Singles Round Up: Feb. 20
Singles Round Up – The Arts and Entertainment Department takes a look at some of the recently released singles from the past week.
“How Does It Feel” - Chloe Bailey and Chris Brown
R&B artists Chloe Bailey and Chris Brown teamed up to create “How Does It Feel,” which was recently released on February 24th, 2023. This song came to listeners early off of Bailey’s upcoming album, “In Pieces,” which will be debuted on March 31st, 2023.
This song is the first time that Chloe Bailey and Chris Brown have released a collaboration together. Brown exclaimed both his excitement for Bailey’s upcoming release and the future of her career on Instagram.
The launch of Bailey’s new album is highly anticipated, however after the release of this single alongs6ide the well known and controversial artist, Chris Brown, Bailey has received major backlash on social media platforms. This retaliation from fans could potentially cause a decrease in attention to the album.
Despite the controversy, this song will definitely be one that you have on repeat for the next week. The melody will be engraved in your head, while the genuine lyrics will leave you as an empath to Bailey’s feelings.
Whatever opinion you may hold on the situation at hand, there is no denying that this is a beautifully written and produced song, enveloping heartbreak and unfortunate endings to a romantic relationship. - Carly Dell’Oso
“Wings” - The Jonas Brothers
After over three years without an album, the Jonas Brothers family business is back up and running. They released their first single “Wings” on Friday Feb. 24 for their upcoming album “The Album.”
The song opens with the familiar voice of everyone’s childhood crush, Nick Jonas, singing the airy lyrics “You are the one, the sun, the light of day / You are the wings I need to fly away.”
Jon Bellion’s production kicks in right after, building up a funky guitar riff and drum beat that leads into the catchy chorus. The song has a slightly different feel than songs of Jo Bros past, with more of a focus on production and electronic elements.
One small issue with the song is there’s not enough of it– “Wings” has a run time of 1:58, and is the shortest song the brothers have released. Since it’s a bit experimental and the first glimpse fans get into “The Album” era, it deserves to be at least a minute or two longer.
A music video accompanied the release, featuring “White Lotus” actress/Jonas Brothers fangirl, Haley Lu Richardson. It was a fun dance party and perfectly encapsulated the lighthearted vibe of the song. - Kaitlyn Murphy
“Love Song” - Softcult
Indie-dreampop duo Softcult, who’s currently on their “soft blue shimmer” tour, released their second single of the year, “Love Song,” on Friday.
Living up to their name with consistent slow muffled instrumentals throughout, Softcult keeps a lethargic tempo to complement the soft vocals of lead singer Mercedes Arn-Horn.
Though there are dramatic volume buildups at each mention of the chorus, the echo effect blankets the whole track, preventing any auditory clarity and adding to its soft core vibe.
With those overwhelmingly cinematic swells, “Love Song” sounds like it’d be the backtrack to a slow dance prom scene in a supernatural teen drama, specifically either “The Vampire Diaries” or the first “Twilight” movie.
While the outdated sound of “Love Song” hinders any excitement about the track, there’s a familiarity to the late 2000s/early 2010s beat that, when coupled with the smoothness of the instrumentals, produces some redeemable qualities for the single as a whole. - Megan Kelby
Carly Dell’Oso is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email ced5690@psu.edu.
Kaitlyn Murphy is a first-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email kvm6255@psu.edu.
Megan Kelby is a third-year majoring in journalism. To contact her, email mkk5701@psu.edu.
About the Contributors
Megan Kelby
Fourth-Year / Journalism
Megan Kelby is a fourth-year from Newark, Delaware majoring in journalism and minoring in English and history at Penn State. She is a member of the arts & entertainment department for CommRadio. To contact her, email her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Kaitlyn Murphy
Freshman /
Kaitlyn Murphy is a first-year student at Penn State majoring in digital and print journalism. She is a member of the Arts and Entertainment Department of CommRadio and is passionate about reviewing films, television shows, and music. Follow her on twitter at @kaitlynmurph and email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with any inquiries.
Carly Dell’Oso
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Carly Dell’Oso is a first-year student at Penn State University and intends to dual-major in broadcast journalism and marketing. This is her first semester being a member of Comm Radio, and she has been doing work in the Arts and Entertainment Department. Carly currently has a weekly DJ set on Thursday mornings where she plays and chats about a few of her favorite songs from that week. In the coming weeks, Carly plans to have a weekly lifestyle podcast, and possibly a talkshow as well. Outside of Comm Radio, Carly is a part of Women in Business. She attends weekly events in a range of categories such as social, corporate, and community service to name a few. In the spring, Carly plans on joining a sorority so that she can be a part of impactful philanthropic work, meet new people, and make great connections. In the future, Carly hopes to better her knowledge of both broadcast journalism and marketing to be successful in her future.
