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.

‘Vote’- Jhené Aiko ★★★★☆

Jhene Aiko’s new song, “Vote” , which was featured in the show Blackish, is short, sweet and chill. It reminds me of the song, “Slide” by H.E.R. and YG, as they both begin with an almost identical sound and both slowly progress by adding bass and a beat. Aiko shows off her voice without sounding “arrogant,” while singing about voting in this upcoming election, which is a very relevant topic right now. The beat goes perfectly with her vocals and doesn’t take anything away from Aiko’s voice. This song has very specific lyrics. The second verse is in-depth on Aiko’s passion for voting and why it is important. The chorus, however, takes on a new aspect of voting by singing about making money and taking time off to vote. While this is a new topic, it doesn’t take away from the song’s vibe. “Vote” is fun to listen to, but also reminds the listener to take advantage of their right to vote, which is very important. Overall, I really enjoyed listening to this song and would listen to it again. 

‘NFL’- Lil Wayne (feat. Gudda Gudda & HoodBaby) ★★★☆☆

Lil Wayne’s new single “NFL” features two other well known artists; Gudda Gudda and Hoodbaby. It is a great listen if you enjoy rap. While the track is supposed to be about football, there are only a few lines in the song that mention it, though it doesn’t really bother me. The chorus is very catchy, and the beat makes me bop my head. The artists’ voices sound very good together, while still being distinguishable from one another. Whoever picked the artists for this single did a great job of designating a variety of different voices. While “NFL” is overall a good song, there isn’t very much that stands out to me while listening to it. It sounds like many other rap songs. However, if you listen to rap regularly, you would enjoy this. 

‘Virtual Aerobics’- Wallows ★★★☆☆

“Virtual Aerobics” starts off with a funky piano and then a guitar joins in. Dylan Minnette, the lead singer of Wallows, joins in with lyrics about, you guessed it, virtual aerobics. The music is a little overpowering, and it is hard to hear the singer at times. However, the music is very upbeat and adds a cheerful mood to the simple lyrics. In parts of the song, the background music slows down and you can hear the singer more clearly. In those moments, Dylan Minnette is more monotone. I wish he would have taken advantage of those parts to show off his range more. Overall, “Virtual Aerobics” was an enjoyable song to listen to.