Tag Archives: 2019

Carly Rae Jepsen, “Now That I Found You” (2019)

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by Chelsea Ives

Carly Rae Jepsen is a name which has recently resurfaced, and it immediately triggers flashbacks of sweaty, sticky high school dances and nervous smiles shared across a dance floor. With her previous album released in 2015, the “Call Me Maybe” singer recently released her newest single, “Now That I Found You” for her forthcoming album due in 2019.

The Canadian singer/songwriter has created a lovely story in her song, “Now that I Found you”. If you watch the music video released with the song, the lyrics, “now that I’ve found you” take on a whole new level of meaning. A sweet story of an adopted kitten and the love between a pet-mom and pet – it’s the love story we never knew we wanted, but that we definitely needed. The song tells a story that anyone can relate to – about finding a new love yes, but also if you’ve adopted a pet before, you surely know the feeling. Jepsen said in an interview with Pitchfork:

“‘Now That I Found You’ is about the high you get when a new love starts to change your life. It’s like the rush, rush, rush is better than any drug.’”

 The theme is clear from the lyrics of the song, “Thought it was impossible / It’s just like a miracle,” a universal emotion, a thought everyone has had once in their life – that you would never find love again, but lo and behold! The next love suddenly appears, and with the cutest marmalade kitten in his arms, no less. The lyrics and instrumentation of the song make it a pure radio-pop hit. Jepsen’s sound is a mix of Taylor Swift (Reputation era) and Katy Perry (“Last Friday Night”). The song holds themes of love, but in an up-beat pop ballad begging to get your head boppin’.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s newest single, “Now That I Found You,” part of her 2019 album which is set to be released in 2019.

Weezer, “I’m Just Being Honest” (Weezer [Black Album], 2019)

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By Allesandro Rotondi

Honesty is a hard thing to come by these days. In the current political and social media climates, it’s hard to know who to believe, who to trust, and who’s actually telling the truth. For these reasons, Weezer’s “I’m Just Being Honest” is refreshing, relevant, and necessary. The song’s truth-telling scenarios are light, relatable, and deal with everyday happenings. Whether it’s telling a significant other what you think about their new haircut, or giving an honest opinion about a band’s new music, Rivers Cuomo & Co present it tastefully in an interesting and comedic way.

When asked about his opinion on his S.O.’s new haircut, Cuomo sings “I thought you looked better before,” before receiving the reply “Hope you like sleeping on the floor.” He also has the nerve to hilariously tell a new band looking for critique that they “sound like shit.” This line alone will likely make smaller artists think twice about handing their mixtape to Cuomo.

During the chorus, Cuomo states “I should have lied / Don’t get mad at me, I’m just being honest.” And that’s the fact of the matter: the truth hurts, and Weezer is here to give you the cold, hard truth.

Musically, the song is not particularly interesting. The upbeat drums drive the song, pushing forward without second thought, and representing the blatant and unfiltered brain of Cuomo. The chord progression is unchanging and repetitive, until the bridge. Luckily though, the vocal melody is diverse, and production techniques like vocal double-tracking and synth layering keep the choruses interesting, and varied from the thinner texture of the verses. The synthesizers and electronic drum beat during the choruses make the song feel sugar-coated and dancy, quite the opposite of the non-sugar-coated lyrics. But hey, maybe that’s what they were going for. After all—I’m just being honest.


Hozier, “Almost (Sweet Music)” (Wasteland, Baby!, 2019)

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by Chelsea Ives

Classic 1930’s and 40’s jazz songs are artfully embedded in the lyrics of Hozier’s new song, “Almost (Sweet Music)”. The song pays homage to a number of classical artists such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald by integrating song titles, lyrics, and the names of these iconic artists throughout the song. Hozier has created an intriguing and satisfying melody which is pleasant to the ear and the soul.

The Irish indie-rocker keeps his toes in soul, blues, folk, and R&B music for inspiration. The fourth song on Hozier’s newest album, “Almost (Sweet Music)” is a refreshingly different and expressive song, which truly gives fans the history of his inspiration. Opening with hand claps and a catchy beat, the song is a clever mash-up of jazz/soul song titles and artists who influenced Hozier himself in his musical tastes while he was growing up. Sometimes referencing only the artist, sometimes just the name of a song, and sometimes both: “Do I owe each kiss to lip and cheek as soft as Chet can sing ‘Let’s Get Lost’” in the second verse, Hozier pays tribute to Chet Baker’s song, “Let’s Get Lost”.

In an interview with Entertainment, Hozier said that “Almost (Sweet Music)” was “a fun song writing challenge. I was also eager to point to some of the music that shaped my formative years […] it was a way to leave little bread crumbs for younger fans to follow a path to check those songs out”. You can hear a playlist of the songs Hozier pays homage to here.

Hozier released his newest album early March 2019 entitled, Wasteland, Baby! The album touches on important themes such as politics and religion. Billboard recorded this as the first rock album to top the Billboard 200 so far in 2019. It is Hozier’s second studio album.

Hozier’s, “Almost (Sweet Music)” appeared on his newest studio album, Wasteland, Baby! Released March 1, 2019.

Toro y Moi, “Baby Drive It Down” (Outer Peace, 2019)

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By Allesandro Rotondi

I first took a liking to this song because I thought it didn’t sound like dance/pop music, as opposed to many other tracks on the album. Rhythmically, it grooves like a dance tune, and the instrumental loops like a dance tune, but it sounds like a chillwave-synthpop song. The marimba-sounding synthesizer part loops and dances around the pulsing kick drum beat that drives the song forward and acts as the backbone. The marimba sound is light and fluffy, constantly fluttering in the foreground. It gives off a tropical vibe, like something off the Super Mario Sunshine soundtrack. Because of this, it makes me happy, and gives me feelings of childhood nostalgia.

The lead vocals are strong, but cool. Stacked with two layers of voice, the melody comes off as thick, but smooth in execution. There is also autotune, which is popular in modern pop music, and the hip-hop and dance genres particularly. The repetitious line that clamours “You know I want you right now” for the entirety of the choruses, thrusts this track into the dance/pop genre, noted for its looping instrumentally, melodically, and lyrically. However, it is not forced. It feels intended by the artist, and perhaps this voiced repetition is because he really wants the object of affection to know he means business. I want you, like, right now. The auto-tune and double tracked vocal almost create an unnatural, robotic feel, like a love song from a free-thinking machine.

Since the marimba loop is unchanging, the droning bass tones are the only musical element that can change the chord root. With two or three chords total at best (“Moves Like Jagger”, anyone?), Toro y Moi does a fine job of crafting a well-landscaped, memorable, and interesting vocal melody. It’s one of the best melodies over a simple dance/pop progression that I’ve heard in a long time.

“Baby Drive It Down” definitely drives it home.