Pop music reviewers at The New York Times share their thoughts on standout new songs.
Ringo Starr featuring Molly Tuttle, ‘Look Up’
Ringo Starr continues to embody his unwavering optimism in “Look Up,” the eponymous song from his latest Nashville-influenced album. Penned by T Bone Burnett and Daniel Tashian, the track asserts, “There’s a light that shines in the darkest days,” supported by vibrant, twangy guitar riffs and an unmistakable Ringo rhythm. — JON PARELES
The Lumineers, ‘Same Old Song’
The Lumineers — vocalist Wesley Schultz and musician Jeremiah Fraites — have defined strict criteria for their songwriting. The sound is stripped back and organic; the chords are simple and unadorned. “Same Old Song” employs a straightforward but driving drum rhythm and a handful of piano notes, with an organ subtly layered beneath. This simplicity allows Schultz to express profound emotions and stark dynamics, as the lyrics oscillate between everyday concerns — like rent and stolen instruments — and deeper reflections on life, despair, and resilience. — JON PARELES
Hamilton Leithauser, ‘Knockin’ Heart’
Hamilton Leithauser, the frontman of the New York rock group The Walkmen, often delves into the dignified aspects of his diverse voice in his solo work, yet “Knockin’ Heart,” from the upcoming album “This Side of the Island,” bursts forth with intense urgency. “Oh, there’s no one who’s gonna love you like I do tonight,” he croons, just before the chorus erupts into a frenzy of distorted guitars and pounding drums. — LINDSAY ZOLADZ
Lambrini Girls, ‘Company Culture’
With a focus on patriarchal, capitalistic, and absurd societal norms, Lambrini Girls, the exuberant English punk duo of Phoebe Lunny and Lilly Macieira, aim their ire at workplace harassment in “Company Culture,” a potent cut from their debut album, “Who Let the Dogs Out.” The instrumental introduction roars to life for almost a full minute — filled with raucous drums, buzzing bass, and jarring guitar — before Lunny unleashes a biting sarcastic diatribe: “Human resources say I’m asking for it,” she retorts. — JON PARELES
Spellling, ‘Portrait of My Heart’
California-based songwriter Chrystia Cabral, known as Spellling, passionately declares “I don’t belong here!” with increasing fervor in “Portrait of My Heart,” which will serve as the title track for her upcoming fourth album set to release in March. She narrates a psychological and spiritual tumult — “I need a stroke of luck / ’Cause I kicked down all my angels to the dirt” — with a surge of jagged drums, layered guitars, and orchestral strings, reveling in the emotional intensity. — JON PARELES
Bad Bunny, ‘Baile Inolvidable’
In Bad Bunny’s latest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” (“I Should Have Taken More Photos”), themes of heartbreak and cultural roots intertwine. “Baile Inolvidable” (“Unforgettable Dance”), like several tracks on the album, shifts between contemporary and classic influences, highlighting the intergenerational lineage of Puerto Rican music. It starts as a mournful blend of synthesizers and Bad Bunny’s voice lamenting a lost relationship; “I thought we’d grow old together,” he confesses in Spanish while acknowledging, “It’s my fault.” The song transforms into a vintage salsa rhythm, featuring organic percussion, brass instruments, and jazzy piano, celebrating lessons from the girlfriend who taught him “how to love” and “how to dance.” — JON PARELES
SZA, ‘What Do I Do’
In “What Do I Do” — from “Lana,” a new addition to her album “SOS” — SZA receives a mistakenly dialed call and hears her boyfriend with another woman. Backed by a sharp, finger-snapping rhythm, she wrestles with the shock through brief, overlapping phrases: past loyalties, fresh rage, sadness, nausea, and the stark understanding that “It’ll never be the same again.” — JON PARELES
Cymande featuring Jazzie B, ‘How We Roll’
Cymande, a British band with Caribbean roots, is releasing a new album titled “Renascence,” marking their return after decades of their music being sampled. “How We Roll” revisits the group’s hand-played, Afro-Anglo-Caribbean rhythms and strong-willed ideals: “We must never lose determination.” With an easygoing, cymbal-driven beat and electric piano chords reminiscent of Miles Davis’ “In a Silent Way,” and horn melodies that recall Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s Afrobeat, the collaboration features deep-voiced rhymes from Jazzie B, founder of Soul II Soul, bridging British R&B eras. — JON PARELES
Julia Michaels and Maren Morris, ‘Scissors’
In this lighthearted breakup anthem, Julia Michaels and Maren Morris declare, “If you wanna cut ties, I’ll get the scissors.” This bossa nova mixes with R&B grooves and airy vocal harmonies. With some altered lyrics — and shared phrases, like “feels so good” — it might have worked as a flirtation instead of a farewell. — JON PARELES
Japanese Breakfast, ‘Orlando in Love’
Michelle Zauner experienced a remarkable 2021, releasing her Grammy-nominated album “Jubilee” and the acclaimed memoir “Crying in H Mart.” On March 21, Japanese Breakfast will unveil another album, “For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women),” with production by Blake Mills. The debut single, the lush and ethereal “Orlando in Love,” combines Zauner’s crystal-clear vocals with gentle strumming and rich orchestral flourishes. “Orlando in love writes 69 cantos,” she begins, presenting a contemporary pop reference to the Italian Renaissance poet Matteo Maria Boiardo. — LINDSAY ZOLADZ
Panchiko featuring Billy Woods, ‘Shandy in the Graveyard’
Rapper Billy Woods collaborates with Panchiko, an English band that recorded a dreamlike, lo-fi demo as teens in 2000, went on separate paths, and then reunited after the demo gained popularity in 2016; an album is expected in April. “Shandy in the Graveyard” is an enigma featuring a relaxed two-chord groove suggesting Marvin Gaye’s influences. Panchiko’s Owain Davies sings in a high pitch about listening to a Walkman in the rain, while Woods raps amidst the reversed sounds, likening his feelings to “Cyclops in its maze.” A blend of nostalgia and unease plays out in a tranquil manner. — JON PARELES
Morgan Wallen, ‘Smile’
In the subtly melancholic “Smile” from Morgan Wallen, a girlfriend’s fleeting smile in a bar photo highlights his realization that she hasn’t been smiling at him “in forever.” She’s also hardly communicating with him. Accompanied by consistent guitar strumming and vocal harmonies, Wallen sings delicately in the higher range. Attempting to find solace in “a pretty little moment frozen in time,” he recognizes that it was merely “just for the picture,” shedding his usual bravado. — JON PARELES
Girlpuppy, ‘Windows’
In “Windows,” Becca Harvey, the voice of girlpuppy, reflects on an unresolved breakup — bordering on obsession. She breathlessly narrates, “We did everything together, me and you / So that’s why everything reminds me of you.” The song initially feels calm, with soft guitar and gentle drumming, but it gradually introduces more instruments, enhancing the fixation that she is clearly struggling to release. — JON PARELES
Ethel Cain, ‘Amber Waves’
Ethel Cain’s debut album, “Preacher’s Daughter,” predominantly featured slow ballads, but this pace is brisk compared to the tracks on her new release, “Perverts”; its shortest song runs six minutes long. In the eleven-minute “Amber Waves,” Cain portrays someone spiraling into oblivion through substance use, pondering, “Is it not fun in the catatonia?” The track unfolds as a nearly still waltz, infused with dark ambient hints of distorted guitar, drifting toward relief or demise. — JON PARELES
