Billie Eilish’s “Barbie” Ballad, and 10 other new songs

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Billie Eilish makes a connection between the public’s consumption of pop stars and plastic dolls in “What Are They Made For?” , a sparse, miserable Barbie-esque piano ballad: “It sounded alive, it turns out I’m not real,” she sings in a quivering voice. “Just something I paid for.” The song is closer to the traditional ballad inspired by the singer on Eilish’s album Happier Than Ever from the rest of “The Barbie Album,” which features upbeat beats from Dua Lipa and Charlie XCX. Eilish, however, knows how to extract pathos and a horrible sense of dread from a certain kind of female malaise. “I used to float, now I’m falling,” sing, make life in plastic It looks nothing short of cool. Lindsay Zoladz

Margaret Glaspie sings as if every word is a struggle on “Memories,” a song of sheer grief and loss: “I’m lonely without you / But I’m a wreck thinking of you.” Her voice reaches behind the beat and then jumps on the beat; The vocal trembles, crackles, and breaks at times, evoking still-dormant feelings. John Pareles

Jameela Woods sings of love’s growing, normal, and true feelings on “Tiny Garden”: “It ain’t gonna be a big production / It ain’t butterflies and fireworks,” she sings. “It would be a little garden / But I feed it every day.” As she describes a real but inconspicuous connection and test phase of romance — “You wanna be sure I want you / Not just a fun guy to do” — the track pulsates with keyboard chords and soars with gospel backup vocals, promising that there’s a real spiritual connection. the artist Doindetta She joins her near the end, more than willing to “watch all the stuff we lay out slowly multiply over time.” parallel

Troye Sivan—Australian pop musician, former YouTuber and rare musician who’s actually proven to be an on-screen presence watchable on “The Idol” (ahem!)— returns triumphantly with “Rush,” a sweaty, kinetic, summery dancehall. And Wonderfully Enjoyable – Anthem with A NSFW slight video a lot. Sivan’s soulful vocals dance to a sustained beat and a house-inspired piano riff, while a chorus of deep male voices punctuate the song’s infectious hook: “I feel the rush, addicted to your touch.” finally, zander Free of charge! ZOLADZ

Born in India, Syed Sriham grew up in California, where he studied Carnatic (South Indian) music with his parents while enjoying American R&B and Jazz. He built a career in India by singing Bollywood hits Along with Carnatic Ragas. For his debut US album, “Sidharth”, due out on August 25, Sriham veered toward experimentation, working with producer Ryan Olson (of Poliça) and musicians including Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). “The Hard Way” is a beautiful song — “I’ll do anything, anything, anything to make you smile,” he insists — sliced ​​up and placed inside a tense electronic exoskeleton: racing double beats, shifting vocals, blasts of multitracked harmony. It’s bold. He could easily have opted for a more commercial and less difficult approach. parallel

It is a law of nature that there is never too much of a bell. Yard Act, a post-punk band that could almost be LCD Soundsystem with a British accent and social media update, is back after their debut album. That is, post-punk nostalgia folded in on itself like origami. The Trench Coat Museum imagines there might be such an institution—celebration of a resolute, unobtrusive, protective, extra-long and evocative outfit—in an eight-minute track that easily lends itself to early-’80s groove: percussion, bass riff, turntable scratching, rhythm guitar Claw, synthesizers and a Latin percussion that definitely includes a cowbell. Post-punk’s open secret is that no matter how cynical it sounds, the song is always about the groove. parallel

Tangana, a Spanish songwriter who started out as a rapper and delved deeper into his musical past, stays off the lead for his latest project, the centenary song for the soccer team from Galicia, Real Club Celta de Vigo; His father is from Vigo. “Oliveira Dos Cen Anos” (“One Hundred Years Old Olive Tree”) is rooted in Galician folk tradition but underpinned by electronics. Tangana is one of the songwriters, co-producers, and a fun and thorough video director. Galician musicians sing lead vocals. An impassioned choral anthem, with folk song lyrics pledging love and loyalty, gives way to a traditional six-beat instrumental, with a ferocious backing of drumming and the singing of the women in As Lagharteiras, along with a gleaming harp interlude and pitch-sized piece of singing. Guys shout: “I will always be here.” Celta forever! parallel

“Not everything is quite as audible,” rapper and singer RiTchie said softly in Déjà Vu. Producer Lauren James created an ever-bewildering mix of blaring electronic glitches, soothing piano and subtle snippets of percussion and synthesizer. RiTchie, of the group Injury Reserve, layers on multiple vocals, sings and talks, and sounds completely unfazed by his surroundings: “You just have to soak it all in,” he advises. parallel

Oxlade, a singer-songwriter from Nigeria, and Dave, a rapper from England with Nigerian roots, sympathize with wayward lovers and social media in ‘Intoxycated’. Oxlade decides “love is too much” after seeing his girlfriend with another guy on Instagram; Dave says, “Love is easy to find, hard to keep / Most stories end and start with the phone.” A simple Afrobeats groove paired with tiny guitar cores sums up the mood: elegant and submissive. parallel

Composer and producer Glenn—Jerelyn Patton—had built catchy electronic music out of percussive sounds, so it made sense for her to write the music for it. Live vocal performance by Third Coast Performance, which appears on the group’s 2022 album, “Perspectives”. Now, Jlin has reworked those compositions for her mini album “Perspective,” which is due out in September. Its new version of “Fourth Perspective” brings back electronic sounds, and a ghostly, subdued, minimalistic waltz moves toward the rugged, foreboding terrain. parallel

MaJa – Dominican songwriter María José Gonel – sings about the conviction of being a fish out of water on “A Vivir en Desacuerdo” (“Living in Discord”). Her airy voice makes her sound hesitant at first, but the production — by her songwriting collaborator Gian Rojas — radiates a growing confidence, as the beat flows and the electronics shine brighter than ever. She is not shy. It is above all. parallel