Another Friday means more new music. Here are some of the new single releases today, July 5. There’s great new country with Lainey Wilson, Thomas Rhett, and Morgan Wallen. There’s also new Lana Del Rey, as well as Childish Gambino releasing his final musical endeavors under that moniker.
Videos by American Songwriter
New Singles for Friday, July 5
“Ever Seen” – beabadoobee
Beabadoobee released her third single, “Ever Seen,” from her forthcoming album This Is How Tomorrow Moves, out on August 16. This is a sweet love song with a crystalline beat and strong pop sensibilities, even though it was originally intended to be a country song. Beatrice Laus wrote the song while opening for Taylor Swift, according to a report from Stereogum. It’s accompanied by a beautiful music video filmed by Laus’ boyfriend, director Jake Erland, in Japan.
“Lithonia” – Childish Gambino
“Lithonia” will be featured on Childish Gambino’s final album under that particular name, Bando Stone & The New World. This single has early 2000s emo-pop-punk tendencies all across the board, and it’s interesting to see Donald Glover go in this direction. The lyrics hold a tightly restrained emotion in their delivery as well, and there’s a storyline that Glover is weaving for us. Additionally, he dropped the release date for the album and shared a trailer for the film, which features music from the album. Bando Stone & The New World will be out on July 19.
“Joyride” – Kesha
Kesha released her first single since being freed from her contract under Dr. Luke in December. “Joyride” has a bit of the atmosphere of her early music, but her vocals are much more mature and the song’s production is top-notch in a way that her early 2010s stuff never had. It’s unique and fun in that truly Kesha way, while the lyrics speak speak to the freedom to do whatever she wants. It’s nice to see her back in the saddle.
“4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson
Lainey Wilson continued the story she created in “Hang Tight Honey” with her next single, “4x4xU.” While the former is about being on the road and making money, the latter is more about coming home from tour and appreciating the little things with the person you missed the most. The song itself showcases her strong vocals, and fans have already labeled it a total hit. Her forthcoming album, Whirlwind, comes out on August 23.
[RELATED: Lainey Wilson Continues Her Story With New “4x4xU” Music Video]
“Lies Lies Lies” – Morgan Wallen
Morgan Wallen released “Lies Lies Lies,” proving to fans that he has indeed been working on new music. The guitar phrasing is strong and solid, while his signature twang comes through on the simple single. This song is much less produced than his usual rowdy pop-country fare, with just a band and some minimal reverb on his vocals. There’s a loneliness in the vocals that matches the lyrics, which paint a picture of a man missing a woman.
“Tough” – Quavo and Lana Del Rey
While Lana Del Rey previously said she was going country with her next album Lasso, this song isn’t quite that. It’s still good, but it’s getting harder to figure out what this album is going to be. Del Rey’s vocals are her usual, reverbed and airy, but the addition of Quavo’s verses is interesting. The two of them work well together, their voices mingling well on the chorus. Additionally, the video is probably the most country that Del Rey has gone lately, full of country icons and imagery.
“Feelin’ Country” – Thomas Rhett
A new track has been released from Twisters: The Album, and this time it’s a stereotypical country tune by Thomas Rhett. This song has every country cliche packed into 2 minutes and 41 seconds. It’s not bad once you remember it’s for a movie, as it has a particularly theatrical feel to it. Overall, it’s a fun song with a great guitar solo in the middle, and sounds like it will most likely be featured in some sort of bar scene in the film.
“Sandpaper” – Zach Bryan and Bruce Springsteen
Zach Bryan’s newest album, The Great American Bar Scene, released on July 4, but he released “Sandpaper” as a single. This song features Bruce Springsteen, and overall it basically sounds like a song that would feature Bruce Springsteen. Zach Bryan has an interesting vocal styling that doesn’t often mesh well with others, but Springsteen’s vocals seem to be able to keep up. It would fit right in on a Springsteen album, which was most likely intentional, and it remains to be seen how well the song fits in with Bryan’s usual fare.
Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
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