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.

“Wow.” by Post Malone ★★☆☆☆

Failing to bring anything new to the table, Post Malone’s newest, “Wow.” doesn’t offer anything new and feels underperformed by his standard. A fun head bopper, the basic premise of the song is simple enough to stand up as a party song. However, the simple beat and repetitive lyrics keep it from being much more. The extremely basic topic of bragging about wealth lacks depth, which disappoints me after hearing more heartfelt and emotional songs from him on his past album “Beerbongs & Bentleys.” Although this song gets full points for catchiness and following the wave of mumble rap and basic beats, “Wow.” doesn’t add up to much more than background noise at a house party.

“Monster” by 21 Savage ★★★★★

Juxtaposed with “Wow.,” “monster” offers an introspective rap song with more structure and meaning than the aforementioned song. With a feature from Childish Gambino, 21 Savage uses his platform to call attention to the problems of the rap industry. The chorus iterates the corruption that comes with fame and recognition. In his verse, Childish Gambino also calls out other rappers indirectly for bragging about their material items and emphasizes his view on the industry: rapping as a full-time job isn’t sustainable and will destroy you. 21 Savage speaks firsthand of his experiences in the industry, and how he has personally experienced the greed and addiction that comes along with success. He acknowledges that he, too, has a problem because of his experiences, saying that when he started living his dreams it turned him into an addict. 21 Savage managed to create a tune that appeals listeners on more than one front.

“Fire on Fire” by Sam Smith ★★★★☆

Sam Smith’s new single “Fire on Fire” displays a beautiful mix of modernity as well as classical elements of music. By incorporating orchestral instruments, Smith creates a rich sound, which adds to the passionate lyrics which tells his story of a burning love. The song starts off simple, just a piano and a couple strings along with Smith’s voice, and later builds into a beautiful composition exploding with emotion. The gradual build aids in the relatability to the lyrics of the song, the title itself showing how intense love can be. Smith’s vocals take center stage in this piece without overtaking any of the beauty of the orchestra. Although “Fire on Fire” is not completely my cup of tea and certainly not of the easy listening variety, it is quite enjoyable and overall a complete experience in itself to listen to.