New songs you should hear

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BY CAITLYN RALPH AND JASMINE RESPESS

A lot happens in the music world between the Tangent’s bi-weekly production schedule. While Caitlyn and Jasmine would love to cover it all, they can’t – so, instead, we had them choose their favorite songs released since our last issue and write up bite-sized blurbs on why they should be added to your Spotify playlists. Check out the results below.

Halsey – “Colors – Stripped”

It took me a while to start listening to Halsey, and I have no clue why. Revolutionizing the idea of a pop star, Halsey is indie and original and cool. She’s so cool. Her palpable attitude infiltrates her melodies, her lyrics and her live performance – concocting this beautifully unique image that I’m constantly in awe over. I don’t think you need anymore convincing, but, just in case, her favorite band growing up was Panic! At The Disco (I know – I want to be her best friend). Halsey just released an EP called Complementary Colors, which takes the single “Colors” from her debut album Badlands and reimagines it in five different ways. The standout, “Colors – Stripped,” does exactly what the title says: it strips down the original version to showcase Halsey’s vocals, emphasizing emotional lyricism amid a washed out backdrop. Yeah, I had chills after the first play.— CR

Pierce The Veil – “Circles”

Scene-core standouts Pierce The Veil are gearing up to release their fourth studio album, Misadventures, via Fearless Records on May 13. Probably the most pop punk of all the band’s songs, “Circles” sounds like it could be culled from an All Time Low album – which is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s actually a pretty good thing from a logistics standpoint: the track is accessible to a wider audience, further cementing Pierce The Veil’s strong, withstanding place in the scene. Plus, “Circles” is most certainly a great jam – a nice addition to any start of summer playlist.— CR

Tiny Moving Parts – “Common Cold”

Want to know what modern day emo punk is? Of course you do! Well, your first step would be to give Tiny Moving Parts a listen. Why? The music is stringent and emotional and everything your high school self would have shouted at the bedroom ceiling and something your college self still shouts at the dorm wall. Tiny Moving Parts’ newest single, “Common Cold,” is representative of all this: the track, almost dizzily, alternates between slow, melodic moments and heavy, pounding instrumentation anchored by trying and passionate vocals, culminating in the line “I don’t believe in anything.” “Common Cold” is a coming-of-age track that can be related to at any point in life.— CR

Radiohead – “Burn The Witch”

All right, I’ll say it now — I’ve never really listened to Radiohead aside from the occasionally “Creep” play. But the band got my attention the other week with a media stunt that left all their social networks whited out and all their past account activity deleted. (Sound familiar? It should. The 1975 did the same thing awhile back in preparation for the unveiling of their new, rosy pink aesthetic.) After giving fans the proper scare, Radiohead returned with a new single, “Burn The Witch.” Having no prior conception of Radiohead’s style, I’ll describe “Burn The Witch” from a new set of ears’ point of view: the track is mellow and edgy — almost like a storm held back by a calm exterior, exemplified in contrast between serene, pristine vocals and quickening, unsettling instrumentation. — CR

Blink-182 – “Bored To Death”

Always too preoccupied with Green Day, I was never the biggest Blink-182 fan. However, like any interested member of the scene, I’ve been following the Blink-182 drama since last year. The drama centered around Blink-182 dropping former frontman Tom DeLonge and replacing him with Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba. Finally feeding into to fan’s desires, the new Blink-182 — version 2.0 — is getting ready to drop their comeback album California on July 1 (the 182nd day of the year — very clever, boys). The first single from that comeback album, “Bored To Death,” is good. Like, really good. So good that previously uninterested Green Day fans like me are turning their heads, giving Blink-182’s back catalogue a listen and even getting (super) excited for the new album. If California is as good as “Bored To Death,” Blink-182 are slated to usher in a new generation of fans while keeping their late 1990s/early 2000s diehards satisfied — and getting a decent amount of radio play in between.— CR

Modern Baseball – “Wedding Singer”

Modern Baseball are so cute. And I don’t say that lightly. The band are literally everything high school rejects like myself wish they had four years ago, singing about sitting home alone on Friday night (“Broken Cash Machine”) to worrying about the future (“Fine, Great”) to awkwardly long limbs and bones (“Tears Over Beers”), all summed up in “whatever, forever” (“Rock Bottom”). Continuing their I-just-want-to-give-them-all-hugs aesthetic, Modern Baseball have released “Wedding Singer.” The track, accompanied by a fantastic video, is a perfect addition to their already strong back catalogue. However, just because Modern Baseball are consistent doesn’t mean they’re boring — “Wedding Singer” is a polished, clean, progressive step up from their previous releases, foreshadowing fruitful success with their forthcoming album Holy Ghost, which is due out May 13 via Run For Cover Records.— CR

Alicia Keys  – “In Common”

Alicia Keys was one of the first artists I listened to a whole album of. My mom and I listened to “The Diary of Alicia Keys” on the stereo by our pool all the time. I have read a some complaints about the club sound, but people grow. Keys is no different. It is a relaxing song and she is as talented as ever.— JR

Skepta – “Text Me Back”

This song is really freaky. It is the last on the Konichiwa album. It is romantic, but still odd. I always like to hear english people rapping, since a lot of my Jamaican family immigrated there. It reminds me of Usher and Avril Lavigne, in the way that it incorporates current tech speak and apps like tinder. What is more current than apologizing to someone for not texting them back? This whole album is good though. Check it out.— JR

Birdman – “Respek”

Honestly, this interview was one of the best Breakfast Club interviews of all time. The fact that Birdman made a successful song out him acting out is great. So put some respek on the song and listen to it.— JR

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