20-Second Takes: 11/1/20

Kat Chian

“forget me too” - Machine Gun Kelly (feat. Halsey)

From rap to rock, Machine Gun Kelly can do it all. Off of his latest album, Tickets to my Downfall, Machine Gun Kelly combines classic pop punk with new wave sounds in his track "forget me too" (featuring Halsey). With heavy influences from Blink182, the song transports you back in time to the early 2000's. Its catchy melody and heavy guitar riff makes you want to get up and mosh. This will sure be one that you have on repeat for weeks.

“We Were The Same” - Matt Maeson

Breakout artist Matt Maeson has been making his mark on the alternative scene. Known for his track "Hallucinogenics", Maeson has created yet another banger. His single, "We Were The Same", is the perfect song for a 3AM car ride or for that "main character vibe". With its liberating lyrics and addicting chorus you'll be screaming it at the top of your lungs in no time.

Ken Tse

“Where Is Our Love Song” - Stevie Wonder (feat. Gary Clark Jr.)

Stevie Wonder saves 2020 with “Where Is Our Love Song.” The artist unsurprisingly shines in the recent release, and accompanied by the incomparable Gary Clark Jr., it’s clear that Stevie hasn’t lost a step. His message of “instruction and inspiration for today’s global challenges” is heard in the song’s thought provoking lyricisms. It’s definitely refreshing to know that his signature sound still holds up amongst it’s modern pop contemporaries.

“Garden” - EFÉ

“Garden” is the centerpiece of What Should We Do This Summer?, an incredibly strong EP that demonstrates the depth of EFÉ as an artist. Beautiful chord selection, lyrics, and harmony are what make the track. A genre-bend of sorts, all though I definitely find it an overused term. I love the birds chirping too— throughout the whole project, honestly; but they work especially well in a song like “Garden.”

Rachel Tair

“IRIS” - Ashes to Amber

“IRIS” was released in 2018 by Ashes to Amber, but I have only discovered it recently. Ashes to Amber calls himself “psychedelic pop” which I completely agree with. I love the instrumental parts of the song in combination with the soft sound of the artist. The song seems extremely personal and has amazing lyrics. Listening to “IRIS” definitely motivated me to listen to more of the artists work.

“Channel Orange In Your Living Room” - Charlie Burg

Charlie Burg has recently become one of my favorite artists of all time. His voice is extremely eloquent, and literally all of his songs are amazing. My favorite in particular has been “Channel Orange In Your Living Room”; it has been on repeat for the past few weeks. The song is upbeat and has a unique instrumental sound. The song has an extremely calming and chill vibe, and I love the personal lyrics.

“Sofia” - Clairo

Clairo is one of my all-time favorite artists. I love each and every one of her albums, but Immunity is definitely my favorite. “Sofia” encapsulates Clairo’s experience of questioning and discovering her sexuality which I think many people can easily relate to. The combination of an upbeat melody with Danielle Haim on drums makes this song calming and easy to listen to. Like many of her other songs, “Sofia” is catchy and memorable due to Clairo’s incredible lyrics and unique vocals.

Charlie Goodwin

”Tyler Herro” - Jack Harlow

While certainly not rising star Jack Harlow’s best work, it’s catchy and its relevant. The theme of the song plays perfectly into Harlow’s persona, but we know he’s capable of more than this. I’d give this a hard 6 on a scale of 1 to 10.

“Forever After All” - Luke Combs

One of country music’s brightest young stars, this is a wonderful entry from Luke Combs. A sensual song, Combs puts his heart into this one with the thoughtful lyrics and melodic tone. A home run for the singer early in his career.

Eli Goodwin

“positions” - Ariana Grande

After announcing that she’d be gifting us some new music this month, Ariana Grande doles out her newest hit “positions.” Is it revolutionary? Not really. Groundbreaking? Not quite. But that being said, it’s definitely good. No, great. Grande’s talent, as always, shines through immeasurably. She is objectively one of the staples of the modern pop scene, and is sure to leave a lasting legacy on the music world. Her vocals, backed by musical theatre training, remain unmatched, and the lyrics and melody make for a catchy hit as well. It’s only a matter of time before the song is played on virtually every radio station, but, honestly, I have no issue with that. My one small, nitpicky issue? “positions” bears a heavy resemblance to a lot of the star’s other works. Now, again, this isn’t a bad thing at all. Ariana’s kept our ears pleased since her early stuff, but her sound has definitely changed over time as she develops as an artist. “positions” is the start of a new project, however, and yet it’s super similar to tracks on the thank u, next album, specifically “imagine” and “make up,” to name a couple. Then again, thank u, next is a great album, so what’s wrong with a little more of it?

Eli Goodwin’s Sunday Scaries

“Follow Me (Zoey 101)” - Jamie Lynn Spears, Chantel Jeffries

Anyone on TikTok knows that the Nickelodeon classic Zoey 101 is getting an (unnecessary) facelift, set to star the likes of Noah Beck and JoJo Siwa. Anyone on TikTok also knows that the talking dog Bunny, who uses buttons to communicate, has recently entered its toddler phase of development, marking the pooch quite the inquisitive. What do Bunny and I have in common? We’ve both been asking “Why?” a hell of a lot recently. While Bunny is, yes, responding to “Bunny go park hmm?” I, on the other hand, am asking why someone would tumble out of god’s good graces so mercilessly in order to remake a show that can’t be remade, slathering a downright mediocre and forcibly, unpleasantly modernized theme song on top of an impending dumpster fire. While tweens can't wait to watch their favorite stars renegade down the hallowed halls of PCA, ab stimulators in tow, of course, they can first listen to the remnants of a masterpiece during the show’s title sequence, and then during the slime commercial it will inevitably play on during a commercial break, and then on the subsequent JCPenney Christmas sale ad. What’s so terrible about the song, you may ask? It’s quality is immensely sacrificed in the name of appeal. Chantel Jeffries slaps a mellow, unimpressive synthetic pop beat on the original, and yet there’s no point in reinventing the wheel in this instance. The saving grace of it all? It’s still Jamie Lynn Spears’ voice, who played Zoey. Let’s just hope they still drink Blix.