Single Roundup - Week of Sept. 24

Story posted October 4, 2017 in CommRadio by Arts Staff

With new music emerging every week, the CommRadio Arts department will be taking a look at a handful of singles released each week. Here are our thoughts on four of the biggest tracks from the week of Sep. 24.

Rich the Kid – “New Freezer” feat. Kendrick Lamar

“New Freezer” from Rich the Kid is a banger in every sense of the word. Over a menacing trap beat, Rich the Kid uses his iconic, at times nonsensical style to float over the beat. He sounds perfect on the song, as he should considering it is his song. Rich the Kid is fun and his chorus will echo throughout parties throughout the rest of 2017. The real show stopper here - unsurprisingly - is Kendrick Lamar. Lamar raps across beats, shows off his adlib skills and does lyrical laps around Rich the Kid. Every time Kendrick Lamar collaborates with a rapper, there is almost no question that he will have the best verse on a song. Without Kendrick, this is just an average rap song, but that verse is hard to ignore and elevates the song to new heights. – David Arroyo

gnash – “superlit” feat. Imad Royals

While the artist gnash has previously established his tone to be pretty deep into the dismal portion of alternative R&B, his new single “superlit” is a surprisingly cheerful piece in comparison to his collection. The melody and overall encompassing message relate somewhat nicely to the time in which this single was released. As we enter into fall and leave the warmth of summer behind, this song pleasantly expresses the importance of just getting over situations that are ultimately uncontrollable and unimportant. While it’s no masterpiece and strikes to be relatively poor in thought, its uplifting melody combined with Imad Royals carefree chorus, the song doesn’t seem particularly interested in being anything but fun. It’s an exceptional piece at promoting a lighthearted attitude, but other than that there is nothing too noteworthy occurring within this single. – JonMichael Pereira

J. Balvin and Willy William – “Mi Gente” feat. Beyoncé

Beyoncé just recently made an appearance on the very popular song “Mi Gente” and although Justin Bieber pulled it off this past summer with “Despacito,” it is hard to see this topping it. For starters, “Mi Gente” by J Balvin and Willy William was already a popular song, from the beat to the catchy lyrics. Beyoncé makes this awkward, even though she has sung in Spanish multiple times before and it’s never seemed this awkward. Her English accent with the pronunciation of the words make her sound like a robot or maybe it’s the auto tune that this track is drowning in. The track benefits in the second verse as Beyoncé spits with her usual sassiness and a little shade as well. Beyoncé is usually the queen of originality and this is just a copycat or what Bieber just did.  – Jacinda Soto

Michael Cera – “Best I Can” feat. Sharon Van Etten

After a three year hiatus of music, actor Michael Cera returns to pick up his instruments with his new single “‘Best I Can”, which has a feature from artist Sharon Van Etten. Van Etten lends her vocals to Cera’s synth-dominated track to create a euphoric and almost whimsical piece. Part of the film “Dina”’s soundtrack, Cera and Van Etten whisks the listener away in a dream-like sequence with their lyrics and sound. It provides a newfound appreciation for the actor’s artistic abilities, and leaves the listener with a heightened interest into what Cera’s sound actually is within this medium. – Jack Grossman

 

David Arroyo is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email arroyodavid01@gmail.com.

JonMichael Pereira is a freshman majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email jqp5759@psu.edu.

Jacinda Soto is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism and Spanish. To contact her, email JacindaSoto15@gmail.com.

Jack Grossman is a sophomore majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email jackdgrossman@gmail.com

About the Contributors

David Arroyo's photo

David Arroyo

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

David Arroyo currently serves as one of two General Managers for CommRadio. David is a former arts & entertainment director, social media director and editor for the station. He has produced for multiple Penn State sports while in CommRadio, has done play by play for Penn State sporting events such as football, basketball and volleyball and co-hosted and produced his own talk show. During the fall of 2017, David was an anchor, producer and reporter for the Centre County Report. David most recently interned at WPVI-TV, 6abc in Philadelphia during the summer of 2018. While at 6abc he was a programing intern and helped in the production of their weekly show “FYI Philly.” David has interned at B94.5 (State College) and Center City Film and Video (Philadelphia). Follow him on Twitter (@_arroyodavid) or email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).