By Emma Weidmann | Arts and Life Editor
Here’s your spring break playlist for that long car ride to the beach or your nap on an airplane.
“Me Before You” by Bleachers (Feb. 21)
The final single from Bleachers’ upcoming self-titled album is here: “Me Before You.” It’s a The 1975-esque, mellow, alternative pop tune that is reminiscent of the Matty Healy-fronted band’s first album.
That’s not shocking, considering Bleachers is signed to Healy’s label, Dirty Hit, and Jack Antonoff, lead singer of the band, produced The 1975’s latest album, “Being Funny in a Foreign Language.”
“Me Before You” is good for those slow moments and has the capacity to be calming, chill and, simultaneously, maybe a little bit boring. But not every Bleachers song has to be “Modern Girls,” so I’m more satisfied than disappointed with the variety that the band delivers.
“Saturn” by SZA (Feb. 22)
SZA debuted this track during the Grammy Awards earlier this month, and the studio version only just dropped. These lyrics are a little more intelligible than SZA’s usual M.O., where she forgets to sing consonants.
“Saturn” is all about saving the Earth and not using space travel as an alternative to caring for the climate. She satirically chides those who expect rewards for their good deeds, and she makes it sound pretty with her famously breathy-yet-deep vocals and an ethereal background instrumental.
“Find something worth saving/It’s all for the taking/I always say I’ll be better on Saturn/None of this matters” seems to point fingers at some ambitions to colonize Mars in lieu of implementing climate policy.
“Get Off My Phone” by THE DRIVER ERA (Feb. 22)
“Get Off My Phone” floats between a chorus that hits you in the face with loud guitar and kicking drums and a more laid-back verse. This is the kind of song that you can just tell will be amazing when played live.
“Lil Tune” by Gus Dapperton, Electric Guest (Feb. 23)
“Lil Tune” is exactly what I expect from Gus Dapperton, starting off with a vintage-inspired spoken part that gets you in the mood to open the sunroof of your car and risk your hair getting extremely tangled in the wind. It’s perfectly unique and a little quirky, just like Dapperton himself.
