After their 2017 stumble "Everything Now," all signs point to a return to form on Arcade Fire’s sixth studio album "WE," dropping May 6 via Columbia Records. “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” is our second of those signs so far, following the March release of dual lead track “The Lightning I, II.” “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” appears on the album’s “WE” side, as a press release notes, “the half of the record that channels and revels in the power and joy of human (re)connection.” Like an indie-rock "Oh, The Places You’ll Go!," the track finds Win Butler addressing younger generations—and those still to come—with a comforting warmth and generosity of spirit, offering wisdom and encouragement over a bright, acoustic guitar-driven instrumental. “A lifetime of skinned knees / And heartbreak comes so easy / But a life without pain would be boring,” Butler counsels, with orchestral sweep and sprawl to reinforce the highs and lows through which his love will always remain unconditional. Produced by Nigel Godrich with Arcade Fire’s own Butler and Régine Chassagne, "WE" are easily one of the most exciting releases in May. The band seems to have rediscovered the anthemic earnestness and joy that first made them a household name. The album’s release follows a string of surprise performances, including a last-minute set at the first weekend of Coachella. The band no longer includes Will Butler as one of its members, is set to perform on the May 7 episode of "Saturday Night Live."

Grammy-award nominated Madeon completed two mammoth Coachella performances, blowing audience minds with his critically acclaimed Good Faith Forever tour stage production. Working together with visual collaborators The Architects, Madeon's set became a transcendental experience for both artist and audience. Madeon celebrates this achievement with the release of his newest single, "Love You Back," his first since signing with the independent label Mom+Pop Music. Initially made for Madeon's Grammy Nominated album "Good Faith," "Love You Back" has until now been performed during his live show, making it a fan favourite and cult classic, with constant questions of when it will finally be released. With the recorded version, Madeon's triple threat is on display, not only writing and producing the track but also contributing his signature pop vocals to what will undoubtedly continue to be a dance floor hit. About the song, Madeon says, "'Love You Back' is a song about being on the other side of unrequited love - being with somebody who loves you more than you ever could. I started working on it a while ago, it was initially going to be one of the singles for 'Good Faith,' but I couldn't figure it out at the time. I've played versions of it at my shows for years, and fans have started developing a real connection to it." Madeon will continue with his "Good Faith Forever" shows with stops at Hangout Music Festival and North Coast Music Festival in the US and heading to Europe and Japan. See all tour dates below, with more to be announced soon.

The Black Keys have released "It Ain't Over," the second track from their upcoming album, "Dropout Boogie," due May 13 on Nonesuch Records. A visualizer for the song can be seen below. "It Ain't Over" was written by band members Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney in tandem with Reigning Sound's Greg Cartwright. "It Ain't Over" follows the new album's first single, "Wild Child," which is just a month, has already topped the AAA chart and rocketed to #1 on the Alt chart and Top 15 on the Active chart. Elsewhere around the world, the song is proving to be one of the band's most successful radio hits. "Dropout Boogie" features collaborations with Cartwright, Billy F Gibbons (ZZ Top), and Angelo Petraglia (Kings of Leon). It will be released one day before the twentieth anniversary of The Black Keys' first LP, "The Big Come Up." As they have made their entire career, Auerbach and Carney wrote all of the material in the studio, and the new album captures several first takes that hark back to the stripped-down blues-rock of their early days making music together in Akron, Ohio basements. The Black Keys will tour North America for the first time in three years starting in July. Band of Horses will support on all dates, while Ceramic Animal (July 9-30), Early James (Aug. 24-Sept. 9), and the Velveteers (Oct. 2-18) will open at select performances. Formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001, The Black Keys are singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. Last year, the duo received its fourteenth Grammy nomination, this time for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Delta Kream, which was released in May 2021 by Nonesuch.

mxmtoon is releasing her new album "rising" on May 20th; it's a triumphant return and shows a new, more dynamic and highly danceable side of the 21-year-old artist. It's hard to believe only four years have passed since Maia's self-made songs and videos began shaping a new sort of star through mxmtoon. But at least two of those years have, of course, passed like decades, each packed with enough worry and woe and loss and hope to catalyze aging at large. And so it goes with rising, mxmtoon's bold and compelling and wise second album, a 12-song set that looks at the hardest lessons of these recent dark days and opts to surge forward through triumphs of pop-and-disco confessionalism. mxmtoon is back with another song titled "victim of nostalgia," a song which examines time and how quickly it moves without us even realizing it until it's too late. mxmtoon tells us, "A lot of us have fallen victim to that feeling that time moves too quickly. "victim of nostalgia" is about missing the blind optimism and warmth that's so much easier to experience when you're younger. Already released songs "sad disco" and "mona lisa" gives fans an exciting preview of the musical journey mxmtoon is embarking on. This is the music she needed to make and hear after those years that felt like decades, after growing enough to know this is what other people might need. These songs collectively argue that growth is never done, that "rising" is just one of many restarts and beginnings to come.

To get booked to play on the biggest stage at arguably the biggest (genre-agnostic) music festival is a huge accomplishment. He was playing a primetime night slot at Coachella, the Indio, California, festival of worldwide fame and acclaim. He has just released two gorgeous tracks that he debuted live this past weekend. “ESCAPE” and “Palaces” carry some of Flume’s most anticipated features on his forthcoming album, released on May 20th, 2022. So far, he’s released tracks with stunning vocal performances from MAY-A and Caroline Polachek, and with these most recent releases, we’ve got even more incredible collaborations to dig into. “Escape,“ a track that combines one of the hottest new names in electronic music, QUIET BISON, and one of Flume’s favourite vocalists, Kučka. QUIET BISON sound design and arrangements are among the most creative in music right now. What makes this a dream-come-true collaboration is that many fans have rightly identified Flume as one of QB’s major musical influences and to see these two come together on a single track means that these two generations of talent have found a home under one singular roof. As for “Palaces,” which features British rock band Blur frontman Damon Albarn it is a gorgeous, slower-paced track with a throat punch of emotional power arriving in the back half from the vocals of Mr. Albarn himself. The song begins with a winding, piano-heavy section that feels sad and emotional. What is spectacular about this is how Flume layers in each additional element as the song progresses. After about two minutes of piano and ambient build-up, he brings in the vocals and then goes on to add rhythmic snares.

Hungarian-born vocalist/writer Dorothy has released her new album, Gifts From The Holy Ghost, via Roc Nation/Spinefarm Records. In addition to the album's release, the rocker has dropped a new music video for the song "A Beautiful Life." With "Gifts From The Holy Ghost," Dorothy identifies her purpose as an artist. She conquers darkness with light, numbness with feeling, disharmony with unity—all while delivering one of this year’s most fun rock & roll records. We recently caught up with the singer to learn more about her return to her complex rock roots. After exploring California desert rock both sonically and aesthetically on her sophomore effort, "28 Days in the Valley," "Gifts From the Holy Ghost" marks Dorothy's return to the high voltage rock 'n' roll she became known for with her 2016 debut "Rockisdead." Featuring collaborations with former Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Jason Hook, Breaking Benjamin's Keith Wallen, Trevor Lukather and more, this new release is guitar-heavy and bursting with energy. "I wanted it to just have teeth and more bite to it because I felt like that was true to who I am," Dorothy told us in an exclusive interview ahead of the album's release. "I was always open to suggestions and experimenting, hence "28 Days in the Valley." But I was like, 'You know it's just time for me to really lean into what I enjoy.' And that's what I did." "A Beautiful Life" features the vocalist's absolute favourite lyric on the album — "Don't let the demons get you down" — and it's become somewhat of a mantra for her in recent years.

This was initially borne from Tom’s family’s request to play Gold Forever at his memorial. The Wanted decided to create a more fitting version, and "Gold Forever (For Tom)" was produced. The track was played at the memorial, and the band posted it the same night so the fans could hear it. The reaction from them was so warm and positive that at the fans' request, Gold Forever (For Tom) is now being made available for them to download and keep in memory of him. The Wanted, Island Records, writers & producers will generously be donating all net proceeds to The Brain Tumour Charity to help us fund world-class research, raise awareness and provide support and information to people affected by brain tumours. Alex Lochrane, CEO at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “Gold Forever (For Tom) is a beautiful song and a moving tribute to Tom – and we are profoundly grateful to The Wanted that donations from the sales of this single will help us fund world-class research and vital support services for anyone affected by brain tumours. "Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Tom’s wife Kelsey, their children, family and friends at this saddest of times, and with fans of The Wanted worldwide. The Wanted Island Records and the song's writers and producers will be donating all net proceeds to The Brain Tumour Charity, a UK-based charity dedicated to funding research, raising awareness and providing support and information to people with brain tumours. Recently, Tom's widow Kelsey shared a poignant poem about grief as she reflected on one week since her husband's funeral.

Justin Bieber has released a short humorous music video titled “I Feel Funny,” which teases the upcoming video for the singer’s new single, “Honest.” Cole Bennett directs the clip; the clip reveals Bieber behind the scenes at the “Honest” shoot and includes an appearance by collaborator Don Toliver. “Justin randomly texted me this song one day and said, ‘should we do a visual to this? song straight to number 1,'” Bennett explained in a statement. “We joked around about doing a video for it but never did. A few weeks later, we were doing a pickup day for a video we had recently shot but never finished (Honest). We had a bit of time switching over from scene to scene. So, I went into his trailer and said, ‘Remember that song you sent me? Let’s shoot a video for it on my phone in between takes of the actual video." Bieber’s last album, "Justice," dropped last spring. Last month, the singer joined Kehlani for a new song, “Up All Night,” which appears on Kehlani’s album, "Blue Water Road." Kehlani and Bieber previously worked together in 2020 on his single “Get Me.” Bieber is currently on tour in support of "Justice." The Justice World Tour was first announced back in January 2020 before the Covid-19 outbreak in the U.S. The trek was then pushed to 2021 and finally 2022, with the world tour set to keep Bieber on the road until March 2023. He will also perform at Summerfest in Milwaukee, which is making its return across three weekends in June and July.

Blake Rose is back with the self-penned new single, "Demon," via AWAL Recordings. Blake debuted the track live to a rousing response for the first time on singer-songwriter Ashe’s Fault Line Tour, which saw his leg wrap last week in Atlanta. Speaking about the new song, Blake reveals, “Demon" is a song about the people that make you feel like you’re not good enough.” The video is paired with a nostalgic and fun music video directed by Logan Fields. "Demon" is the follow-up to Blake’s song "Confidence," released earlier this year. The two tracks offer a first taste of new music from the rising artist in 2022, a follow-up to his debut EP, "A World Gone By," last year. Speaking about "Confidence," Blake explained, “Confidence’ is about lacking the self-esteem and confidence to realize that you can do better than the current romantic situation you’re in. I think a lot of people settle for disloyal partners because they think it’s all they deserve, but everyone deserves a partner who loves them and is faithful.” Earlier this year, Rose released live videos for his ‘A World Gone By’ tracks “Casanova,” “Sweet Caledonia,” and most recently, “Ordinary People.” The videos all feature live footage taken from his tour last fall with Noah Kahan. Check out the live video for “Ordinary People,” filmed at Los Angeles’ iconic Fonda Theatre. Fresh off a round of tour dates with Ashe, which included 13-SOLD OUT shows, Blake Rose is back in the studio working on new music.

We run down the colossal and breathtaking works by the genuinely excellent artist Elton John as he is our Artist Of The Month. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967, John is one of the most successful artists of all time, having sold over 300 million records in a six-decade career in music. We will run down four albums every post and go through his incredible catalogue. Enjoy! Too Low For Zero (1983) It had become clear that Elton was intent on inching back into the mainstream with the poppier sensibilities of preceding 80's albums 21 at 33 and Jump Up!, which both favoured an uneven song-based structure and commercial subjects and sounds to court the charts. Elton's budding success with this formula set the stage for what was arguably his most recognized album of the '80s; 1983's Too Low For Zero, which was also a full-fledged reunion with lyricist Bernie, and his classic Goodbye Yellow Brick Road touring band, capturing everybody at a near-peak of their form. Elton rocks with a vengeance on "I'm Still Standing" and "Kiss the Bride," crafting a gorgeous romantic standard with "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" while knocking songs as immaculately crafted as "Religion" -- songs that anchor this album, giving the context of the hit. While this may not be as rich as his classic early period, it's a terrific record, an exemplary illustration of what a veteran artist could achieve in the early '80s. Breaking Hearts (1984) Building off the success of his previous smash-hit Too Low For Zero, Elton relished in being back in the spotlight with his follow-up 1984's Breaking Hearts. It's excellent to see Elton fully reunited and in full swing with his classic era band attempting a musical resurrection of their 70s sound. Breaking Hearts keeps up the consistency and coherence of those albums and Too Low For Zero. Still, the album cannot avoid sounding overly 80s, which nevertheless is powerfully executed, but raises the question of whether the 70s band is cut out for the massive shift in style. The opening cut "Restless" is also one of the spunkier tracks and came off particularly well when John hit the road with his formidable sidemen to support the disc. However, the vast majority of Breaking Hearts is met with varying degrees of success. Both "In Neon" and the reggae-dub influenced "Passengers" were best suited to the lighter pop genre and Adult Contemporary radio format where John joined the ranks of Phil Collins, Lionel Ritchie and George Michael. This stylistic direction, while concurrently popular, also criminally under-utilized the synergy between the artist and band. Except for the noir 'unplugged' title performance, "Breaking Hearts (Ain't What It Used To Be)." Ice On Fire (1985) "1985's Ice on Fire is very much a forgotten Elton John effort; sandwiched between the follow-up hit Breaking Hearts and the commercial disaster Leather Jackets, all three albums sadly endured a large shadow compared to 1983's Too Low For Zero. Nevertheless, Ice on Fire is still a hugely enjoyable record, even if it is not entirely up to scratch with Elton's better 80s work. It is the living proof of Elton and Bernie's consummate professionalism. Ice on Fire is pure 1985, heavy on synthetic drums and keyboards -- the kind of record where Davy Johnstone is credited with guitar, but it never sounds as if there's a guitar on the record, or any other "real" instrument, for that matter. That's not really a criticism since John always made state-of-the-art records, so it should come as little surprise that this sounds like its time. Nevertheless, being as far from the classic Elton sound as possible, Ice on Fire delivers some solid tracks; "This Town," "Cry to Heaven," "Soul Glove," the greatest hit "Nikita," and the wonderful duet with George Michael "Wrap Her Up." Leather Jackets (1986) .1986's Leather Jackets did undermine Elton's last few commercial efforts and made the '80s seem like a slow and sad decline for the artist; regardless of having his original lyricist and classic band on board, there is an arguable difficulty in keeping up the momentum that Too Low For Zero had brought. Even the most ardent enthusiasts freely admit that Leather Jackets was nothing more or less than a final fulfilment of his six-album deal with Geffen Records. The decent tracks here would be the title track, "Hoop of Fire," "Don't Trust That Woman," "Heartache All Over The World," "Angeline," and "Gypsy Heart" everything else is filler and radiate the 80's synth-pop to the extreme. an enjoyable listen all around.

Faye Webster recently announced "Car Therapy Sessions," an EP of new and reimagined songs backed by a full orchestra. She has now shared a new track from the project - "Suite: Jonny." "Suite: Jonny" brings together two fan-favourite songs from her previously released Atlanta Millionaire's Club. The original songs, "Jonny" and "Jonny (Reprise)," are presented together in this composition and given a lush orchestral treatment to significant cinematic effect. "The "Suite: Jonny" comes accompanied by a music video, directed by Sean Valdivieso and edited by hbaCreate. The music video gives a window into the recording process at Spacebomb Studios. "This is the song that sparked the whole concept for this project for me. It's also one of the first songs that I ever wrote that I felt was truly honest and had true transparency, which may be why so many people relate to it," says Webster. "I wanted to be able to relive this song in a way that felt new at the same time, which is why I really like the direction that Trey took these orchestral arrangements." "Car Therapy Sessions" will be released on April 29th via Secretly Canadian. Earlier this month, she shared the title track, "Car Therapy." The orchestra was headed by Trey Pollard, who was responsible for both conducting and arranging. Drew Vandenberg produced and mixed the EP. "Car Therapy Sessions" will be available on vinyl in the fall. Webster reimagines three songs from her critically acclaimed 2021 release "I Know I'm Funny, Haha" and 2019's "Atlanta Millionaires Club" on the EP.

Having released 11 albums throughout their career, we all know what pop-punk goofballs Bowling For Soup brings to the party. Catchy hooks and self-effacing humour abound in all that the Texas four-piece do, but so too have the band retained a more emotive underbelly that belies their comedic front. On "Pop Drunk Snot Bread," their first album proper in six years – Jaret Reddick and co. kick the emotional stakes up a notch, delivering a solid collection of pop-punk jams among the best the band has produced in recent times. Classic BFS tomfoolery arrives early on in the form of "I Wanna Be Brad Pitt," a song packed full of lyrical absurdities, but the hooks are undeniable. The same can be said for "Alexa Bliss," the band’s fun ode to the WWE wrestler of the same name, but "Pop Drunk Snot Bread" unexpectedly excels when its creators explore their more serious side. The charming acoustic number "The Best We Can" is as sincere as pop-punk ballads come and echo the heartfelt sentiments of 2011 fan-favourite Turbulence. The nostalgic storytelling of Wouldn’t Change A Thing is another winner, while "After All These Beers" – a love letter to the band itself – rounds proceedings out in a euphoric fashion. There’s the odd misstep – see "Killin’ them With Kindness," where the humour and unorthodox structure fail to land – but for the most part, "Pop Drunk Snot Bread" is a joyous and welcoming record made for beer-in-hand, arms-around-the-shoulder singalongs. Bowling For Soup is nearly three decades in, proving they can still bring the pop-punk good times better than most.

"The Kick" is Grammy-winning artist Foxes' third album, and she has now released the deluxe edition, which contains her seven-track "Friends In the Corner" EP., heralded Louisa Allen’s “return” to the musical spotlight after 2016’s sophomore LP, "All I Need." The first batch of songs reflects her tremendous growth, with an energized pop sound capturing a wealth of intimate sentiments and heartfelt, visceral emotions,” Atwood Magazine wrote in our 2021 feature. “It’s pop with purpose; substantial and seductive all at once.” The album was inspired by the desire for freedom that the world collectively shared over the last 18 months of lockdowns, the near-animalistic desperation to socialize, and a longing to dance again. Louisa naturally pivoted the sonics to feed that escapism and create a record that simultaneously feels close to her euphoric, dancefloor-filling pop roots that brought us hits like "Let Go for Tonight," "Youth' and 'Body Talk" while still feeling completely fresh. Unafraid of the art of the well-loved melancholic-banger, lyrically, "The Kick" touches on themes of loss and heartbreak, narrating painful places and soundtracking new beginnings to create an album for the post-pandemic world and summer of never leaving the party early. Bold, catchy, and vibrant, Foxes’ album is an undeniable spark of radiant energy and raw emotion: A cinematic beacon of love, connection, and dance for those who need it, not to mention a good "kick" that hits home and hits hard.

Mandy Moore is back with the new single “Four Moons” from her forthcoming full-length studio album "In Real Life," out May 13 via Verve Forecast. The acoustic-guitar-laced “Four Moons” is filled with heavenly harmonies and hypnotic B3 organ. At the same time, Moore spins a portrait of her life with her husband, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, proclaiming her affection with unbridled feeling in the lyrics: “I want to hold your hand/ A little too much/ Step on your toes/ Pull you in close/ Never really close enough.” Mandy shares, “It’s about caring about someone so much and trying to savour every moment before it slips away to the next—things like our first Christmas together, or a meal we cooked that came out so wrong we just had to laugh about it. It’s asking, "Where did all the days go? When did everything start to feel like it was on fast-forward?" and just wanting to squeeze him and our life together as tight as I can and not let go.” The new album, "In Real Life," brings a heightened sense of self-possession to Moore’s songwriting, imbuing each track with detailed storytelling and lucid self-reflection. Throughout the album, Moore suffuses her lyrics with unguarded humanity that’s undeniably tied to her philosophy as a songwriter. “To me, it’s all about staying open, staying aware, staying sensitive and empathetic to the people around me,” she says. This summer, Moore will headline an extensive tour of North America in support of the new album and her first tour in over a decade. The video is set to premiere exclusively on Facebook.

Martin Garrix has released “Aurora” with Blinders, the final single that drops ahead of his first-ever club album, "Sentio," due April 29th. Starting off as a new remix for “In The Name Of Love” during his live sets, Garrix loved the track so much that he decided to turn it into a full version. Calling in help from his friend Blinders, the result is an energetic track with a slightly dark twist. He is already receiving spins during his shows in South America and during Ultra Music Festival. Garrix has been releasing a new track every Tuesday and Friday through the April 29th release date. Gearing up for the album release next week, Garrix has lined up the last tracks to complete the "Sentio" tracklist. The campaign kicked off with “Follow,” his highly-anticipated collaboration with longtime friend Zedd, “Limitless” with Mesto, “Reboot” with Vluarr, “Quantum” with Brooks, “Good Morning” with Matisse & Sadko, “Starlight (Keep Me Afloat)” with DubVision and Shaun Farrugia, “Funk” with Julian Jordan, and “Find You” featuring Justin Mylo. 24-year-old Garrix’s real name is Martijn Gerard Garritsen, and his artist name, stylized as Mar+in Garrix, or +x, has become a global brand. Reflecting for a while longer on how he got to where he is, Garrix elaborated on some of his early influences. “I grew up in a musical family, with my dad playing guitar, my mother piano, and my sister violin and piano. I began by playing flamenco guitar. My first encounter with electronic music was when I saw a performance by Tiësto during the Olympic Games.”

The Shires’ status as the UK’s biggest country music export has continued with the release of their new album "10 Year Plan." The album went straight to #5 on the UK’s Official Album Chart, making it their fourth consecutive Top 5 album. All five of their studio albums have hit #1 on the UK Country charts, resulting in over 100 million streams, two Gold-certified albums and another that reached Silver status. Now The Shires line up a big summer of touring as they share the new single "Cut Me Loose." The new track is a colourful blast of country-pop euphoria that recalls early classics by Taylor Swift and Lady A. The song is ignited with the joyous rush of its chorus, as licks of pedal steel guitar are complemented by thunderous percussion. It’s a song that provides the space for Crissie Rhodes to showcase her incredible voice as she belts out its hook with raw passion. The song was produced by Lindsay Rimes (Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown). The Shires released "Cut Me Loose" alongside a performance video, demonstrating how explosive the song will be at future live shows. Crissie’s voice is pure power and passion, while Ben’s backing vocals add another touch of class as he leads a full live band. "Cut Me Loose" is the fourth live video that The Shires filmed during sessions at The Roost in Hackney, London, with director Jackson Ducasse after "Wild Hearts" and "I See Stars." "10 Year Plan" sees The Shires – Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes – taking all of their biggest influences and condensing them into one cohesive, confident record.

Bella Taylor Smith, Australian vocal powerhouse and most recently crowned winner of The Voice Australia for 2021, releases her new collection of songs entitled "Look Me In The Eyes" EP. Crystalline and intimate, endlessly supple and warm, Bella Taylor Smith’s extraordinary voice has become one of the most identifiable new sounds on the Australian airwaves in a concise space of time. Her latest single Unaware is “about when you are in a position of intimacy with another person, but they’re not being completely transparent with you. It’s that feeling of naivety and confusion when things don’t end up the way that you expected.” Growing from the alt-folk influence of Angus & Julia Stone and the Audreys to the soulful ilk of Yebba, H.E.R. and Adele, Bella forged her identity as a vocalist and songwriter over two EPs in 2021. The independent "Tell Me How You Really Feel?" preceded her debut with EMI Australia, "The Complete Collection." Bella’s first single, "Higher," charted in the ARIA Top 40 last September. Come January, the empowering statement of self-reliance, "Nice To Know Ya," was a bold step forward for Bella. It’s one of six songs comprising "Look Me In The Eyes," an EP that mines more deeply the terrain of the heart. “Half of the songs are about being in love,” she says, “and half of them are about an experience of broken trust.” Co-written and produced by Josh Cole and sealed by the renowned studio expertise of co-producer Scott Horscroft (Ocean Alley, Sarah Blasko, Olympia, Vera Blue), Look Me In The Eyes is an assured and enveloping experience from one of our most skilled and focused new voices.

Toronto powerhouses Daniel Caesar and BADBADNOTGOOD have joined forces and dropped their shared track, “Please Do Not Lean.” With two separate parts that flow seamlessly into one another, Caesar’s collab with the instrumental jazz band is sensual and lush, setting the tone for what’s yet to come. According to a press release, the latest release is the first single from Caesar's highly anticipated third studio album, following 2019's "Case Study 01," which saw appearances from the likes of John Mayer, Pharrell, and John Mayer. “Please Do Not Lean" represents a deeper understanding of myself and acknowledging my current responsibilities, respecting them and knowing my limits of when I can take on more,” he explains. “This is an introduction to the sound and tone of the next chapter in my career.” “Please Do Not Lean” is Caesar’s first release since “Love Again,” his 2019 duet with Brandy. In a conversation earlier this year, he opened up about moving forward from his past work on his new project. “I hate stagnation—I don’t believe in it. While the comparison is the thief of joy, I find myself unable to not compare myself, most importantly to my past self, but then also to my peers, idols, everybody. But yeah, growth and change is what I’m all about.” Though the studio version just dropped, the track was debuted during Caesar’s Coachella performance last weekend. On top of premiering “Please Do Not Lean,” he was joined by Justin Bieber to perform their smash hit, “Peaches.” Caesar announced his new deal with Republic Records/Universal Music Canada earlier this month. We’re told there’s much more to come.

Former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello's second solo LP, "Romance," is dedicated almost exclusively to Cabello’s relationship with now ex-boyfriend Shawn Mendes, her two-time duet partner and fellow former teenage pop star. "Romance" follows the same pristine pop cues of her 2018 debut "Camila" and imbues them with a vision about love so universalized it blurs it out of focus. There’s love and its performance, and Cabello is motivated by both. The 22-year-old singer discusses the experiences of love, sex, and heartbreak that inspired the album and sums up its conceit: to explain a familiar experience rather than trust you to feel it yourself. "Romance" is to romance as Rory Gilmore is to journalism; its depiction is a simple kind of complicated, punctuated with acceptable failures, a simplification that reassures you that your life might be better if you were more beautiful moral. This illusion is part of "Romance’s" appeal. And there are many genuine glimpses into Cabello’s experience as a young woman navigating love and sex within that fantasy. She succeeds in tracks that capture love’s fleeting minutiae. “Shameless” begins as a hesitant statement, the flashpoint at which a young woman steps out of herself to embrace love’s abandon. The howl of her refrain—“Show me you’re shameless”—is equally a challenge to oneself as it is to another. By “Cry for Me,” a bright spot on "Romance’s" fizzling second half, Cabello is long past the point of shameless, leaning into self-love that demands someone else’s tears in place of her own. The trouble comes when Cabello seems obligated to cover the waterfront of love songs rather than push further on anyone feeling. Her effortless “that’s funny” over twinkling acoustic guitar on “Should’ve Said It” feels written for a different project than “Living Proof,” which is driven by the stomping rhythm of stylized female empowerment à la “Fight Song.” Even when motivated by a compelling story, like the guilt of harbouring feelings for someone else on “Bad Kind of Butterflies,” the song often doesn’t match its pain or power Though the album’s biggest song, “Señorita,” inhabits Cabello’s real-life relationship with now-ex Shawn Mendes, it’s a piece with 2017’s “Havana,” a similarly Latin-influenced jaunt. Just as the “Havana” video was structured around a regular girl’s dream of starring in a telenovela, “Señorita” stars a waitress who dreams of a bad boy in a leather jacket. But the flirtation at the surface of “Havana” veiled nostalgic romance for a birthplace signalled in each note. “Señorita,” which also appeared on the deluxe version of Mendes’ self-titled album, is a harmless gesture toward Latin-ness for exotic effect rather than a needle-mover. At worst, this impulse results in Ed Sheeran’s “South of the Border,” on which Cabello featured this year: a pastiche of disembodied “Brown eyes/caramel thighs,” misplaced flutes, and Cardi B’s “You never lived until you risk your life” that points to the underlying callousness of the music industry’s embrace of the “Latin” sound. Cabello’s willingness to assist in its caricature elsewhere distracts from the otherwise interesting Spanish-classical and Santana-esque riffs on "Romance." The production of "Romance" is inconsistent. “Feel It Twice” uses gentle minor-key guitar plucking and castanets that allow Cabello’s melody and dynamic voice to fill the space with the hurt of hurting someone else. The R&B ballad “This Love” builds off the kind of lilting ’50s dreamland riff deployed by so many sentimental love songs and repurposes it for a stream-of-consciousness attempt to process an emotionally abusive relationship: “You know how to fuck [pause] me up, then make it OK.” But at 14 songs, the album leaves too much space where Cabello is overshadowed. Even as they are ostensibly meant to show off Cabello’s range, the overproduced “Easy” and “Dream of You” lose her incredibly skilled voice in needless Auto-Tune. (The latter, for instance, shortchanges Camila’s range with a breathy “dree-HEEM” in the chorus. The closer, “First Man,” is "Romance’s" outlier: a quiet piano ballad dedicated to Cabello’s father that transforms the driveway of her childhood home into a runway to the end of girlhood. It’s the only song on the album that stretches its conception of romance beyond the boy-girl material we’ve heard so many times before, and it’s easily the most emotionally affecting track. Your enjoyment of "Romance," on the whole, may depend on similar factors, whether you’re ready and willing to indulge in a head-over-heels love story on extremely sentimental terms. The project goes to some unexpected places musically, and I’m curious to see how she builds on it going forward. Still, "Romance" is easier to like than love for an album fueled by unquenchable passion.

Train drops an epic remix of their feel-good summer anthem “AM Gold,” featuring international pop icon Melanie C. Teaming with Swedish electronic music DJ and producer Tobtok, Train keeps the momentum strong with a fresh take on the infectious track, creating a match made in heaven between the Spice Girls hitmaker and Train frontman Pat Monahan’s unmatched vocals. The Tobtok remix comes after the skyrocketing worldwide success of the single, initially released in February, which has continued to climb the charts and make significant gains on radio across the US and UK, rising to No. 12 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart and No. 18 at Billboard’s Adult Top 40. Train frontman Pat Monahan says of the collaboration: “So excited to share this ‘AM Gold’ remix featuring Mel C from Spice Girls with you. My family and I have always loved Melanie and her group, and when we asked her to be a part of this, she was kind enough to accept and did an incredible job on it. Then we topped that off by having the insanely talented Tobtok do his thing. Vibez for days. Hope you love this as we do.” “AM Gold” marked Train’s first single and title track from the band’s forthcoming 11th studio album due May 20th via Columbia Records. Train will head out this summer on their Save Me San Francisco Wine Co Presents Train – AM Gold Tour. Joined by Jewel and Blues Traveler, the trek kicks off June 8th in Mansfield, MA. It will make 35+ stops across North America before concluding on August 6th at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre.