Browsing: Rap

For this week’s Tunesday, we’ve got everything from rap, to indie-pop, to R&B and more. So pop in those airpods (or put on those headphones) and dig into a smorgasbord of specially selected new songs.

Houston junior and student musician Tryston Obevoen, also known as Sinoda, is set to release new music within the next few months. He began making music before he was in middle school, and now, more than halfway through his college career, he has a manager and almost 500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

With 2023 coming to a close, it’s time to recognize the top albums that were released this year. (Be warned, Swifties: I’m not including any of Taylor’s re-recorded albums.)

Here we are, three weeks into the semester. Whether you’re reeling from being humbled by those first few assignments or you’re riding high from a lucky 86%, there’s plenty of new music to match or boost your mood.

Niall Horan has been killing it recently, releasing banger after banger and bringing back simple and fun pop music. “Meltdown” has a backing chorus of singers that is almost operatic, lending a really bright sound to the song. It’s high energy and so happy, almost like the Irish member of One Direction’s answer to Harry Styles’ “As It Was.”

So, it sounds like Khalid might be making a surprising comeback this summer with “Be The One.” Although he’s just a feature, he really makes this song what it is. When I hear the track, I’m ready to get home for the summer, hit some trails and soak up the sunshine.

Hippo Campus is criminally underrated. The band just came out with an EP, “Wasteland,” which leaves you wanting much, much more at a curt 18 minutes. “Moonshine” is perfect, full stop. It’s happy, so pretty and has a whole ecosystem of backing instrumentals that make the very first listen a beautiful surprise.

For Don Toliver’s sixth studio album, he calls in a whole lot of friends. Varied voices from all over the musical map make an impact on an otherwise lackluster album, with very little below the surface. However, a few songs do survive the muddled mess and rise to the occasion of a contender for song of the summer.