SONGS YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS WEEK
This week we have a collection of new releases that are worthy of your attention. Break the chains of listening to the same three songs repeatedly, and add some freshly picked ingredients to your musical diet. Dive into them all below!
ALEC BENJAMIN | SHADOW OF MINE
Alec Benjamin taught himself how to play guitar and then gained global recognition with “Let Me Down Slowly” and other Platinum hits. He has announced his sophomore album "(Un)Commentary" out this spring. It’ll feature his previous singles “The Way You Felt” and “Older,” as well as his new single, “Shadow Of Mine.” It’s an intense, poignant piano ballad about wanting freedom from yourself. “A lot of the time, you think your problems are the product of your environment when in reality they exist inside you,” he said about the track. Of the album, he added, “I think my generation has a lot of valid criticisms of everything that’s happening in our country and the world right now. The question is: are we going to tear ourselves apart, or are we going to leave this place better than we found it?” The album is produced by Sir Nolan and features writing collaborations with Dan Wilson, Charlie Puth, Sam Romans, and Nolan Lambrosa.
SARA BARRIOS | AFTERMATH OF YOU
Cruising her way into the pop-punk scene is a singer-songwriter, Sarah Barrios, with her latest single, “Aftermath of You.” This punchy rock anthem is another prelude to her upcoming EP, following her other single, “We Don’t Have To Die,” which kicked off the new year last month. Sarah Barrios may be considered a newcomer to the alternative scene, but she has undoubtedly made her mark in various areas across the web over the past few years. This social media connoisseur’s artistic vision & logophilia (the love of words) have proved incredibly beneficial when promoting her music. Aesthetically pleasing & sonically profound videos are often the ones that attract the most attention, so it’s no wonder Barrios has garnered tens of thousands of followers via TikTok and Youtube. So much attention, in fact, that she was recently nominated for an iHeartRadio award for TikTok Songwriter of the Year.
TAUREN WELLS | FAKE IT (FEAT. AARON COLE)
Platinum-selling Christian music artist Tauren Wells has released his new single, “Fake It,” featuring Aaron Cole, via Capitol Records/CCMG. This marks the 10-time GRAMMY nominee’s first release on the label. On this upbeat, infectious track, Wells celebrates the joy that comes from being loved as you are, freed from any need to “Fake It.” Wells and Cole wrote, “Fake It” with Chris Stevens–who produced the track with Tedd T.–and Emily Weisband. In the accompanying music video for “Fake It,” Wells gives a high-energy performance alongside Cole and a growing troupe of blazer-clad dancers. They shot the clip in Los Angeles with producer Raj Kapoor, who recently helmed Adele’s CBS special, and director Noah Clark. The Capitol/CCMG team was on hand at the video shoot to welcome Houston-based Wells to the label. “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix),” Wells’ 2021 duet with H.E.R., is nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song and "Citizen of Heaven (Live)," received a Grammy nod for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.
JOSHUA BASSETT | DOPPELGÄNGER
Joshua Bassett is singing about an ex-girlfriend on his new song “Doppelganger,” seemingly opening up about Olivia Rodrigo. Joshua revealed in a statement what the song was about, saying: “The song poured out of me immediately after seeing someone who I thought was my ex at a coffee shop. The 21-year-old singer and actor also dropped the music video for the song, which he co-directed with YouTuber and filmmaker Elle Mills. The video, which follows a reflective love story with an Olivia Rodrigo lookalike — seems to confirm that the new music is about his headline-making, Twitter-chatter-creating split from his "High School Musical" co-star. Although 2022 is something of a fresh start for Bassett, who began 2021 with the release of "Drivers License," Olivia Rodrigo's smash debut single that was widely believed to be about him. But deep down, with its simple production and melancholic vocals, the track introduces followers of the "Sour" saga to a Bassett that is much softer and more minor criminal than Rodrigo’s singles made him out to be.
G-FLIP | GAY 4 ME (FEAT. LAUREN SANDERSON)
G Flip has released a bold and fiery new single, "GAY 4 ME," featuring Los Angeles-based songwriter Lauren Sanderson, which is a heavy, more rock-influenced cut than much of Flip’s previous work. G Flip – aka Georgia Flipo – came out as non-binary last June, saying at the time, “I’m still the same person; non-binary is just the best way to explain who I am and how I’ve always felt, like a gender smoothie.” In an accompanying press release for "GAY 4 ME," Flipo elaborated on the motivation behind the track. “I struggled with my sexuality and gender identity for years because there wasn’t anyone that I felt could relate to me,” they said. "GAY 4 ME" arrives alongside a Nas Bogado-directed video that matches the big, bold energy of the track itself, which is carried by deep bass and fuzzed-out riffs. "GAY 4 ME" marks the latest in a long string of collaborative releases G Flip has shared in the past year or so. In January 2021, they released the mxmtoon-featuring "Queen," sharing remixes of the track for Mardi Gras and landing at #64 on the triple j Hottest 100 of 2021.
MATILDA MANN | FOUR LEAF DREAM
Matilda Mann has released a new single called "Four Leaf Dream." Produced by Rich Cooper, the track marks the singer-songwriter’s first new music since her "Sonder" EP last September, and it comes ahead of her debut UK headline tour. “‘Four Leaf Dream’ is about letting go of the idea of someone,” Mann explained in a statement. “Sometimes we mould people and relationships to fit this idea we created in our heads – that they’re perfect, that this is right. Sometimes it stops you from seeing what they’re actually like, and it’s best to let them go. I wrote this a few months ago with Rich Cooper in his studio, as well as Half Rhymes. It was one of those songs that just so effortlessly came together.” Late last year, Matilda played her first headline show to a sold-out crowd at London’s Lafayette, toured nationally with Dodie and supported Holly Humberstone. Her "Sonder" EP included singles like "Doomsday," "Glass Ceiling," and "Bloom," which picked up support from Colors, DIY, Notion, Clash and Dork.
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