Welcome to “Cut Through the Noise,” an entertainment column from the St. Louis Park Echo covering new music releases. Every week, a different Echo staffer takes on the role as writer, reviewing recent single releases from a variety of artists.

‘Better’ – Zayn ★★★★☆

Zayn loves to start his songs with a soft chest voice, then go into a very heavy head voice, and this song is no exception. I love the way it starts, very sultry and calm, almost a mumble. The song is about an on-off relationship, so the softness makes it more serious. As the song progresses we get to hear Zayn’s vocal range as he goes higher while still maintaining that low sound. He gets into a very loud head voice, and the transition is effortless. His runs are on point, and it sounds gorgeous. He stays in that head voice for the rest of the song, until the last two lines, when he reverts back to that slow mumble, tying the whole song together. Overall, it is an incredible song and makes his other songs look boring.

‘Fallin’ – Why Don’t We ★★★★☆

Why Don’t We took 2020 off to write and produce their own album, and now it can’t compare to other boy bands. Before, Why Don’t We was having other artists write their music, and it sounded like an average pop boy band. But now, they blur the line between soft rock and pop beautifully. It starts off with a loud drum beat and then jolts to soft low vocals, it makes me want to hear that drumbeat continue. Before the chorus even starts, they go into a high head voice, which makes it even more powerful. Then, I get hit with that drum beat again during the chorus, and it pulls me in. They go back and forth between the soft vocals and the heavy, almost rock vocals, a surprising sound for a teenage pop boy band. Overall, it is an amazing song with gorgeous vocals.

‘FRANCHISE’ – Travis Scott ft. Young Thug & M.I.A ★★★☆☆

Personally, I don’t listen to rap often, but I have to say that “FRANCHISE” is not bad. I listened to the beginning of the song, and I could’ve sworn I heard this before. “FRANCHISE” starts off almost exactly like “SICKO MODE” does when Travis Scott comes into it. Also, it vaguely sounds like his other song, “goosebumps.” Travis Scott does not stray away from his norm in this song, and maybe that’s because it really works for him. The beat is very on brand, and the vocals are smoother than I expected. However, M.I.A. doesn’t really have a distinct place for her vocals, and it sounds too choppy. But, the pairing of Young Thug and Travis Scott works really well. This is an overall good rap song.