Notes on this week's new releases:
- Ten days into the year they're all calling 'the new 2019' Selena Gomez, in many respects the Black Rod of 21st Century pop, smashes a mid-price bottle of champagne across the hull of the 2020 pop landscape, flings open the window of mixed metaphor and declares Banger Season OPEN. Which is to say, her new album's full of good songs. What a popstar. What an absolute popstar.
- Georgia, undoubtedly the 2020 Sound Poll winner of people's hearts, today releases her second album Seeking Thrills, which boasts what will surely turn out to be one of the year's greatest opening run of songs: Started Out, About Work The Dancefloor, Never Let You Go and (today's new single) 24 Hours. SEE THIS ARTIST LIVE.
- In further Songs With Actual Choruses news, rising Norwegian singer Torine's latest release hits a point somewhere between Avril Lavigne and Sigrid, which feels like/sounds like/is a good place to be. She says Make U Cry is "a bitter song about being vindictive and wanting to hurt someone back after being hurt yourself". THIS WON'T GET YOU ANYWHERE TORINE!!!!
- Big fan of Leyla Blue's new song, Peppa Pig. "I'm a MacBook Pro, you're a bunch of fucking Dells." Outstanding work. (That said, Happy Mrs Chicken isn't compatible with MacOS.)
- You may or may not be surprised (you won't be surprised) to hear that Sia has done a song for a film.