Money is Everything
Addison Rae
This is the track from Addison's unexpectedly eclectic full-length that most closely resembles the bubblegum pop that made up her debut EP — and the song's meaning, in a way, acts as a testament to the power of the oft-derided genre.
Over sunny synths and bubbly percussion, Addison sings about the power of money and the pleasure of indulgence — typically superficial subject matter for teen pop. But like much of Addison's music, there is a subtle depth to the glossy surface she paints. Yes, the song is a celebration of wealth, as well as the privilege and luxury her influencer income has given her access to. But at its heart, it's simpler — and deeper — than that. As Addison sings in the spoken word intro — “Can't a girl just have fun?”
The song's only real verse describes the humble act of going out and vibing with your favorite music, which makes the subject matter all the more relatable. “I drink on the nights that I wanna' remember / And when I'm out dancing, please DJ, play Madonna / I wanna' roll one with Lana / Get high with Gaga.” In the jubilant singsong outro, Addison shouts, “Money loves me! I'm the richest girl in the world!” Such phrases are often used by the delulu spiritual girlies on the woo-woo corners of social media as a part of money spells meant to help people attract financial security and abundance. So as much as the song is a braggadocious bubblegum banger sang by a rich young woman about her glamorous lifestyle, it also works as a testament to the power of manifestation.
Throughout her career, Addison has pointed to her positive mindset as a source of her success. Fittingly, shortly after Addison released her debut album, she would go on to open for Lana on tour and critics would favorably compare the work to many of the idols she name-checks in this song. The catchy, chant-like melody and endorphin-inducing production of “Money is Everything” can put you in such a good mood, you may just end up believing you can manifest your own dreams. Despite how silly or shallow it may seem, pop music — like money — is nevertheless powerful.
Times Like These
Addison Rae
This moody midtempo finds Addison surrendering to a chaotic chapter in her life.
The music video for the track shows Addison leaving an intimate moment with an apparent lover for a busy day working as an aspiring pop star — doing her hair and makeup, posing for photos in elaborate outfits and performing intricate choreography with her dancers on a studio set — but the lyrics are about much more universal topics. From struggles with relationships and body image — “If I dye my hair bleach blonde, maybe then I'll turn you on / Should I eat what I want tonight or will it make me feel less tight?” — to growing up and the looming effect of troubled family dynamics — “Am I too old to blame my dad?” Throughout the verses, Addison asks more questions like these but ultimately accepts that there are no answers— “I'm so confused ... In times like these, it's how it has to be” — making it a fitting soundtrack for our uncertain moment.
When I Get You Alone
Tinashe
Tinashe is a master at blending sultry R&B and sweet pop melodies with interesting production and emotionally vulnerable lyrics.
On this track from her viral EP Quantum Baby, Tinashe seduces her lover over a buzzy bass-heavy track — “Let me be your baby / Right here, right now ... I'ma lay you down take it nice and slow ... got a lace thong and a mink coat on.” But like so many of Tinashe's best tracks, there's a heartbeat beneath the bassline. Tinashe's pillow talk is not sweet nothings — on the chorus, she says she and her lover are “finally falling in love.” But after the final chorus, the beat switches up to minimal atmospheric percussion and Tinashe describes the deterioration of the relationship — she was the only one who caught feelings, but she holds out hope that her ex will come back to her. “You want me still, don't you pretend ... I ain't even gotta ask if you miss my body.” It sounds at once like bad-bitch confidence and devastating levels of delusion. As usual, Tinashe explores both sides so masterfully, the emotional themes of the song will stay with you just as long as the hooky chorus.
horse girls <3
Pebbles&TamTam
Since going viral with their sugarcoated rap track “PINK LIKE SUKI,” this up and coming duo has only gotten better at blending sweet vocals and themes with unhinged lyrics and grimy dance beats.
Their debut EP, Sleepover! the mixtape :P is full of catchy and comedic hyperpop confections. This track is just as chaotic as their most brainrotted bops, but offers a surprising amount of emotional resonance. The song uses equestrian imagery to describe growing up — and hooking up. “I can turn the stable lights off, make you fantasize ... Fuck a saddle, I want bare bod wrapped around my thighs ... Come stick me with that spur ... Barn is open, get up in it.”
As sexually raw as the lyrics get, the chorus is unexpectedly wholesome and empowering. “Ooh ooh boy, you know I can't be tamed / All horse girls gotta' grow up someday / Muddy hooves and the wind in my mane / Hold on tight, we can gallop far away.” There are other lyrics that speak to the sense of freedom and possibility that often comes along with the coming of age — “I've been waiting all my life to taste the grass on the other side ... Open the gates, the hills are calling my name / I promise this pony can't be tamed.” But an unhinged post-chorus filled with a random comical sound effects — mattress squeaks, horse neighs, angelic harps and whirring power tools — keeps things from getting too sappy.
Listening to the song indeed feels like growing up — it's a confusing hodge-podge of experiences and emotions that leave you laughing out loud one moment, and wallowing in yearning the next. The bold embrace of apparently contradictory emotions and sounds is empowering in its own way — it is uninhibited self-expression.
Bodyology
Snow Wife
The title track from Snow Wife's second EP acts as a mission statement for the project and Snow's artistic vision as a whole.
Snow Wife cut her teeth as a dancer in Houston, TX, before launching her music career with her debut EP Queen Degenerate. Her background is apparent in her dance-oriented sound and lyrics that largely revolve around partying — and the personal drama that can accompany nightlife. Bodyology is no different, though its themes aim a little higher.
Snow Wife defined Bodyology as “the study of pop music through dance and movement.” On this track, Snow Wife sings about hitting the club, flirting and sipping drinks in the VIP section, over a distorted electronic beat and sparkling synths that capture the euphoria of a great night out. At its heart “Bodyology” is — like all great dance music — about that emotional transcendence; the authentic self-expression and sense of embodiment that can be found on the dance floor.
It's not just about getting drunk and hooking up — in her words, it's about “full autonomy.” It's a relatable experience for anyone who enjoys going out, and it's an especially powerful sentiment in an era where bodily autonomy and self-determination are under attack. With this song, Snow Wife reminds us that no matter what might be going on outside the club, through pop music, through dance, we can find freedom.
Play Destroy
Poppy feat. Grimes
Poppy gained notoriety as a viral novelty while trying to make a name for herself in the music industry. This song is the peak of her meta mythology.
Her first album played up her cyborg internet persona with sugary sweet hyperpop-influenced sounds. It was a great album, but the question of whether or not her gimmicky persona would overpower her music loomed. Her second album resolved those concerns, ironically, by leaning fully into the narrative she built. On Am I a Girl? Poppy further builds out her fictional world while providing insight into her real-life journey from struggling young artist to otherworldly pop persona.
This track is arguably the album's thesis statement. It plays up a sinister version of Poppy's cyborg character who is out to destroy the modern world (“Burn down the local Walmart / Monsanto, Raytheon”), and it also perfectly exemplifies the genre-bending sound she's since become known for, blending sugary sweet pop hooks with industrial instrumentals. The singsong melodies, heavy guitars and violent lyrics are seemingly contradictory, but they actually work together to reveal Poppy's true mission. She's not a rogue android sent to usher in an apocalypse. Poppy is an artist — and her destruction is merely a means to an end.
Poppy's android character is an ironic embodiment of the exploitation and violence of capitalism, and her artistic depiction of the underbelly of our society causes a destruction of a different kind — it's a deconstruction the comforting narratives we are sold by the system everyday. The destruction she's truly championing is not the type that's caused by toxic pesticides or tools of war — it's the destruction of a world that allows for such atrocities. She “love[s] to play destroy” not because she enjoys violence, but because she sees the potential for a better world in the ashes of the old one.
In the Rain
Addison Rae
Another moody track from Addison's debut, “In the Rain” is an ode to emotional boundaries — “You don't deserve my heart / And guess what — I don't owe it to you" — and a sort of celebration of superficiality — “Don't want to be sad / God, it feels like a waste of time / Maybe it's fake, but I don't care.”
It's not that Addison is out of touch with or in denial about her emotions — quite contrary, her emotional experience is profoundly intimate. She's the only one who can truly understand herself, so she doesn't waste energy explaining herself to other people — “Misunderstood but I'm not gonna' sweat it ... Keeping a smile on my face for protection.” Of course, there is a bittersweet ambivalence to her state of emotional alienation, which makes this track more complex and compelling than the whole cliche crying-in-the-rain thing suggests.
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