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.

Post Malone – On the Road ft. Meek Mill, Lil Baby ★★★★☆

“On the Road” is a single from Post Malone’s Album, “Hollywood’s Bleeding”. The song is very similar to “Rockstar”, a song that Malone released in 2017. The songs share a similar beat during the main chorus, but the tempo for, “On the Road”, is slightly faster. This simple decision gives a nostalgic vibe off and helps grasp the audience. This song features both Meek Mill and Lil Baby, each rapping a verse. Though Meek Mill’s verse was slightly larger than Lil Baby’s, it felt underwhelming, and even with catchy lines in Mill’s Verse, it felt substantial and forgotten and virtually overlooked. Overall, Malone did a great job on, “Hollywood’s Bleeding”, and especially in particular, “On the Road”. 

OneRepublic – Somebody to Love ★★★★☆

After releasing “Wanted” just days prior, OneRepublic released a new track, “Somebody to Love”. The song combines a simple beat with complex lyrics to give the audience a full understanding of the song. The dubstep verse brings the emotions into play, which are high and lively. From the first line, OneRepublic hooks the audience, with high notes and smooth vocals. Every song they make, One Republic does an excellent job at luring audiences and creating songs that resonate and connect. The only flaw with the song is that it ends almost mid-sentence, and the beat cuts off right after the lyrics. Most pop songs usually have the beat running a few seconds after the lyrics end, which helps end the songs clearly.

Young Dolph, Key Glock – Back to Back ★★★☆☆

After their success with “Dum and Dummer”, Young Dolph and Key Glock did a collab for “Back to Back”. The rhyme scheme is well thought out, with verses that are very catchy and they get locked into your mind. The rhythm has a really good fit with the lyrics, which makes it more memorable. This song isn’t as popular as other recent releases by other rappers, and both Young Dolph and Key Glock don’t have big fanbases. They also aren’t flashy and vibrant like 6ix9ine or Post Malone. I believe that their fan bases should be bigger, as they make quality songs, with thought out lyrics, and the music videos they produce are just as exceptional.