NMF Thoughts for Sept 22 - featuring Bree Runway, Steps, Yelle, and more!

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Bree Runway made song of the week (and there she is twerking with Olly from Years & Years).

Hot off the heels of the FO&O going on a hiatus, we have lost the last great boyband out there. As if to add insult to heartache, that shit boyband Why Don't We have made their version of a sex anthem called "Invitation". For some reason, prepubescent boys singing about not needing an invitation to sex doesn't sound like a jolly time to anyone, does it?





Whoever this Reego person, he thinks that just because he is throwing out a Latin pop single, it'll get famous. Newsflash: it has to actually be good music too. Cc Becky G whose new single/remix is GREAT. 

Bhad Babie, I'm gonna need you to cash me outside cause your music sounds like a child rapping over farts. Stick to reality show appearances honey. 

Indian and Norwegian singer Samsaya is back with a slow slice of sultry mystical pop. Based on how much I absolutely loved her last album, I'm hoping that she keeps making fun electropop alongside the new stuff like this. 

In these days of dwindling tropicalness, it's ridiculous that Kygo releases not one, but two singles today! They are from his new EP that includes the Selena and Ellie songs also. "This Town" by Sasha Sloan is thankfully devoid of his usual tropical antics and is quite lovely in how understated it is. The "Stargazing" song on the other hand sounds like all his other songs, complete with the repetitive chopped up vocals. Sometimes less is more, Mr. Kygo. 

It pains me to say this, but the new Fergie album is an absolute mess. That's to say that it has its moments, but the whole thing sounds so desperate. The best song is obviously "Enchanté" as it feels like the only song that doesn't make you go "Yikes". I hope she takes the time for herself before struggling to push out another album. 

The BEAUX and Michi song is the definition of Spotify pop but in a week where there is so much other shit going down, this feels like a nice breather. 

Following the absolute monster of a song "Ciao Adios", Anne-Marie retreats to safety on "Heavy", a innocent and rather boring tropical pop song. I won't lose hope in Anne-Marie just yet but she's gonna need to turn this around if she wants to conquer the world. 

French star Charlotte Gainsbourg has strangely released a slinky modern electropop song with the brilliant title "Deadly Valentine". The French are really stepping up to the plate today. 

"Wanderlust" by Una Sand is an electroclash song that would be great on the new Taylor Swift album. 

I haven't heard from Death Team in a while but they're new single "Weekend" is a lowkey bop that would have restarted Alunageorge's career, and the cover art is certainly something I can get into. 

Whoever Elk Road and LDRU are, they have made a rather sparky dance single, although the drop leads to a disappointing pseudo-chorus.

Miley's promo of her gay country album continues with "Week Without You", a breakup anthem about her ex-ex. It's another piece of the story that makes "Younger Now" one of the better albums to be released this Q4. 

Hot off the heels of her album last year, Emeli Sandé of "Heaven" fame is releasing an EP later this year. The single "Starlight" is the exact opposite of what you may expect from the soul balladeer. It's a jungle-infused club banger that honestly would have made an amazing Rihanna single. 

Scandinavian star Marlene has released a new single after her brilliant EP this summer. It's called "Miss You A Little" and it's a harder hitting slice of electropop but Marlene controls the heartbreak with the talent of a true pop veteran. 

The off bloom EP is pretty great and "Golden Dreams" is their best song by far. 

"Hold On To Me" makes me think this Hurts album will be a solid 7.5/10. 

The new Macklemore song is quite touching, but Kesha is definitely the highlight. 

DJ Snake is back with another banger of a trap-pop single. "A Different Way" features up and coming NYC pop star Lauv who could have a couple hits of his own on his hands from what I hear. 

Kronic has a knack for making slinky club-tinged R&B and Restriction is just as good as his last great single. He could work on the repetitive choruses but one step at a time. 

Maggie Rogers has returned with another off kilter pop track, although "Split Stones" feels like a radio hit in the making of there was enough traction. She is an interesting one to watch for. 

"I took a DNA test and it told me I'm 100% that bitch". This is why the new Lizzo song is amazing. 

Noah Cyrus finally steps away from the country-tinged pop that made her sister so famous with a moody electroclash song "Again" that I imagine could be a Reputation reject. With a better chorus, this could have been a real wow moment for Noah. 

Dej Loaf has knocked two singles out of the park. I haven't heard better rapping from a femcee this year than on "Changes". 

"Generous" by Olivia Holt feels like the Selena Gomez hit that never was. In other words, it's very modern and very good. 

It's always a cause for celebration when a new Cut Copy album comes out. Haiku From Zero is no exception, one of the best albums this year. After a decade, Cut Copy still has that pop X Factor that made me fall in love with them. 

If the Cut Copy album didn't have enough rave pianos for you, "Harlem" by DJs from Mars will quickly solve that problem. For a Friday morning, it's pretty bonkers. 

Demi Lovato has FINALLY delivered a good song. "Sexy Dirty Love" should have been the lead single for the new era and it feels both nostalgic and forward thinking. We can always count on her for at least one great song per album cycle. 

Ecca Vandal has a jungle infused pop-rock song about rejecting fairytale romances called "Future Heroine". A fusion of Avril Lavigne and MIA sums it up pretty well. 

As I mentioned earlier, the remix of Kideko's "Dum Dum" with Becky G and Tinie Tempah is quite bombastic in the best way. It's like every party in the world collided to make the ultimate conga anthem. 

WALK THE MOON have somehow made another amazing single. "One Foot" will surely be a big hit on the charts and it will be nice to genuinely be a fan of something popular for once. 

Kim Petras is back with not one, but two absolute bangers! After her last amazing single that made it to song of the week, "Hillside Boys" follows up with the same chic and stylish 80's take on electropop. The second single "Hills" is a much more laid back jam that is actually the better song today. 

One of my consistent favorites of the past year has been Youngr. It's very exciting to hear him sign with a major label and his first single with them is "What's Next", another full-throttle electropop jam. That debut album will be GREAT!

"OLLA" is a big surprise for Jhené Aiko but a welcome one as you can hear it is an Aaliyah esque breezy banger. 

Following the retro soul feeling of most of the songs today, Faux has released a single called "Take Back Time" that sounds like Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Whitney had fought to record it. 

French superstars Yelle have returned with a straight on synthpop song that hits the right spot in this weird time between summer and autumn. "Romeo" is their best single in quite some time and I'm sure will sound amazing live (can confirm this next weekend). 





In a surprise twist, Whales & This Lake (that band name though) have released a big pensive electrobanger called "Alphaboys and Alphagirls" (that song title though!). They even include a pan-gender symbol in the actual title. I didn't even know you could type that! It's a pretty big song and if they more of this up their sleeve, I'm gonna have to go whale hunting more often. (There is apparently a whole album full of weird symbols so that might be worth checking out!)

ALMA has been flirting with big hits for a while, and while "Dye My Hair" got my attention, the new single "Phases" is the perfect mix of dreamy synths and badass attitude that appears to be her thing. It helps that Charli XCX helped write it, another knock out of the park for her too.

In an unexpected miracle in 2017, Steps have become the greatest pop band in the world. After their huge triumphant return earlier this year with the gayest album I've ever heard "Tears On The Dancefloor", they continue their onslaught with a rerelease of the album and new music! To continue the theme of dancing and heartbreak, they have a new single that matches up to their past brilliance this year. "Dancing With A Broken Heart" is amazing on its own, but when you realize it's a Delta Goodrem cover it becomes that much better. When the key change hits, I lost my mind.  Now this, this is what music should sound like from now on. 

If you ever wanted to hear the perfect blend of all the pop trends, look no further than "Too Good To Be True" by Swedish singer Rhys. It takes all the best part of trop-pop, soul and the country resurgence and puts them all together in a magical way. Rhys is also one to watch considering her last single "Last Dance" was the perfect trop-pop song. 

Bree Runway is a brand new singer who has a song out called "What Do I Tell My Friends?" that has me in awe. It feels like all the music of today but with a filter of 2030 on it. It sounds like an MNEK production but her personality and swag pervades the whole track in a way that would make Rihanna jealous. It's sassy and fun but also signals that Bree could be one of the biggest stars in the wild one day. 


Here is a playlist of all the highlights of this week, with "What Do I Tell My Friends?" as the finale. If you want to catch up with the best of the best, here is another playlist for 2017 pop hits.