Shawn Mendes - "If I Can't Have You"
Codeko, Austin Mahone - "Say Hi"
BLACKPINK - "Kill This Love"
BAYNK - "Water"
Hayden James, Boy Matthews - "Just Friends"
Shawn Mendes - "If I Can't Have You" - Trio consisting of Mendes, Teddy Geiger, and Scott Harris are back with another solid hit. It's rhythm is made of a heavenly bass riff which carries the song along perfectly along with Shawn Mendes' enchanting voice. This is the same writing team that brought us some favorites like: "Lost in Japan", "In My Blood", and the classic, "There's Nothing Holding Me Back". Right away the song kicks off with its super catchy chorus. And just like the chorus, the lyrics are pretty straightforward. The guy is head over heels for someone and even if he is in room with a view, so to speak, he still feels locked in a cell with no windows when they're not present. Summers in Arizona are unbearable but summer also brings new jams and this song has summer hit written all over it. Check out the official music video and don't forget to head over to Spotify and follow my Fresh Likes Playlist.
Codeko, Austin Mahone - "Say Hi" - I say upcoming but this DJ already has a stellar resume. Codeko is just 21 years old and he has played at festivals such as Electric Zoo and Life in Color. He has a Masters in Science from Cambridge in London, yes, you heard right the kid has his MASTERS. In the track, "Say Hi", Codeko bring along Austin Mahone ("Why Don't We", "Lady") for the ride. The songs electric vibe is already fun, adding Mahone's voice makes the song even better. The song is about what could be a long distance friendship and how he feels with just one call. Codeko at certain parts lowers the instrumentals and Mahone just takes it away so gloriously, "counting seconds till I’m back, say the word, I’ll give it up for you". Definitely one of the song I've been listening on repeat this week. Read more about Codeko's journey here. For each song, I'll be sharing the link to the music video as well.
BLACKPINK - "Kill This Love" - 2019 is officially The Year of BLACKPINK. If you happened to read my "inaugural" post, then you already know why the song from the powerful quartet hailing from Korea are on this list. #BlinkforLife #Blackpinkistherevolution. "Kill This Love" is the title track to the their second EP. It's one of my favorite songs by the group because it's filled with so much energy. The lyrics are relatable, it's an exhilarating anthem, and it's hard not to dance along. It's written by Teddy Park and Bekuh BOOM. This duo wrote most of the songs on the EP. According to BOOM, the lyrics are about being in a negative relationship with a person who you consider important but the relationship itself is so volatile that how the girls say, "gotta kill this love before it kills you too." BLACKPINK's choreography is part of their charm. It's too good not to fall in love with them. I have to share a video a friend recently sent to me. It's from the YouTuber, Niana Guerrero. Get a glimpse of BLACKPINK's performance of the song at Coachella 2019, where they were the first Korean pop group to perform at the festival. And of course before I forget, the official video of "Kill This Love".
BAYNK - "Water" - New Zealand native, BAYNK's road to popularity is peculiar, to say the least. The guy lost his laptop, goes on a week long surfing vacay, then comes back and his email is blowing up inquires for industry suits and invitations to festivals. "Water" is mostly an electronic instrumental but the sound is silky smooth you want to throw it on and wear it after a nice hot shower. It's the first track on his EP, thoughtfully titled, Someone's EP II. Part that stood out the most to me is the lyric, "something’s in the water and it’s giving people nightmares." Maybe a coincidence but I’m betting this is referencing the recent water pollution crisis in New Zealand. Just like all of BAYNK's tracks, this one is hot and it's credited to his signature mellow bounce. Click here to go see the music video and to read more about the artist, check out this article from VICE.
Hayden James, Boy Matthews - "Just Friends" - If you prowl through my playlists, you'll see my taste consists of two main genres: Hip-Hop/Rap and Synth-Pop. Yes, Synth-Pop is my shit. With that said, "Just Friends" is in no way a new track. It actually came out last summer. But that doesn't matter, it's so goddamn good I had to add it to this list. Number one reason for that is because I find myself closely related to the lyrics. My wife and I went from being co-workers to being close friends, then from dating to happily married. Listening to this song makes me get nostalgic about the origins of my special relationship. The possibility of a friendship getting to evolve in something much bigger to me is magic. Hayden James always seems to create songs with authentic elegance with the perfect voice (Matthews). Make sure you check out his other song, "NUMB". I hadn't seen the music video until now. It follows two young people on their pilgrimage of Santa Monica. Throughout the entire video, viewers ask themselves Are they or...?
That's it for this week. I hope you enjoy my take on what's hot right now. I'm a huge fan of music and it's something I do on a daily basis, other than write. There might be music you aren't familiar with, music you simply don't care for, but don't be shy. Make sure you follow my blog and check out my playlist on Spotify, FRESH LIKES. I add songs to this playlist daily. If you really want to get crazy, I also have a few playlists on Apple Music profile, What are you waiting for, your new favorite song is probably on there!