This week in pop, Halsey delighted fans by announcing The Great Impersonator and confirming the album will be released on October 25. Fans heard from Benee for the first time since last year. Camila Cabello released a deluxe version of C,XOXO, Jessie Murph released her debut LP, and Fred Again.. dropped Ten Days. But is anybody happier than ARMY and the Hotties?
Check that out and more in Uproxx’s Best New Pop Music roundup below.
Halsey — “Ego”
Any of Halsey’s four The Great Impersonator singles could pass as a viable lead single. “Ego” is the latest, and it effectively pairs Halsey’s vulnerable lyricism with a swelling, upbeat sound. “I think that I should try to kill my ego,” Halsey sings. “‘Cause if I don’t, my ego might kill me / I’m all grown up but somehow lately / I’m acting like a fucking baby / I’m really not as happy as I seem.” Also last week, Halsey formally announced The Great Impersonator as her fifth LP. “I made this record in the space between life and death,” they said, referring to chronic illnesses previously revealed around “The End.”
Megan Thee Stallion Feat. RM — “Neva Play”
Megan Thee Stallion has an infinite Q rating right now. She infiltrated the NFL and BTS within one week. Meg teased “Neva Play” featuring RM as containing “one of my favorite RM verses I’ve heard,” which is now a universally held opinion. But Meg’s flow is also tight as ever, rapping, “I’m the big fish jumpin’ out the TX / So dope, tryna make me take a pee test.” I mean, come on!
Benee — “Sad Boiii”
“Sad Boiii” marks the New Zealander’s first offering of 2024, and the song’s shelf life will last well beyond this year. “I tried to write a summery and happy tune with a dark meaning,” Benee said in a statement, adding, “Lyrically, ‘Sad Boiii’ is about being in a relationship where you’re pissed off with the other person because he has a façade going on. Even though he pretends to be tough, he’s just another damaged boy who needs help.” The upbeat tune has a dash of reggae and is drenched in relatability: “I’m with this new boy / All my friends think he’s great / And he’s perfect for most of the time, but at times, he can act so deranged.” Which ex are you picturing right now?
Camila Cabello — “Godspeed”
Camila Cabello wasn’t ready to let C,XOXO go. The multi-platinum star droppedC,XOXO (Magic City Edition), punctuated by “Godspeed.” The stripped-down song was “the first song I ever wrote for this album,” Cabello wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Speculation continues that Cabello and Sabrina Carpenter are swapping songs about Shawn Mendes, but regardless of the muse, “Godspeed” showcases Cabello’s high register and ability to poignantly pull from her lows.
Fred Again.. & Emmylou Harris — “Where Will I Be”
Fred Again.. does it again. His Ten Days album is here, and it includes the striking track “Where Will I Be,” which blends Fred Again..’s all-world electronic production acumen with Emmylou Harris’ unmistakably country-tinged voice. When Fred Again.. announced the project, he wrote, “It’s ten songs about ten days. There’s been a lot of biggg mad crazy moments in the last year, but basically all of these are about really very small quiet intimate moments.” No track encapsulates that better than “Where Will I Be” — managing to marry a vast soundscape with acute anecdotal lyrics.
Jessie Murph — “Love Lies”
Uproxx caught up with Jessie Murph ahead of her That Ain’t No Man That’s The Devil release. Her debut LP is an emphatic statement — mixing spiteful lyricism with soulful vocals — but Murph has been pleasantly surprised to see fans attach to “Love Lies.” The melodic track is encapsulates Murph’s flow as a rapper and range as a vocalist.
MEOVV — “MEOW”
Teddy Park, THEBLACKLABEL, and Capitol Records unveiled MEOVV on August 28, and MEOVV’s first single is here. “MEOW” instantly shows why MEOVV is K-pop’s next enticing girl group. The five members has seamless chemistry while delivering bilingual catchy lines like “Wons and yens and dollars / Comma, comma, comma.” It shouldn’t take long for MEOVV to make their presence known on the charts.
Tzuyu — “Run Away”
“I think this album will be a good window for people to see a new side of me,” TWICE’s Tzuyu recently told Uproxx in reference to aboutTZU, her debut EP. “Run Away” speaks to her versatility, as she effortlessly delivers confident vocals atop an infectious synth-pop soundscape.
Mxmtoon Feat. Kero Kero Bonito — “The Situation”
Mxmtoon announced Liminal Space, her third LP, will be released on November 1. At the same time, she dropped “The Situation” featuring Kero Kero Bonito. The shimmering sonics distract listeners from the fact Mxmtoon is very directly acknowledging the terrifying passage of time: “Years go by and the / Tears you cry become / Part of the routine / It’s your birthday, you’re not eighteen / It’s the reality of the situation / It’s a morbid infatuation.” Somehow, mortality never sounded so good?
Alex Warren — “Troubled Waters”
In August, Alex Warren caught many people’s ears with “Carry You Home” featuring Ella Henderson. That set the stage for “Troubled Waters,” which arrived with a beautiful Hunter Moreno-directed video co-starring Kouvr Annon, Warren’s wife of three months. “Say you won’t let me drown / Drown in troubled waters alone / Say you won’t let me down / Darling when I need you the most,” Warren sings in his striking tone. “I think it’s difficult to capture the fear and vulnerability around abandonment in a song, and my hope is that anyone who listens to this song can find solace in its message and know that they’re never drowning in troubled waters alone,” Warren said in a statement.