Bid farewell to the long weekend with some #NMM tunes.

‘Honey’ – Robyn

“Robyn is, other than the near-decade since her last proper album, best known for stringing the most painful emotions into dance floor gold. ‘Honey,’ the second single and title track off her forthcoming album, however, abandons tears in favor of electricity of desire. Based on the opening lines, she knows it’s unexpected: ‘No, you’re not gonna get what you need / But baby, I have what you want.’ Divergent subject matter aside, Robyn delivers the classic house panacea this trying week deserves with an effortless, mature lust she’s always hinted at, yet never let take center stage. Robyn races past the beat in the verses reciting metaphysical requests to her partner, as if every thought they inspire is worth putting to words. The pulsating beat, hypnotic melody, and expansive synths in tandem paint an entire universe of Robyn’s creation, one where ‘every color and every taste’ are ‘like emeralds on the pavement.’ With ‘Honey’, Robyn encapsulates the sensory overload of infatuation in a five-minute joyride as sweet as its title, yet as life-sustaining as manna.”

– Phil Zminda

‘Morph’ – Twenty One Pilots

“’Morph’, the third track from Twenty One Pilots’ fifth studio album Trench, is lyrically similar to many of their other songs; Tyler Joseph questioning how to disguise his identity so that others can’t truly see who he is, as well as contemplating ideas of what happens after death. But what’s different about ‘Morph’ is how the lyrics are vocalized. Switching back and forth between singing and rapping isn’t new at all for TOP, but Joseph seems to have recently discovered his ability to sing in falsetto, which is what sets this track apart from their past work. While ‘Morph’ isn’t the only track on Trench where Joseph explores his new vocal range, it’s the first on the album to do so, and it’s because of this that ‘Morph’ catches the listeners attention in a way the first two tracks on the album failed to do.”

– Rachel Feinberg

‘Tints’ – Anderson .Paak feat. Kendrick Lamar

“After the high-energy hit ‘Bubblin,’ Anderson .Paak makes a return to the melodic groove of Malibu. Featuring superstar and TDE affiliate Kendrick Lamar, the track is an incredibly fun comment on celebrity status. ‘Tints’ features great basslines and retro synths, rounded out by Paak’s buttery voice and a Kendrick Lamar feature that sees the ever-diverse rapper taking on a fantastically sassy persona. While Paak sings about keeping his windows tinted, Lamar delivers lines like ‘Bitch, I’m Kendrick Lamar, respect me from afar,’ creating a haughty and aloof feel. It’s clear that Lamar and Paak aren’t angry; they just want to get away for a little. ‘Tints’ is yet another fantastic track where Paak continues to demonstrate his knack for making modern, accessible funk while maintaining huge amounts of personality.”

– Ryan Drew

‘GOKU’ – Jaden Smith

“By any definition, ‘GOKU’ is like all other Jaden Smith songs; that is to say, ‘GOKU’ is not a good song. Every time I listen to it though, I find myself smiling at just how much of an over-the-top caricature it really is. The production made up of Brostep drops, Trap 808s, and sharp synth leads sounds as ridiculous as Jaden Smith saying his ‘credit card didn’t go through’ on the chorus. At the end of the day though, ‘GOKU’ is one of those songs that is just so impossibly bad that it becomes good again. The least I can say is that Jaden is doing something no one else is, and he certainly delivers on the Super Saiyan energy that the title promises.”

– Grant Foskett

‘This life’ – Tim Hecker

“In the highlight of his new album Konoyo, Tim Hecker takes listeners through a multi-sided dialogue between technology and ancient instruments. In 2017, Hecker began working with Tokyo-based musician Motonori Miura, and his influence is quite apparent in this new album. Together they assembled a ‘Gagaku,’ otherwise known as an imperial court of Japanese musicians, filled with flute melodies, drums, strings, and the spectacularly droning 17-pipe horn called the sho. With the touch of Hecker as band leader, the ‘Gagaku’ becomes a unique experience in drone and ambient sound. ‘This life’ seems to be an endless cry, a cycle of anxiety where washes of worry and hints of relief are all blurred into an even line. Every time a melody starts to twinkle, Hecker demolishes it only to have it rest upon keyboards that reach out with an inviting grin. The song has been described as a seesaw of emotional unrest, and I couldn’t think of a better way to put it.”

– Chris Triunfo