they are:
"Change" by The War on Drugs: As per usual with The War on Drugs, their latest track, "Change," falls somewhere between prog-rock and '80s-era Springsteen, with a fair amount of jangly, harmonious Fleetwood Mac influence thrown in for good measure. Of course, what separates The War on Drugs from its nostalgic influences is how the lyrics of their songs have a jaded nature that distinctly takes place after punk and grunge took over music. "Change" exhibits this jaded nature even more than the usual WOD song. Even the title of the song, which comes from how it's "hard to make the change" that takes place after a relationship has ended, is not exactly on the optimistic side.
"Clarity" by Vance Joy: "Clarity" marks a change in Vance Joy's music. It still contains acoustic guitar and horns like Vance's material usually does, but "Clarity" uses a marked rhythmic influence with percussion and bass that his stuff doesn't usually have. Not sure why the sudden change in style for Vance since the lyrics seem pretty typical of his material (someone who doesn't realize they love their now ex-partner until it's too late). Dan Wilson of Semisonic (best known for late '90s rock hit, "Closing Time") was the one who produced "Clarity" for Vance. Even Vance didn't like "Clarity" initially, under the impression that it sounded like more of a mainstream pop song than his usual material, but with Dan's encouragement, Vance released "Clarity," and now we have another side of Joy to enjoy.
"Electrify My Love" by Mondo Cozmo: Mondo Cozmo will probably forever be defined by their mid-2010's folk-rock hit, "Shine," which was kind of a fluke hit for them considering the songs that have been released since by them, which have typically been more electro-pop. Their latest song, "Electrify My Love," also uses electro-pop influence, albeit with neo-psychedelic electric guitars during the chorus section. Another feature of this song that distinguishes it from other Mondo Cozmo songs is its 1-minute-and-17-second long intro. According to lead singer Joshua Ostrander, this stretchy intro is used in the song to lure the listener into a sense of calm before breaking into a more celebratory, party-like vibe afterwards.
"Hard Drive Gold" by alt-J: The band name "alt-J" in and of itself is kind of quirky, and catchy alt-pop songs with quirky lyrics are pretty much how alt-J have defined their career so far. Their latest song, "Hard Drive Gold," is about a 15-year-old boy, presumably the lead singer, using cryptocurrency to become a millionaire in a short amount of time. The song isn't meant to be taken seriously, though. It's a little hard to take oddly specific tongue-in-cheek lyrics like "I then googled 'neoliberal'" with a straight face, after all.
"Same Team" by Alice Merton: Alice Merton seems like one of those musicians who will forever be remembered for her first hit the most, which was a catchy minor-key alt-pop number called "No Roots," in her case. She has released other material since then, though, one of the most compelling of which was the surprisingly intense "Vertigo," released during the height of the pandemic. "Same Team" continues with the themes of a challenging, fast-changing world that "Vertigo," but instead of being caught up in the heat of the moment, "Same Team" is a song that relies more on facing things that are now past events. Specifically, it deals with how Alice feels like she has been forced into situations with others who are supposedly on her "team," but who really bring her down and make her doubt her worth and herself. If you can't depend on your peers, who can you turn to?! This is a song that faces such issues head-on!
