Real Goblin

Watch out for ghouls tonight. Anyway, let’s get into it.

Dua Lipa – “Illusion”

C+

Pretty underwhelming, especially compared to the other singles from her upcoming album. I’ve enjoyed the teasers we’ve gotten up until this point, but “Illusion” feels like a step back from Future Nostalgia. Dua Lipa impressed with a unique blend of sounds that lived up to the album’s name on her second project. “Illusion”, sadly, is more akin to something off the more generic debut record that washed over me completely. Hopefully Dua Lipa has something more interesting left over for the album.

Future, Metro Boomin – “We Still Don’t Trust You”

B

The atmosphere is strong, but the track doesn’t really have much else to offer unfortunately. The production is spacey, and the intro is catchy. But around the point that you’d want the song to build on itself and unfold into a climactic finish, it just sort of…goes on.

WILLOW – “b i g f e e l i n g s”

A-

WILLOW continues to impress. Vocally, this and the previous single have been quite strong. I feel like this new direction, however you choose to define it, is much more interesting than the pop punk record from a few years back. While I enjoyed the album, it was nothing I haven’t heard a hundred times before. On “b i g f e e l i n g s”, WILLOW delves into a more soulful, even jazzy sound. My interest is piqued and I’m eager to see where this goes.

Maggie Rogers– “The Kill”

B-

Maggie Rogers dropped a new album this morning, which caught me by surprise. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention and this was announced months ago. Either way, “The Kill” is a better direction for Rogers. It feels more in her wheelhouse than most of the tracks off of her previous record. It’s nothing too special or memorable, though. We’ll see how I feel about the full album.

TOLEDO – “Say!”

A

One of two new songs off of their new Popped Heart EP, “Say!” is pretty solid. It’s probably a personal highlight on the project for me. Overall, Popped Heart doesn’t live up to the heights of something like Jockeys of Love, which feels much more cohesive and thematically strong. Popped Heart is more like a collection of b-sides – which is ok, but not as exciting as the band’s ambitious debut, for example.

The Lemon Twigs– “How Can I Love Her More?”

A

The Lemon Twigs really emulate The Turtles’ “Happy Together” on this one. And that’s ok. It’s clear that the band enjoys this vintage sound. And as long as they keep doing it well, I guess I’m alright with that. They manage to keep it interesting, even when they are pushing the limits of what “inspiration” means.