Welcome to “Cut Through the Noise,” a new column from the St. Louis Park Echo covering new music releases. Every week, a different Echo staffer will take on the role as writer, reviewing recent releases aiming for success.

“Touch” – Kehlani ★★★★

Kehlani’s new single “Touch” is the perfect pop song to get into the mood for Halloween.

The song’s instrumental intro gives a horror movie vibe, but by the time the chorus breaks in “Touch” fills listeners with the desire to dance. The chorus, although repetitive, is very catchy and will stick in readers heads the first time they hear it. Kehlani’s music style has varied between feel-good anthems such as “Good Life” and slow acoustic jams like “Honey,” and “Touch” shows her exploring a darker, sexier side, and she does not disappoint

“Headphones” – WALK THE MOON ★★★

WALK THE MOON maintains their gritty alternative sound in their new single, “Headphones.” I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect when I hit play, but the song did not disappoint in terms of catchiness and angsty vibes. The lyrics are repetitive and predictable throughout, and performed in a way that makes the song sound more like spoken word with an angry fast-paced dance beat behind it. The song contains a good amount of yelling, which is on par for the band but only

appeals to me in a certain mood. Overall, I would only listen to this song in certain circumstances, such as trying to hype myself up for something or if I was really, really angry

“The Curve” – Gucci Mane ft. The Weekend ★★★

I’m not a person who typically listens to mainstream rappers, or any rappers for that matter. However, Gucci Mane’s “The Curve” took me by surprise. “The Curve” is one of 17 tracks on Gucci’s new album Mr. Davis. I’ve been a fan of the Weekend since the beginning of his career, so I was happy to see he had collaborated on one of Gucci’s new tracks. The

Weekend’s feature on the track helps maintain cohesion between vocals and background beat. Although the lyrics are slightly demeaning towards women, I’m able to get past it in that it’s a song I would not change the station if I were to hear it on the radio.