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.

“Places + Faces” — Amine  ★★★★☆

Having been a huge fan of Amine’s past two albums “Good For You” and “ONEPOINTFIVE,” I rushed to listen to his newest single, “Places + Faces,” as soon as it was dropped. The backbone of the song is an easy, summer beat created on the piano. The toned back bass of the song doesn’t hit as hard as Amine’s past works but does match the lighter character of the track. It’s a very simple yet catchy song that will serve as easy background music for any given moment, especially in this coming summer. Although “Places + Faces” isn’t a favorite of mine from his discography, it makes me excited for his future album that will hopefully be released soon.

“Doin’ time” — Lana del Rey ★★☆☆☆

Expectations were high for Lana del Rey’s newest single following the previous release of the hauntingly beautiful “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have.” Disappointingly, “Doin’ Time” did not live up to the hype. The single was messy, to say the least. A very strange and delicate background tune failed to blend with her voice at the beginning of the song. Her vocals were much too harsh over the faded, unresolved beat that rambled mindlessly on. It seemed as though the single was put together too quickly, with random elements such as cliche snaps and record scratches distracting listeners. Too many aspects were taped together roughly in this single, and I hope more time is taken with her next music. Her angelic voice is the only redeeming quality of “Doin’ Time,” for it’s so soothingly smooth and beautiful that it almost makes me forget about the other failures of the song — almost.

“New Eyes” — Adam Lambert ★★★★☆

Only having known Adam Lambert from his near-win on American Idol in 2008, I expected his newest single to be angsty and rock-centered, but I was quickly proven wrong. “New Eyes” starts off with a strong bass guitar riff, immediately giving off a sultry, retro feeling. The deep kick drum that serves as the backbone of the single matches perfectly with his voice. With somber lyrics such as being “empty inside,” the song is raw and showcases Lambert’s songwriting abilities. On top of it all, he has amazing vocals. He manages to reach raspy, rich low notes and then slides into strong falsetto, showcasing his obvious skills. It’s a simply sweet song that is hard not to sway with and is worth listening to.