By Emma Weidmann | Arts and Life Editor
If you’re in search of the week’s best new music, look no further. Here’s a short list of the music worth a listen to start your week off right.
“Heaven” by Niall Horan (Feb. 17)
This song blew my mind the first time I heard it. The crescendo at the chorus really makes you ascend into heaven, although that’s not where the song gets its name from. Niall Horan may not be the most well-known member of the since-disbanded One Direction, but his songwriting ability, especially when it comes to love ballads, gives Harry Styles a run for his money. I have already played this song in my car with the windows rolled down several times, and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.
Horan’s second solo album is set to drop June 9.
“A&W” by Lana Del Rey (Feb. 14)
“A&W” gives us a different side of Lana Del Rey, contrasting her cinematic and vintage-inspired albums of the past. This single is the second to tease her upcoming record, “Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.,” out March 24.
“A&W” is a surprise, starting soft yet dramatic and suddenly interrupted by a beat drop about halfway through. It takes the listener on a ride and throws off all predictions for what the whole album will sound like. I wasn’t sure how to feel the first time I listened because it’s so experimental, but it grew on me quickly. Though I’m not sure what the album will sound like, I have a feeling it’ll shock me at first and but I’ll grow to love it.
“Glue Song” by beabadoobee (Feb. 14)
Beabadoobee constantly drops the most adorable tunes, and “Glue Song” is no different. The strings, her voice and the warmth of the song all combine to just make me melt. Inspired by her boyfriend, the love with which she wrote it is almost tangible.
“Dublin in Ecstasy” by Inhaler (Feb. 17)
“Dublin in Ecstasy” is one of those songs that to hear live would mean you could then die happy. It’s one of the best off the all-around incredible new album, “Cuts & Bruises” by Inhaler. This Dublin-based band is quickly becoming the predecessor of the likes of The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys, drawing heavily from that full indie rock sound, but putting a 2020s twist on its Tumblr heritage.
With lead singer Elijah Hewson being the son of U2 frontman Bono, maybe in a few decades we’ll see Inhaler albums unsolicitedly downloaded onto our iTunes.
