• Billie Eilish, Birds of a Feather (Pop/Alternative)- The June 3 Playlist Winner, “Birds of a Feather”, is now the world’s 6th most streamed song, eclipsing “Lunch”, Ms. Eilish’s first single from her most recent LP.  With an effortlessly poignant melody- and an understated accompaniment, FINNEAS and Billie may have crafted a pop classic.

• Sabrina Carpenter, Please Please Please (Pop) – Although just released last week, the snappy “Please Please Please” is already the #1 most streamed song in the world, giving Ms. Carpenter the Streaming Exacta, with her “Espresso” being #2.  The former Disney Channel star, has also been hitting her other celebrity marks in 2024, dating “Saltburn” star, Barry Keoghan and opening for T-Swizzle on the Era’s Tour.    

Trivia fact #1- Sabrina is speculated to be the “blonde girl” whom Olivia Rodrigo admits to be “insecure about” in Rodrigo’s smash hit “Driver’s License”.

Trivia fact #2- Sabrina is the niece of Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson

• Brigitte Calls Me Baby, We Were Never Alive (Alternative)- This is the first single from the curiously named Brigitte Calls Me Baby’s (BCMB) upcoming first album.  Watch out for big things from Chicago’s BCMB as they are fronted by the Berklee Music-educated Wes Leavins’ who was described by NPR as having the looks, “swoon-worthy voice and on-stage swagger that suggests he was destined for bright lights and throngs of screaming fans.”     

Trivia question- This band’s name is a full sentence.  Can you name any others?  I’ve come up with She Wants Revenge and Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

• Orville Peck, Kylie Minogue & Diplo, Midnight Ride (Dance/Country?)- What is so special about  this song?  Is it the teaming of gay icons Peck and Minogue- or mega-DJ Diplo’s continued pioneering of a new Country/Electronic crossover genre- or Peck’s Elvis-like talkover- or maybe the uniquely memorable harmonies from Peck and Minogue?   Most likely, it’s how each of those seemingly incongruous characteristics combine seamlessly into “Midnight Ride”.

• The Original Cast of Stereophonic, Seven Roads (Musical/Rock)- The musical, Stereophonic has a record 13 Tony nominations and is based on the drama and personal turmoil of a band recording a late 1970’s album while on the verge of superstardom.  Sounds a lot like Fleetwood Mac and the recording of “Rumours”, right?  The music was written by Will Butler from Arcade Fire and debuted off-Broadway in late 2023, moving to Broadway in 2024.

• Luke Combs, Remember Him That Way (Country)- It was a tough choice between this song and "The Man He Sees in Me' from Combs' new LP “Fathers & Sons”, but "Remember Him That Way" may be poignant to those of you who have (or had) aging fathers. With "Remember...." and "The Man...." both debuting in the Top 25 on Apple Music streaming this weekend, Combs hopes to continue his success of having all 4 of his previous LP’s chart in the US Top 5, including a stretch of 14 straight #1 Country singles between 2016 and 2021.

• Koe Wetzel & Jessie Murph, High Road (Country)- Debuting at #11 of the Apple Music streaming charts, “High Road” is Wetzel’s most recent single from the forthcoming “9 Lives” album.  The 31-year-old Texan, Wetzel appears to be gaining momentum after a slow career start, with his 2022 LP hitting #12 and #3 in the US and US Country charts and his upcoming release expected to be even more popular.

• RAYE, Genesis, pt. ii (R&B)- “Genesis” is RAYE’s first single since she swept the 2024 Brit Awards (Like the Grammy’s for the UK), winning 6 awards, including best Song, Artist and Album of the Year.  Before RAYE was a solo artist, she wrote songs for Beyonce, Rihanna, John Legend and many others.  Debuting at #22 in the UK this week, “Genesis” eloquently lays bare RAYE’s struggles with depression, anxiety, addiction and her faith in citing Genesis i.3’s “Let there be light” in overcoming those obstacles.

• The Original Cast of Hell’s Kitchen, The Elevator Prologue/The Gospel (Musical/R&B)- Like Stereophonic, Hell’s Kitchen has 13 Tony Nominations and is a semi-autobiographical story of Alicia Keys growing up in Manhattan in the 1990’s. Hell’s Kitchen’s music and lyrics were written by Keys and feature both previously released hits like “If I Ain’t Got You” and “Empire State of Mind” and unreleased material. Although I haven’t seen the musical, the opening “The Elevator Prologue” makes me feel like I’m there.

• Vince Staples, Étouffée (Rap)- As disclosed last week, I’m a Staples fanboy (and homeboy), and “Étouffée” is my favorite on his recent critically acclaimed “Dark Times” LP.  Backed by an austere, but banging stuttering drum track and a looped LoFi organ, “Étouffée” is an homage to Staples’ pre-LBC family migration from Louisiana (“tryin’ to dodge Jim Crow”) and in particular to the residents of the famous Magnolia housing projects, the birthplace of New Orleans rap and bounce.  And, at 3:50, the brief bridge to the old 80’s/90’s rap drum track seriously bangs…

Trivia fact #3- As most of you likely know, Staples’ use of “gat” references a gun.  However, you may not know that it comes from the 1920’s slang for the now obsolete, Gatling rotating barrel machine gun used by gangsters.

• Tems, Burning (AfroBeats)- It was awfully difficult to choose just one song from Tems’ debut “Born in the Wild” LP, which dropped on June 6 and may be in competition for album of the year honors in December.  The 28-year-old Nigerian appears to be on the verge of stardom in the US- and deservedly so as she wrote and self-produced most of the songs on her LP.  According to Pitchfork “Distilling her music to its essence, “Born in the Wild” opts for a stripped-down ‘90’s vibe affording Tems the serenity to explore her innermost thoughts…letting her vocals become the luminous core of the music.”

  
  
  
  

• Angélica Garcia, Juanita (Latin)- The Salvadoran and Mexican-American Garcia first came to view when one of her songs was featured on Neuphoria competitor, Barack Obama’s annual playlist in 2019.  The dramatic “Juanita”, pairs Garcia’s Rosalía-like vocal, with a twisted and slowed latin beat reminiscent of Guatemalan experimentalists, Radio Zumbido, building to a messy crescendo.  The video to “Juanita” is recommended watching.

• L’Impératrice & Fabiana Martone, Danza Marilú (Alternative/World)- Credit to Neuphorian JoMo for introducing me to the French band L’Impératrice.  “Danza Marilú” is featured on their June 2024 LP, “Pulsar” and features Italian singer Fabiana Martone alternating between French and Italian over a popping nu-disco bass and crystalline arrangement. 

• ​фрози (frozy), kompa pasion (EuroTrash)- Those who know me well, recognize that I’m a sucker for eastern European songs that gain international popularity, since they are so rare- and often so strange (cue Romania’s “Dragostea Din Tei”).  I also have great sympathy for the suffering and the cause of the Ukrainian people in the Russia invasion. ​фрози (frozy)’s, “kompa pasion” is directly in the intersection of those proclivities, as this odd Ukranian tune is somehow presently the 15th most Shazam’d song in the world.  Go figure…. 

• Charli XCX, 360 (Alternative/Hyperpop)- The Uganda-born, Indian-English Ms. XCX just released an expanded edition of her April 2024 “brat” LP- and I’ve received some suggestions about including more of her music on Neuphoria.  The digitally hyperpopping “360” debuted at #27 in the BBC Top 40 this week- and is expected to gain momentum globally.

• Girl On Couch & Billen Ted, Man in Finance (Dance)- So, according to CNBC, Finance Bros are having a moment, with “Man in Finance” going viral on TikTok last week.  Given that I’m an accountant, have blue eyes and tall-ish (but not 6’5”), I qualify as Finance Bro-adjacent, so I’m all in.  One could criticize “Man in Finance’s” blatant sampling of “Like a G6”, the shamelessly transactional lyrics or the disinterested entitled vocal, but of course, that would be missing the point, wouldn't it?

I also want to offer congratulations to Rosalía for being the first solo Latin artist to reach 1 billion Spotify streams.   

Happy listening!  

D