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.

‘Get Me’ (ft. Kehlani) – Justin Bieber ★★☆☆☆

Justin Bieber’s latest single, “Get Me”, is a slow and rhythmic song with electronic background music. The song opens up with a beat that carries on throughout the whole song with lyrics that follow the same repetitive format. Bieber falls flat on any creative aspect, lacking lyrical depth and originality. There’s nothing new about his most recent release, and his efforts for a comeback in the industry are too obvious. Kehlani has her own verse in the song about halfway through that redeems any chance the song had. She sings her clever lyrics with beautiful vocals and compliments Bieber’s voice in a simple way. Working together on the track was a good choice, making this dull and shallow song almost enjoyable. 

‘King Of My City’ – A Boogie Wit da Hoodie ★★★☆☆

“King Of My City” stays true to its title, opening with melodic city noises followed by a simple beat behind it. A Boogie has some solid vocals on this uncomplicated single, as his voice is smooth and fits the overall mood of the song. There’s not much to look into besides the background noises playing behind his verses. The chorus is more monotonous than necessary for such a short song, and it almost seems as if there’s no verses to support it. “King Of My City” is for the most part an enjoyable song giving tribute to the artists’ home New York, but lacks any outstanding quality. 

‘Physical’ – Dua Lipa ★★★★☆

Opening with a familiar sound, “Physical” seems extremely similar to other singles released by Dua Lipa. However, there are redeeming qualities in her newest song the chorus is very upbeat and likeable and the lyrics are simultaneously fun and poppy. It’s easy to get into Dua Lipa’s songs, especially “Physical.” The song is clearly made for radio and will surely succeed on many pop stations. The sound of the song has a vague resemblance to it’s homonym of the 1980’s by Olivia Newton-John, just with a faster and more modern tone to it. The longer the song plays, the more engaging it becomes. It’s no secret that Dua Lipa’s music all sounds severely the same, but she knows what works for her and this song is no exception.