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.

“Reggaeton” — J Balvin ★★★★☆

Latin music has been rapidly pushed to mainstream American music since the sudden rise of  “Despacito” and one of the major Latin artist J Balvin has been rising ever since. Balvin proves that he is a musical giant in the ever growing Latin Trap genre with his newest single “Reggaeton.” The track pertains a clear summer vibe through its layered Spanish guitar giving off a great reggaeton beat. The Spanish lyrics are fun and catchy and don’t detract from the quality of the song. The repetitive lyrics make for a fun, catchy hook that can be enjoyable despite the language barrier. Finished off with a solid beat, “Reggaeton” is a perfect track to simply dance around too.

“come out and play ’” — Billie Eilish ★★★★☆

I’ve only listened to a few Billie Eilish songs, the first song being her debut single “Ocean Eyes.” Her newest release “come out and play” stays true to her musical style and proves once again that Eilish has a beautiful voice. Her vocal talent is brilliantly displayed in the stripped down single. The song starts off with a simple guitar riff then layers into electronic/synth music. The musical aspects of this song are so beautiful. I would listen to the song if it was just the instrumental version, but with Eilish’s simple lyrics and raw talent, the song has a new layer of being great. If you have never listened to a Billie Eilish song, this is the one to listen to because it showcases her talent and the beauty of her simple music.

“No Candle No Light” — ZAYN feat. Nicki Minaj ★★☆☆☆

Zayn has proven time and time again that he has an exceptional voice. From being in One Direction to starting his solo career he’s always shown off his vocal talent. But in his new single “No Candle No Light” his vocal skills are completely drowned out by the messy beats and boring lyrics. The beat sounds like a wannabe EDM song with hints of pop and maybe some trap beats. The track is trying to be a million things at once but ends up falling apart in the process. The crazy beats mixed with lyrics that are not catchy in any way makes this song a flop in my eyes. The only potentially redeemable quality about the song was Nicki Minaj, but she also disappointed. Her verse was so short and almost non-existent, making me think I imagined the whole thing. If you spaced out for one second you would miss her whole verse. The song could have possibly been better if Minaj was given more time to rap and potentially save the song. Overall this song sounded like a mess. If you want a fun party song then turn to any other song but this one.