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 of writer, reviewing recent single releases from a variety of artists.

Lewis Capaldi — ‘Pointless’ ★★★☆☆

Lewis Capaldi is back with his second single off his upcoming album, “Broken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent,” after a break from the spotlight during the pandemic. The track follows his usual ballad-esque style, but rather than focusing on melancholy heartbreak, this love song takes a sharp turn into unfamiliar — dare I say — happy territory. As a whole, it strongly reminds me of Ed Sheeran’s smash hit, “Perfect,” which could be because he’s credited as a co-writer. Capaldi delivers stunning vocals, accompanied by melodic piano and sweeping strings. That said, aside from the thematic switch from his usual sad to happy, there’s nothing new about this song. Capaldi is good at what he does — his musical style fits his voice very well — but I feel like I’ve heard the same song done countless times before. In a world of countless pop ballads, the addition of one more won’t make me bat an eye, even if it does sound nice. 

PinkPantheress — ‘Boy’s a Liar’ ★★★★☆

Chances are, if you’ve opened TikTok recently, you’ve heard snippets of the addictive “Boy’s a Liar.” After much anticipation, PinkPantheress finally released the official track. The song is upbeat and fun, with soft vocals over a light electronic audio. Though short and a bit repetitive, it makes up for any shortcomings with the sweet sound that just makes you want to do a little dance. The chorus is guaranteed to be stuck in your head for days after just one listen — it’s clear to see why the clip went viral online so quickly. However, taking a look past the sparkly facade, you’ll find some startlingly sad lyrics. Though easy to overlook at first, the themes of insecurity in a relationship are simple, yet powerful. The combination of lyrics and ear candy sound will satisfy all types of listeners with this pop hit.

100 Gecs ft. Skrillex — ‘Torture Me’ ★★☆☆☆

I would never call myself a hyperpop or EDM fan, so listening to the recent collaboration between 100 Gecs and Skrillex, off 100 Gec’s EP “Snake Eyes,” was definitely out of my musical comfort zone. Calling it a song feels like a bit of a stretch, as it was more like two minutes of somewhat cohesive noise. When it comes to tracks like these, the main point of importance is the sound rather than the lyrics — something shown here, as there are hardly any lyrics to speak of. However, in the midst of the sharp, screechy, staticky noise, I could find the appeal. Sometimes there’s an itch in your brain that can only be satisfied by a disjointed cacophony of noise, and I think this song would serve that purpose very well. After all, since this song was originally played as a demo at the 2020 LavaPalooza Minecraft festival, if the group decided to release it two years later, there must be a demand for this kind of thing. It’s not for me, but I did begin to enjoy it after a few listens.