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 of writer, reviewing recent single releases from a variety of artists.
Gracie Abrams — ‘Hit the Wall’ ★★★☆☆
Gracie Abrams started releasing music in 2019, with her first single, “Mean it.” However, it was not until 2023 when she released her first album, “Good Riddance” that she started gaining major public attention. She has since released more music, including very popular songs such as “That’s So True” and “I Love You, I’m Sorry” from her second album “The Secret of Us” and her music has been compared to Taylor Swift’s. I am a fan of Gracie Abrams’ more popular songs, so I was excited to listen to this new single, but I am sad to say I was underwhelmed. The song starts with more of a calm vibe that has underlying anxiety signaling a build later in the song. The lyrics seemed to me like they were about the aftermath of a breakup, setting up for a pretty sad song. In the chorus, Abrams repeats the phrase ‘I hit the wall’ several times in a row, which came off to me as sort of strange and almost offbeat. Generally, her lyricism was good, and I liked her use of big words but it was nothing special. The song builds over time in intensity and music and leads to my favorite part of this song, the bridge. The bridge breaks up the song well and adds a good culminating moment to an otherwise slightly boring song. The song calms down again at the end of which rounds out a nice arc, an aspect I always enjoy in music. Overall, while I did not hate the song, I expected more from Abrams, but I am still interested to see what the rest of the singles and upcoming album will sound like.
Alex Sampson — ‘How Lucky am I?’ ★★★★☆
Alex Sampson rose to prominence in 2024 after appearing on America’s Got Talent, where he was a semi-finalist. Since the show, Sampson has released two EPs, “Hopeless Romantic” and “Blurry Vision,” but has only released singles since 2024. The single “How Lucky am I?” serves as a leading single for his upcoming album “Growing Pains,” which will be released in June. The song starts out with a synthy beat before kicking into what sounds like a harsher rocky-er sound. The instrumentals of this song were very catchy, and I immediately found myself entranced. Sampson has an interesting raspy voice that fits very well with his lyrics and sound and also reminds me a little bit of baby Justin Bieber. The music slows down a bit after the first verse of the song and then picks back up again at the chorus, which I enjoy because it adds a lot of variation in the sound. The lyricism was nothing special, but the sudden changes in rhythm were what was more compelling for me because it made for a more interesting listening experience. The music becomes its strongest during the bridge of this song and quotes back down at the end, which rounds out the song well. I was not sure what to expect going into this song, but I was pleasantly surprised, and I am excited to hear more from Sampson next month.
Martin Garrix and Ed Sheeran — ‘Repeat It’ ★★★★☆
This song has been previously unreleased since 2015 and has been much anticipated by fans of both artists. Garrix is a Dutch DJ who is best known for his house music with songs like “Animals” and his collaborations with artists like Bebe Rexha and Dua Lipa. Ed Sheeran, on the other hand, is an English singer-songwriter who you may recognize from hits like “Shape of You” and “Perfect.” I was not sure what to expect going into this song, as I am a fan of Ed Sheeran but had never heard of Martin Garrix before. This song starts with a soft guitar accompanied by Sheeran’s soft vocals, but quickly a synthy sound is introduced and becomes the most prominent part of the music. The lyrics are very sweet and classic for Ed Sheeran, which I enjoyed. As the song progresses, the synth becomes stronger and the energy rises. I was not a huge fan of the synth becoming the main part of the song and I would have preferred the soft guitar to stick around. If you enjoy other Ed Sheeran songs, I think you will enjoy this one but be warned, it definitely has the mark of a DJ.
