What’s up BHS? Have you guys been listening to a lot of music? If you haven’t peeped some of these songs I strongly advise you: give them a listen before you hear my take on them.

1) Unholy (Sam Smith & Kim Petras) – This song is interesting to say the least. I mean I guess it is kinda cool because it’s experimental or whatever, but this song is very weird to me. The instrumental is very basic and Sam Smith just repeats the same thing over and over again and then Kim Petras comes in with a subpar verse. The lyrics aren’t anything special either. I don’t really know how this song is #1 on the charts because I’ve never heard anyone listening to it but it’s here. It has a pretty low replayability as well because it is so repetitive, not my type. 4/10

2) Bad Habit (Steve Lacey) – I don’t care that this song is way overplayed, I still like it a lot, and for me it hasn’t lost its touch. One of the aspects that I like a lot about this song is that it constantly develops over time in a controlled manner and keeps the listener interested. The outro section, with around 1:20 left in the song, is one of my favorite parts as all the instruments (along with Steve’s voice) come in for one final time. Yes the lyrics are quite basic, but at this point what are you really expecting with a song like this: most R&B/Soul songs use the same material, anyway. Overall it is a nice breath of fresh air since Steve and his producers decided to put in a little extra effort into making the song and you hear that in the final result. 8.5/10

3) Romantic Homicide (d4vd) – This song just hits! I don’t know how to exactly define a song hitting but if any song hits for me off of this list, this one did. The ethereal strums in the instrumental, the phasing pad in the background, and the pleasant, emotion driven voice of d4vd really paint quite the picture for the listener. Even If you look past the immaculate vibe that the song presents, the lyrics tell a simple but hard hitting story on how the person who left you or cheated on you will still remain in your mind and in your thoughts. A short but very compelling song that has many different layers in the instrumental as well as in the meaning of the song. 9/10

4) Something in the Orange (Zach Bryan) – I don’t listen to country very much but to my surprise I enjoyed this song. Zach Bryan carries a lot of emotion in this voice and it works well to emphasize the uncertain theme throughout the song as the breakup ensues. He talks about how things used to be and how it is different now as they go their separate ways. I like how the instrumental picks up as Zach goes into the hook putting a spotlight on the weight of the situation. This song doesn’t really have any weaknesses and it keeps the listener engaged throughout the almost four minute runtime. 8/10

5) As It Was (Harry Styles) – It’s basic but it does its job as a fun pop song with all the different instruments meshing together with Harry’s voice very fluently. Not too much to say about this one, but I like how the song progresses over time adding new elements even if Harry’s lyrics are essentially the same thing over and over again with a little segment in the middle. I do find myself coming back to this one more than I thought I would due to its addictive nature. 7/10

6) Titi Me Preguntó (Bad Bunny) – From an English speaker’s perspective, Bad Bunny reminds me of Drake, being able to mold himself to any style of Hip-hop/R&B fluently. I think this song really encompasses his ability to do this exact thing, switching from genre to genre in an interesting manner. Even though it is clear that Bad Bunny is versatile I don’t think the different phases of the song utilize each of his abilities to the fullest. When there was about a minute left the song got pretty boring to listen to because I couldn’t fully immerse myself in one strong section in the song since the switches were so often. It’s a fun listen, but I don’t think I will come back to this one very often. 6.5/10

7) California Breeze (Lil Baby) – Lil Baby comes in with a half rapping, half singing/melodic flow riding the instrumental in trademark Lil Baby style. I think Baby balances the rapping/singing very well and the song is produced well from Murda Beatz, but nothing revolutionary. The song carries a certain bounce that doesn’t get old throughout the track length of 3 minutes. This simple fact prevents your brain from getting bored near the end of the song. The track’s subject matter mainly consists of romance and dodging fake people which is par for the course for Baby. I like it, I don’t love it, but I like it. 7/10

8) I Ain’t Worried (OneRepublic) – I’ll be honest, I don’t have too much to say about this one. This song reminds me of 2015 – 2016 when these types of pop songs finally started to fall off and rap became the new biggest genre. There’s nothing really wrong with this song per se, but I’m kinda tired of these huge pop hits that are fun to listen to a couple of times then just get really annoying. I can’t totally hate on the song though: the instrumental combined with the energetic singing does make for a fun experience as long as you can come to terms with the fact that you’re gonna hate it after a week of repetitive listens. 5/10

9) Jimmy Cooks (Drake & 21 Savage) – Another classic hit from Drake coming at the very end of his 2022 album Honestly, Nevermind. Even if the song is admittedly quite basic, I can commend the transforming instrumental which switches up in the middle of the song for 21’s verse. Each beat fits each artist perfectly with a lighter tone for Drake and much more sinister tone for 21 complementing the dark lyrics. I’d also like to point out that Drake and 21 flow really well on said instrumentals which definitely bump it up a couple points for me. The song’s lyrics mostly consist of bragging about being rich and things I can’t say in the school paper, which isn’t always a bad thing, but it won’t make your song a top tier for me. 8.5/10

10) I Like You (Post Malone & Doja Cat) – Even if it’s a pretty formulaic pop song, I like it. Post Malone’s vocals on top of the happy vibe that the bouncy instrumental provides meshes almost perfectly and makes for a fun listen. Doja Cat’s verse, not too short and not too long, definitely adds a key component to the song as she glides on the beat for about 40 seconds. That being said, the song has very basic lyrics and the song follows pretty much the same formula as other vocalist / rapper songs. Don’t get me wrong though, each of them shined on their respective verses. 7.5/10