the essential songs will be on everyone’s lips today and take over playlists over the weekend and beyond.
This week, Blink-182 is back and edgier than ever, Lil Baby takes the stage once again, and 1975 has a clear mission statement. See below for a list of all this week’s First Stream picks:
Lil Baby, It’s Just Me
Lil Baby is a natural star with a distinctive voice and the kind of magnetism that can support him through solo singles, guest verses, and commercial chances. On the other hand, lil bbay music deviates from the long-standing principles of mainstream hip-hop in several anxious and isolating ways.
Since the 2020s My Turn,lil baby profile has skyrocketed. That tension between personality and product has been fascinating to watch. It’s Only Me, which debuts as a blockbuster (with cameos from Future, Young Thug, Jeremih, and Pooh Shiesty, among others), is defined by Baby’s attention to detail and searing approach to storytelling rather than any lunges toward catchiness. In It’s Only Me, lil baby embraces his own idea of stardom in a complex and moving way.
“Edging” by Blink-182
In the first minute of Blink-182’s return single “Edging,” Tom DeLonge sings, “I’m a punk rock kid, I came from hell with a curse / She attempted to pray it away, so I f-ked her in church.” This is DeLonge’s first Blink single in years. “Edging” demonstrates that DeLonge, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker still know how to get in a room and create tight, snappy, highly sophomoric pop-punk; it’s nice to have them back. The trio is currently focused on their massive reunion tour next year.
Being Hilarious in a Foreign Language from 1975
Anyone who is even a passing fan of the UK band 1975 should be intrigued by the news that Matty Healy and company decided to collaborate with Jack Antonoff for Being Funny in a Foreign Language with the apparent intention of making an album about love. 1975 is responsible for some of the most brilliant pop songs of the past decade. What Antonoff offers on the full-length is focus: the band’s customary studio sprawl is condensed to just 11 songs here, brimming with enthusiasm for pop songcraft and optimism for a better future in the digital age (“Oh Caroline,” for example, is the sound of everyone involved synthesizing the ’80s and firing on all cylinders).
“Starved” by Zach Bryan
The new single, “Starved,” which follows the prolific singer-American songwriter’s Heartbreak album and Summertime Blues EP, operates more as an apotheosis of his country-rock lyrics than as a stopgap single. It is saturated in recollections and moves onward with a choked-up snarl. In the bridge, Bryan says, “There’s no universe in which I’m good for you,” as soft violins subtly accompany his pain.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dream Canteen’s Return
Red Hot Chili Peppers made their fans wait six years for new music after their 2016 album The Getaway, but the wait was worthwhile because Unlimited Love and now Return of the Dream Canteen will both be released in 2022. (with a stadium tour across North America in between their releases). Return of the Dream Canteen (recorded during the Unlimited Love sessions) is a more satisfying project than a B-sides collection because of the blissed-out songs like the Eddie Van Halen tribute “Eddie” and is a deluge of what the Chilis do best. The opening track, “Tippa My Tongue,” gives Anthony Kiedis free range to spit his game.
Young Forever, Nessa Barrett
Whether you want to call Nessa Barrett’s music pop, alternative, pop-punk, or emo, the singer-songwriter has found a niche in presenting stories that resonate on radio stations and in TikTok clips. With songs like “Dear God” and “Tired of California,” Barrett’s debut album Young Forever continues the emotionally truthful road she started with the stunning eating disorder story “Dying on the Inside,” which captures emotions of emptiness and boredom over ethereal orchestration.