A couple of weeks ago, I made my first post in a while that just highlighted some new singles that have come out recently which I have been enjoying a lot. As I mentioned in that write-up, this is something I did somewhat frequently when I first started this blog. Although I have transitioned to doing more reviews over the last couple of years, this is always something I have wanted to get back to frequently doing. At the end of the day, I started this blog and continue to work on it to help promote and expose music that I love to people who may not come across it on their own. I am someone who just loves to share great music with everyone around me, and it is still my goal with Eastside Vibes to do this. Now, in my opinion, 2023 was a somewhat lackluster year for new music(at least on the national scale, as my city of Milwaukee completely thrived last year). Do not get me wrong, there were some great singles released in 2023, and there were a few albums that I did love, but overall, I felt like the excitement around new music was down. This has changed in a big way in 2024. I feel like Pop music is thriving and is in as good a place as it has been in a long time. Pop is not the only genre that has been on a great run this year; Alternative Rock, Dance music, Afropop, R&B, Reggaeton, and Hip Hop have all had quite a bit of great music releases in 2024 as well. Just last week, several very enticing singles were put out that makes me think we are going to have a great end to 2024 for the music world. If these singles are any indication of the quality of the albums that are going to come out in the next couple of months, we are in for a treat. Now, none of the artists I am highlighting below need a ton more exposure, as they are all premium members of their respective genres, but great music is great music, and I wanted to talk about some of these new tracks. Below, I wanted to highlight the new songs from The Weeknd, Tate McRae, Charli xcx, Playboi Carti, and Megan Thee Stallion. Please let me know in the comments below which of these singles you love the most, and also comment the names of any other new tracks you love or think I should check out!

THE WEEKND – DANCING IN THE FLAMES

After a ton of anticipation, The Weeknd has finally dropped the first single from his upcoming album. There has been a ton of hype around this release(as one may assume, considering it is The Weeknd), and he delivers the goods in a big way with ‘Dancing In The Flames.’ Now, I will not say this is the most riveting or innovative song The Weeknd has put out. In fact, it is pretty comparable to ‘Blinding Lights,’ to be real. The synths that drive this track are vibrant and huge, taking on a 1980s New Wave feel. It has the kind of colorful and bright melody that can put anyone in a good mood when it comes on. The best is energetic and jumpy, making it a perfect song for the dance floor. The Weeknd’s vocals are excellent on this track as well. The high notes he hits make ‘Dancing In The Flames’ super captivating, and the hook for this track is such an earworm. On ‘Dancing In The Flames,’ The Weeknd sticks to what he excels at and delivers another timeless banger. 

CHARLI XCX – TALK TALK FEAT. TROYE SIVAN

Charli xcx is having as big a summer as any Pop star in recent memory. Her talent, charisma, and quality as an artist are finally being celebrated. Her willingness to push boundaries and not conform has turned her into the most exciting artist in Pop music today. After dropping her excellent album Brat(it is literally my favorite album of the year, as I actually gave it a 10 out of 10) in June. This started with the ‘Von dutch’ remix with Addison Rae and AG Cook(which came out before the album’s release) and continued with ‘Girl, so confusing’ feat. Lorde and ‘Guess’ feat. Billie Eilish. Charli has announced there is a full album of remixes coming out later this year, and the last single in anticipation is ‘Talk talk’ with Troye Sivan. The original version of this track is light, bubbly, and fun; it is the kind of bright and saturated Pop banger that will put anyone in a good mood when they hear it. This remix is significantly different from the original. ‘Talk talk’ with Troye Sivan almost feels like a French House remix of the original, taking on a darker, more Dance music feeling. Charli changes her lyrics in this version, making this track all the more individual. I enjoy the way Troye’s low and raspy tone sits on this instrumental and contrasts Charli’s softer vocal style, as it gives this track such a cool texture. The ‘Talk talk’ remix is even better than the first version in my opinion, which is saying a lot.

PLAYBOI CARTI – ALL RED

It feels like Playboi Carti is constantly in the business of teasing his fans with new music. He is certainly incredible at marketing, as he is always able to keep a ton of attention on himself and the anticipation of releasing new music. After keeping fans on their toes with a couple of one-off singles released exclusively to Youtube and some very enticing features in 2024, Playboi Carti has finally dropped his first official single of the year(to me, at least, this is his first real single) in ‘All Red.’ Fortunately, this track was more than worth the wait, and definitely proves Playboi Carti is still at the top of his game. Everything about ‘All Red’ is larger than life. The instrumental, which is driven by a menacing melody and is put on top of a very intense and intricate beat, has the sort of massive sound that one would expect from Playboi Carti. This is the kind of song that will make anyone want to headbang because of its raucous energy. Playboi Carti’s flow is enticing and his tone is super harsh; he kind of reminds me of a demented version of Future on this one. Playboi Carti certainly needed to return to the scene with a total bang, and he does that on ‘All Red.’ 

MEGAN THEE STALLION FEAT. RM – NEVA PLAY

Megan Thee Stallion is really showing her love and appreciation for Asian music and culture this summer. This started with her songs ‘Otaku Hot Girl,’ in which she expresses her love for anime, and her song ‘Mamushi,’ which features popular Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba. That appreciation for Asian music returns with the song ‘Neva Play,’ which features RM from BTS. ‘Neva Play’ has a pretty interesting and fun “melody”(if you can call it that); it has a very cold and rigid tone, reminding me of the kind of music someone would expect to hear in Drag Racing games or edits. The beat for ‘Neva Play’ certainly matches the frigid and tough energy of the melody; in fact, it probably actually enhances that energy. Both Megan Thee Stallion and RM kill it on this track, showing their intricate flows and witty wordplay. I especially love the contribution from RM, as his low and gruff tone matches the instrumental so well and contrasts Megan’s nicely. Megan Thee Stallion has another potential viral banger on her hands with ‘Neva Play,’ and RM does a big part in taking this song’s appeal over the top. 

TATE MCRAE – IT’S OKAY I’M OKAY

Last autumn when her singles ‘greedy’ and ‘exes’ were taking over the nation, Tate McRae was starting to draw some Britney Spears comparisons. Unfortunately, those comparisons died down when her album THINK LATER underwhelmed a bit(i am sorry, that is just the general consensus). Those comparisons are more than back on her new single ‘it’s ok i’m okay.’ The Britney influence is very real once again on this track. This is immediately noticeable through the instrumental. The melody for this one has a dark and shimmery sound that is so reminiscent of the music that was big in the Y2K era. I love how synthetic and glitchy this melody is, as it is so fun and groovy. The beat for ‘it’s okay i’m okay’ has a similar glitchy and ultramodern feeling to the melody, making this song feel so robotic in the best way. As cool as the instrumental is, Tate McRae’s vocals are even better and more Britney-esque than the instrumental. I love the high, almost squeaky tone Tate sings on this one, as it fits the melody and beat so well. Tate McRae is poised to take over the last four months of the year for the second one in a row with ‘it’s okay i’m okay.’