Look – you’ve seen about every inspirational meme there is on the internet at this point during your quarantine, telling you to stay positive and that everything is going to be ok. Well, fuck that. I am here to tell you to turn the blinds down, strip down to your underwear and Risky Business the fuck out some new music. Maybe we can make a Tik Tok trend of it. What joy it would bring me to see people’s videos of them going full Tom Cruise with some new music. Push play and do it, you cowards.
Conan Gray Kid Grow
The last few years have been a time of growing for singer-songwriter Conan Gray. Gray rose to popularity due to the covers he posted on YouTube. Opening for Panic! at the Disco and selling out his own tour have prepared him for the release of his debut album, Kid Krow.
Gray delivers raw lyrics and emotions on Kid Krow that most 21 year old musicians cannot. Gray’s growing fan base loves him for his relatability, especially his ability to embrace sadness. The half-Japanese half-white singer tackles subjects that are new pop music. In the powerful “Heather,” Gray tells the story about a boy who is in love with another boy who just so happens to be in love with the aforementioned Heather.
The album covers sensitive subjects from suicide to abuse to growing up as member of the LGBTQ+ community with an authenticity that hasn’t been seen before. Kid Krow is a impressive album for basically any artist, but the fact that it is an artist debut album shows just how high Conan Gray has raised the bar for everyone else. @conangray
Morrissey I Am Not A Dog On A Chain
I know that in this time and age, it is difficult to be a fan of Morrissey. He has alienated a large portion of his fan base with his controversial takes on subjects like Brexit and the Manchester bombings of an Ariana Grande concert. The Smiths singer has had no problem speaking his mind and that has translated to his new album I Am Not A Dog On A Chain.
Opening track “Jim Jim Falls” will leave you picking your jaw up off of the ground after hearing him encourage potential suicides take place at the popular Australian waterfall. Lyrics like “If you’re going to jump then jump…if you’re going to run home and cry then don’t waste my time/If you’re going to kill yourself then/To save face get on with it” will absolutely flabbergast the typical listener.
There are a number of songs on the album that will please any diehard Smiths fan. “Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know” and “What Kind Of People Live In These Houses?” could easily be plucked from Morrissey’s 13th solo album and inserted right on to the next Smiths record. @officialmoz
The Weeknd After Hours
The Weeknd takes every chance he gets on After Hours to apologize for the man he has become as he fights to get back to the one he was. The Grammy award winning R&B star returns with an album full of sounds that resonated throughout his first three studio albums.
Title track After Hours tries hard while coming up a little short to return to The Weeknd’s dark, moody earlier work. The songs serve as the artists apology for his pleasure seeking journeys. For everything he is apologizing for in the title track he proudly puts on display on lead single “Heartless.” The sleek production of the track helps to hide the hedonistic thirst of the song’s narrator. With lyrics like “Never need a bitch, I’m what a bitch need,” it looks like The Weeknd might have to dish out a few more apologies.
The Weeknd is set to have one of the biggest albums of the year and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Grammy’s come knocking on his door again. @theweeknd
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
