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.

Kali Uchis, Don Toliver — ‘Fantasy’ ★★★★☆

Musical collaborators and couple Kali Uchis and Don Toliver join forces again in their latest song, “Fantasy.” This electric single shines in her newest album, “Red Moon in Venus.” When the song first starts, it fools the listener into thinking it’ll be a slow, soft piano ballad. Once Uchis’ angelic voice starts layering itself in the track, however, the song quickly morphs into a shimmery club hit. It almost feels like Uchis picks you up and carries you in the clouds during the song, her feathery voice bringing you above everything else. Lyrically, the song yearns — a couple desperately tries to reach a new high in their relationship, doing anything they can to feel like they’re in a fantasy. Uchis and Toliver pair beautifully — his low, genre-bending voice combined with her divine vocals is a recipe for a unique and dazzling sound. The production of the song was nothing special and actually felt a little generic, with simple backing drum tracks and no real musical changes throughout the song. If Kali Uchis is the lead vocals on a song, the instrumentals don’t really matter anyway. Her voice is enough to carry a song through blandness into something radiantly heavenly.

Arlo Parks — ‘Impurities’ ★★☆☆☆

British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks has just released her single, “Impurities,” ahead of her album that comes out May 29. I have been a big fan of Parks since I saw her open for Clairo last year, and had high hopes for her new song. Sadly, “Impurities” neither impressed me, nor excited me for her upcoming album. The song is full of ambient music and feels annoyingly repetitive. There is one sampled track that plays for the entire song, making the song lose any kind of originality it had before. The pre-chorus and chorus are boring, both of them repeating the same line four times in a row. Because of the sample and the repetitive lyrics, there is no sense of musical diversity in the song. I’m disappointed to say that I really disliked “Impurities,” and I will probably never listen to it again.

boygenius — ‘Not Strong Enough’ ★★★★★

In boygenius’ most recent single, “Not Strong Enough,” the group creates a refreshing and upbeat track. Reminiscent of Phoebe Bridger’s other collaborative works with Better Oblivion Community, the instrumentals of “Not Strong Enough” feel like an indie coming-of-age movie. The song is about someone struggling to accept that they’re not good enough for the one they want to be with. The steady drum beat with far away, echoey electric guitar riffs complement the voices of Bridgers, Baker and Dacus so well. Personally, I felt like Julien’s Baker’s verse stood out because of the sheer passion she puts into every line. Her distinctive sound shocks me everytime I hear it — I can practically hear the wistful longing in her voice. The bridge is my favorite part because the repetition of the line, “Always an angel, never a god,” is repeated louder and louder each time until we are brought to the outro of the song. I enjoy the happy music boygenius is making — it’s nice to get a break from all of Dacus, Bridgers and Bakers’ gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking tracks once in a while. Overall, I have no complaints about this song. If they were to release a track that would most excite fans for their album coming out on March 31, this would be it.