I would like to thank Beyoncé, not out of fear of retribution, but genuinely. Friday, the fifth day of the week, was once reserved for corporate denim. Now, it has shifted into something rhythmic. It was Friday, December 13, 2013. Streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music were just beginning to gain momentum. With no prior leaks or promotion, Beyoncé released her eponymous album, Beyoncé: a black cover with flirtatious pink text, simple in execution yet monumental in impact. A total surprise, delivered in a 100% digital format. It became a cultural reset and a celebration of the omnipotence of streaming, further emphasizing the beauty of accessible music. Now that we are aware of our history, let’s take a look at some new releases of the week. 

Mitski: “Nothing’s About to Happen to me“

In 2023, with the commercial breakthrough of “My Love Mine All Mine,” Mitski achieved the sort of vitality that keeps up-and-coming talent awake at night. Soundtracking over 2.5 million videos, Mitski dials in on her eighth studio album, Nothing Is About to Happen to Me. 

Mitski takes on a literary approach that teeters on existentialism. Sonically, the work is skillfully sober while maintaining a certain lucidity and definite concept. Focusing in on Mitski’s psychological architect, which now sounds abandoned to her unfulfilled prophecies becoming overrun with discrepancy, rats in the kitchen. Throughout the record, the narrator is harassed by stray cats, the dogs of dead girls, and crowds intent on embalming her. Wrenching to hold on to herself: longing for a forever with her absent lover still beside her, devising in delirium ways to preserve him, and ultimately allowing madness to become her, where she begins to fantasize about her own death. She delivers these songs with great restraint, letting the sadness sit plain.

Melanie Martinez: “Disney Princess”

The poisonous bubble-gum sound of Tumblr empress Melanie Martinez has been formative to many children of unrestricted internet access. Though Tumblr has softened, Melanie Martinez has continued to pave the road to her forthcoming album with the sardonic and campy release of her latest single, “Disney Princess”. An incisive tale of society’s fervor for commodifying women. Speaking on the track, Melanie shares: “I love writing about the entertainment industry and how it affects women. It’s a perfect microcosm of the world around us, how numb and disconnected you can become if you allow others to commodify you.”

SLAYYYTER: “Old Technology”

Slayyyter embarks on a new era, a darker, more hedonistic sound separating her from the hyperfemininity of her past dance tracks. With her latest single “OLD TECHNOLOGY”, Slayyyter embodies a surge of adrenaline, channeling early internet bombast. Confrontational and frictional, “OLD TECHNOLOGY” captures the demise of an escapism-centered culture. The accompanying video, directed by SLAYYYTER, leans into the Tumblr-inspired aesthetic of modern Bushwick while weaving in characters of middle America, all of these being visual motifs definite to the WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA.

BLACKPINK: “GO”

A BLACKPINK comeback will always cause commotion across the K-Pop community. Post world tour and pre mini album debut, the ladies of BLACKPINK revisit the dancefloor that their last single “JUMP” ushered us to. “GO” the title track for their mini-album [DEADLINE] was made in collaboration with dance-track savant David Guetta. “GO” separates itself from the rest of BLACKPINK’s discography as it’s the first time all four BLACKPINK members have written on one song together. The production builds through turbo-charged synthesizers and gargantuan breakdowns. The song has an undeniable edge that marries a guitar strung with softness. Representative of BLACKPINK’s nature.