Welcome BHS, to a new year! Yes, our faces are still covered, but our ears aren’t. Or maybe they should be after hearing a few of these songs. I hope you’ve been listening to lots of music! If you have not heard these songs before, give them a shot but keep my opinion in mind!

1) My Universe (Coldplay x BTS ) – I was not expecting a BTS and Coldplay collaboration, nor was I yearning for one, but this song is somewhat enjoyable. Chris Martin’s vocals sound great, as they usually do on any Coldplay song, but the BTS members Jungcook, Ji-min, and Jin all came in smoothly on the song and did their own thing. That partnership combined with a fun synth and poppy drumline led to a pleasant listening experience. The unexpected collaboration of Coldplay and BTS on a track was fun, but pretty generic. My main problem with this track is the bridge, featuring J-Hope and Suga. I feel that it disrupts the upbeat, liveliness of the song. “My Universe” is an enjoyable song featuring two great bands, but it fails to contribute anything meaningful to the progression of music that a ‘#1 on Billboard’ song should, and it sounds very similar to songs I have heard before. 6/10

2) Stay (the Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber) – The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber team up to create a mediocre song! The sound of the song isn’t actually horrible. It isn’t bad enough to make you say something like, “Wow, this is awful,” to yourself, but it’s really easy to forget that you are listening to this song. I quite frankly couldn’t even decipher the difference between when the Kid LAROI sang and when Bieber sang and just didn’t find this song enjoyable. 4/10

3) Industry Baby (Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow) – This track from Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow, produced by Kanye West, is easily the best on the Billboard Top 10. The marching band-esque instrumental combined with a heavy 808 bass roll sets the tone for an electrifying listening experience. With this amazing beat, it would have been difficult for anyone to make this song sound bad. However, Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow make the song even better. Both had great verses with clever and funny lines and the chorus sung by Lil Nas X fits perfectly with the flow/theme of the track. Although not groundbreaking in the music game, this song is incredibly fun to listen to. 9/10

4) Way 2 Sexy (Drake ft. Future & Young Thug) – This seems to be the “premier” track on Drake’s new album, Certified Lover Boy. It has the most streams on the album which confuses me because I don’t see the appeal. Sure, it’s funny, has good features from Future and Young Thug, but Drake’s verse is subpar, and in comparison to the other songs on the album, it’s just not all that. This song isn’t bad, but I imagine it will eventually fall out over time because there is nothing special about it. 6/10

5) Fancy Like (Walker Hayes) – This song is really bad. I really don’t like this song. The lyrics are awful and somehow seem to get progressively worse as the song goes on. You could say that the poppy, guitar instrumental isn’t terrible, but lyrics like, “Take her to Wendy’s, Can’t keep her off me, She wanna dip me like them fries in her Frosty” just make the song unbearable to listen to. 0/10

6) Bad Habits (Ed Sheeran) – It is quite fascinating how Mr. Sheeran continuously makes generic songs that stay at the top of the listening charts for no reason at all. This track is good, and there are no glaring issues, but there is nothing that makes it stand out either. 5/10

7) Good 4 U (Olivia Rodrigo) – This track reminds me of an early 2000’s pop punk hit, but Olivia Rodrigo adds a modern twist to it. Rodrigo’s voice sounds amazing throughout the song, and given that this is a breakup song, she makes sure that listeners can hear her letting out her built up emotions. My favorite part of this song is the bridge as the melody is extremely catchy, and it sounds amazing as it transitions into the final playing of the chorus. Although this track isn’t really my type of music, it is a really good song, and I can appreciate it. 8/10

8) Kiss Me More (Doja Cat ft. SZA) – Doja Cat and SZA bring their talents together for this track and it sounds wonderful. The song kind of reminds me of candy. Doja Cat and SZA provide us with great performances on this sugary, upbeat, poppy instrumental as both artists flow perfectly with the beat. Although there are a few corny lines that I can’t include in a school newspaper, this song is sweet and fun. 8/10

9) Knife Talk (Drake ft. 21 Savage & Project Pat) – Another forgettable Drake song! This track gives us above average lyricism from 21 Savage and Drake and a fun intro from Project Pat. The flow from all of the artists on the track was nice, but I find the basic piano instrumental incredibly boring. It also doesn’t help that at four minutes in length, this song is simply too long. I become bored about halfway through as there is no real progression, and the dull instrumental, combined with only decent rapping, just isn’t enough to keep me invested in the track. 5/10

10) Lemonade (Dua Lipa) – I can’t pick out anything wrong with this track. Dua Lipa sounds great and does a great job building on the ‘dancy,’ fun feel of the song. Although it’s a pretty ordinary
pop song, there’s just something about it that makes it shine. It’s a very happy, upbeat, catchy song that’s very easy to enjoy, but the song doesn’t have much replay value. 7/10