By Olivia Turner | Arts & Life Editor
I present you with a healthy mix of hype anthems and heavy, emo tracks this Tunesday, courtesy of Halle, Daniel Caesar and — yes, I can’t believe it either — The Neighbourhood. Plug in and listen up to what you might have missed out on this weekend.
“OMG” by The Neighbourhood (Oct. 23)
PSA for all former (and current) Baylor alt rock emos and Tumblr baddies — The Neighbourhood is so back. On Thursday, this iconic 2010s group dropped a long-awaited set of three songs — “Private,” “OMG” and “Lovebomb” — the first release from the band since 2020. Fans around the world freaked out when the group posted an announcement on their Instagram in August that the band would be getting back together for another album.
For all those who craved Jesse Rutherford’s emotive, wallowy vocals for the past five years, these songs are guaranteed bliss. “OMG” in particular stood out to me with its rock-y upbeatness, a little unlike The Neighbourhood’s typical pacing and tone, but still very much them nonetheless.
“know about me (ft. GloRilla)” (Oct. 24)
Halle claims to be “no angel” in “know about me,” but even “divine” seems like an understatement for her vocals in this track. Fresh off her new album, “love? … or something like it,” Halle joins Memphis rapper GloRilla in this soulful, bad girl anthem, which trails off into an airy, jazzy piano riff at its conclusion. If you need to throw a hype hit into your daily mix, you’re welcome.
“Root of all Evil” by Daniel Caesar (Oct. 24)
Daniel Caesar has been an R&B staple for a decade now, but his recent album nearly dethrones Mac DeMarco as my go-to chill fall artist. “Root of all Evil” is the kind of song you queue once the air starts getting crispy, perhaps on a sunny October afternoon with the windows cracked open ever so slightly.
While the instrumentals on this one suggest a light, relaxed mood, the lyrics and title imply something deeper and even darker. The whole album, “Son of Spergy,” is about Caesar’s recent return to the Christian faith after a period of doubting and growing up in a Seventh-day Adventist home preceding that. This song, in particular, details Caesar’s struggles with sin and temptation as he reintegrates into something altogether familiar and new.
