The Best Songs of February 2023 // New Music Friday!

-

"A&W" // Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey is back and she's cooler than ever! "A&W" represents so much of what Lana is about as an artist and showcases every side that makes her music so special. It is a seven-minute masterpiece that takes the listener on such an emotional journey, with some of her most heart-wrenching and vulnerable lyrics yet. "I'm a princess, I'm divisive, ask me why why why I'm like this, maybe I'm just kind of like this", she sings in the first half of the song. The switch-up in the trap-inspired second half was so unexpected and feels like an ode to some of her early unreleased work. I already know that Did You Know There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Boulevard is going to be a top contender for my favorite album of the year, just based on how much I love this song and the title track alone! I could go on and on about "A&W", but I'll save it for when I write my full review of the album next month!

"You First" // Paramore

"You First" is my favorite off of Paramore's incredible album, This Is Why - I really can't get enough of this song. Like much of the album, this song focuses on battling the two sides of yourself and having to consciously choose good over evil. Everyone is at constant battle with themselves to not feed into the negative energies that we all face on a daily basis - whether it is on a personal level or through the media. "Everyone is a bad guy, and there's no way, no way to know, who's the worst", Hayley Williams sings, "Karma's gonna come for all of us, and I hope, well, I hope, I just hope, that she comes, comes for you first". This song also has my favorite lyric on the album - "Turns out I'm living in a horror film, where I'm both the killer and the final girl, so, who, who are you?"

Check out my full review of the album here!

"Dublin In Ecstasy" // Inhaler

Inhaler is such an exciting new voice in rock music, there were so many songs that I was torn between to include on this list from their latest album, but "Dublin In Ecstasy" is one that I keep coming back to as my current favorite. The melody and guitar riff are infectious, and the lyrical imagery of Ireland is stunning, especially the lyric "I can see the city in the glass of your eye". I have been loving their debut album It Won't Always Be Like This ever since I discovered it early last year and couldn't wait to hear what they were going to do next. Their sophomore album, Cuts and Bruises, turned out to be even better than their first! I can't recommend checking out Inhaler's music enough!

"Die 4 Me" // Halsey 

This is a song that I have been waiting years to finally hear! The original version was first released on Post Malone's 2019 album, Hollywood's Bleeding, with Halsey and Future as featuring artists. It has always been one of my favorite Post Malone songs, but Halsey's verse was always the highlight of it for me. On her tour last summer, she performed a new version of the song solo and now has finally released the original demo version of it. There are so many great one-liners, but the updated "I sold 40 million copies of our breakup note" is a lyric that will never not be iconic. It is technically a demo version, so parts of it do sound a bit unfinished or more subdued compared to the 2019 version, but the addition of the new verses and alternate chorus makes up for where it lacks in some areas of the production. 

"Die For You (Remix)" // The Weeknd & Ariana Grande 

Marking her first music release in over a year, Ariana Grande and The Weeknd teamed up yet again for a remix of his 2016 song, "Die For You", which recently had a resurgence in popularity because of TikTok. Seven years later, this song is still one of his best and Ariana of course makes it even better. I love that she wrote a brand-new verse for the song too, just like she did for the remix of "Save Your Tears" in 2021. Ariana and Abel can really do no wrong when it comes to their collaborations, hopefully we can expect more new music from both of them soon! 

"Heaven" // Niall Horan

After taking a break for the past few years from releasing music, Niall Horan is back with his first single from his upcoming album, The Story. Niall is at his strongest musically when it comes to making really sweet love songs, and "Heaven" is no different. I am definitely looking forward to hearing the rest of his new album!


Thanks for reading! If you are interested in more of my recent song recommendations, check out my list of the best songs of January 2023 and more from my New Music Friday series! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below! 

-Melissa ♡

All photo credit to owners 

Header designed by Melissa Kacar


Related Posts:

Lana Del Rey Chemtrails Over the Country Club Album Review







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

ARIANA GRANDE GOD IS A WOMAN FRAGRANCE REVIEW

-
Image
When all is said and done, you'll believe God is a Woman!  I absolutely love all of the  fragrances   Ariana Grande  has released over the years, so when I found out that she was coming out with another I was so excited! Her song " God is a Woman " is also so iconic and one of my all-time favorites, so that made me look forward to it even more. I have been using it consistently for several months so I will able to give the most in-depth review I possibly can of this product. In the United States , God is a Woman  is sold exclusively at Ulta in three sizes; 1 oz for $45, 1.7 oz for $55, and 3.4 oz for $65. A travel size bottle is also available for $24. This pricing is consistent throughout the rest of Ariana's fragrances, so if you were looking to purchase another scent this is the range to expect. It is also available internationally at select retailers. God is a Woman  is cruelty free, 100% vegan and made with clean ingredients that are 91% naturally der...
Read more

SAFIYA NYGAARD x COLOURPOP COLLECTION REVIEW 🦇♥

-
Image
For my first post of  the new year, I wanted to share my thoughts on one of my favorite makeup releases, the Safiya Nygaard x Colourpop collection ! Safiya is one of my favorite YouTubers and Colourpop is my favorite makeup brand, so this is a really exciting collaboration!  Safiya consistently makes a variety of really high quality and interesting videos that mainly focus on beauty and fashion. I admire how much time and research she puts into what she does, all of the work that is put into these videos really shows in the finished product. If you haven't watched her channel before, I really can't recommend it enough!  In August 2017, she started a series called " bad makeup science ", which is the basis of this new Colourpop lipstick collection. There are 6 lipstick shades that correlate with a shade she created in one of her videos. You can check out the playlist of videos that inspired her collection here . I recently re-watched the whole series again...
Read more

My Thoughts on the Gigi Hadid x Maybelline Collection

-
Image
credit :  twitter.com/gigihadid Gigi Hadid has been the face of Maybelline for about 2 years and has been apart of several campaigns for the brand. I was really excited when I initially heard that Gigi and Maybelline collaborated on a full collection. I assumed that I would be able to recreate Gigi's makeup looks for less, but that just isn't the case. Today, I'm going to be giving my opinions on this collection to help you further determine if you should spend your money on it. The biggest gripe I have with this collection is that it is far too overpriced for Maybelline products. I have been noticing that some drugstore brands have been increasing the price of their new products, but I don't understand why since many times the brands aren't doing anything different to justify the large increase in the price. Maybelline does make some of my favorite products, especially when it comes to concealer and mascara, but they have also made really poor quality ...
Read more

Maybelline Fit Me Dewy & Smooth: Review

-
Image
⋆I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. As always, all opinions are my own.⋆ I have no prior experience trying either primer or foundation, so I really have nothing to compare these products to. In my makeup routine I only ever used concealer, which I mentioned in my previous review of the Colourpop No Filter Concealer . I was very excited to receive the Maybelline Master Prime Hydrate + Smooth Primer, as well as the Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth Foundation courtesy of Influenster !  Master Prime Hydrate + Smooth Primer As I previously mentioned, I have never tried any primers at all, because I always just had the feeling that it was gimmicky and doesn't really do anything to prolong your makeup.  I have tested this primer out several times and I don't really think it does anything for my skin besides add an unnecessary extra layer of product. I have not experienced this clogging my pores, giving...
Read more

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (isolated vocals) by Billie Eilish // 2024 Record Store Day Exclusive Vinyl

-
Image
Happy Record Store Day! One of my most anticipated releases for the Black Friday drop this year was a special version of Billie Eilish 's incredible album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT , which features only her isolated vocals. You can only slightly hear parts of the instrumentals in the background because she recorded the songs without headphones, but this variant of the album puts a major emphasis on only her gorgeous vocals. It's a really cool concept, it almost sounds like you're in the studio with her hearing it recorded live.  There is so much depth to her vocal comps with all of the hidden vocals and ad libs that are hidden underneath the production. There are so many small details that otherwise get buried in each song that now get the chance to fully shine. Billie and Finneas ' creative process is so fascinating, and this record give a glimpse into the way all of these songs came together. An album like HIT ME HARD AND SOFT  is meticulously produced and every layer is s...
Read more