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 various artists.
“One More Dance” – d4vd ★★★★☆
This hidden gem of an alt-pop star dropped his newest album, “WITHERED,” which showcased his amazing vocals and melodies. “One More Dance” is one of the more popular songs on the album, and it has a beautiful and smooth air about it. The simple yet alluring bass really draws you in. It has the qualities of a sad love song with lyrics like “all that I ask is one more dance” and “hold onto my hands.” The way d4vd sings these lyrics doesn’t necessarily make you feel sad, but it almost just puts you in a calm headspace. His sound really gives listeners peace of mind. d4vd has experimented with the different sub-genres of pop in his other songs like “Feel it” and “My house is not a home”, so this showing isn’t anything out of the ordinary. He dove headfirst into this album and came out with something great in this slower-paced, yet still upbeat, pop version. This song would be perfect for late-night drives or just when you want something to chill and mellow out to.
“What Was That” – Lorde ★★★★★
This single is the first release of the New Zealander’s highly anticipated return. Lorde, who is widely known for her early 2010s hits “Royals” and “Team,” has stayed under the radar as of late. This single is her first release of 2025 and utilizes her wide range of musical styles. Lorde usually stays within the alternative genre of music and has a more solemn feel to her popular songs. This single definitely changes that and feels incredibly upbeat. It reminds me a lot of her 2021 album “Solar Power.” The song starts off pretty slow with a simple bass beat in the back. It gradually picks up pace and adds a variety of instruments in the back, which I think adds the perfect touch. The way Lorde sings really makes the song come together, as she has much faster-paced lyrics in accordance with the beat. There are random pauses in the song where most of the beat cuts out for a few seconds, then it slams back in at an even faster speed, making the song a great listen. This song is a great release for Lorde, as it gives fans something great to listen to while she prepares for her next big drop. This single was a great stepping stone for her upcoming album. I would recommend this song to anyone that is a fan of pop or alternative music.
“Money On Money” ft. Future – Young Thug ★★★☆☆
This single is Thug’s second release of the year, and he happens to have Future back again. These two rappers go way back, and they have collaborated on over 20 different songs together before deciding to add another to their discography. One aspect I really liked about this song is Young Thug flexing his ability to rap. There are songs where he relies too heavily on his ad-libs and one-liners rather than singing actual lyrics, but in this single he did a good job combining his well-known genre of “Atlanta rap” with a simple, catchy 808 beat. Another quality I found entertaining was the transition to Future’s part of the song. The beat cuts out, you hear a few people having a conversation, then a snippet of the famous Future clip, “she belongs to the streets,” plays and it jumps right back into the song. Overall, this song was a good listen, but I thought it was a bit underwhelming. I know that this is just a single release to give his fans something to listen to, but it sounded really similar to some of his older music. It seemed like there wasn’t a whole lot of effort and it felt like a pretty tame song compared to some of his other work. I would definitely put this on my rap playlist, but it’s only decent for what it is. I would recommend this to casual rap listeners.
