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.
“I LUV IT (feat. Playboy Carti)” — Camila Cabello ★★☆☆☆
After teasing her return for weeks, pop star Camila Cabello has finally released her newest single, ¨I LUV IT.¨ Despite all the excitement surrounding it, the song itself does not excel in any way. The mixing and editing is just okay. Her lyricism is shallow, which is to be expected from her. The chorus is like nails on a chalkboard. It’s repetitive, chaotic and overbearing — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With its fast paced beat and heavy autotune, it reminds me a lot of hyperpop, and above all, it’s easy to digest. I loved Carti’s verse, and although it’s definitely not his best feature, I think having a voice that contrasts Cabello’s was a good idea and adds a lot to the song — without it, the song would have been even more repetitive than it already is. Although this release doesn’t showcase much of Cabello’s artistic talent, I don’t think it’s supposed to. It’s drastically different from her past music, and because of this, the song’s intention does not seem to be to amaze her listeners, but rather to show how she has changed as an artist.
“Mary Boone” — Vampire Weekend ★★★★★
Vampire Weekend’s first release since 2019 is one of their best yet. ¨Mary Boone¨ is named after an art dealer who was popular in the 1970s and went to prison for tax fraud, but the song is surprisingly not about its namesake. Instead, it seems to be an ode to an era of New York, using Boone as a vessel to share small, nostalgic moments from this time. With lines such as “deep inside the city, your memory remains,” and “in those days, the burning days,” it’s clear that Koenig (Vampire Weekend) is not just writing about her story, but also using Boone as a metaphor for life during that time. Not only is it a great piece lyrically, but the soft, dreamy melody adds to the cozy, nostalgic feel. The song starts out with a backing chorus singing in a sharp, disconnected way, and ends with the same chorus drawing out long notes, which pulls the song together and gives it a sense of finality. I really loved ‘Mary Boone,’ and it makes me excited to see what Vampire Weekend will come up with next.
“Us Vs. Them” — $uicideboy$ ★★★★☆
The recent release from $uicideboy$ is an introspective look into the artists’ self-destructive tendencies. With a creepy, unsettling beat and adlibs of screams and gunshots throughout the song, it comes across as angry and sorrowful. This was a great way to portray their thoughts and feelings without solely relying on the lyrics. The lyrics themselves are dark but relatively straightforward. For example, lines such as “my shoot up until I puke up” and “been troubled since I was a youth, chewin’ Fent up in the booth,” talk about drug addiction in a very candid, and almost apathetic way. On top of the lyrics, the mixing between vocals and rhythm was great and helped the song blend together very uniquely. Because of all the different adlibs and voices happening at the same time, it comes across as chaotic but still works well. Both boys’ verses were also delivered perfectly. Their voices are similar enough that they both match the tone of the song, but different enough to give the piece some variety. I definitely stepped outside of my comfort zone when listening to this song, but I really loved it and highly recommend giving it a chance.
