CommRadio Singles Round Up: January 17

Story posted January 18, 2022 in

Singles Round Up – The Arts and Entertainment Department takes a look at some of the recently released singles from the past week.

“Little Bother” - King Princess ft. Foushee

King Princess is gearing up for the release of her second full length studio album. Since her last album, King Princess has released a few singles, all being incredible and clear progressions from her previous sound.

This new song “Little Bother” perfectly blends her old sound with new vocal patterns and instrumentals. This is a great song with a mesmerizing chorus.

The chorus in this song is so soft, yet it packs a punch with the drums and guitars kicking in. It is also complemented with amazing harmonies.

King Princess sounds amazing on the chorus, however at times her vocals can be a bit rough and unpolished in the verses. Her versace is a bit short and is overshined by the amazing chorus and Foushee’s energetic verse.

Foushee is a good addition to the song. Her verse has a ton of flare and when her and King Princess come together for the bridge it sounds incredible. Their voices compliment each other perfectly and give this song an extra layer of charisma.

Overall, this is a great single for King Princess that shows a lot of promise for her upcoming album. King Princess has evolved her sound in many ways and this new evolution of her music is a great fit for her. - Jack Freiser

“When We Were Kings” - The Temptations

The Temptations are celebrating their 60th anniversary with their new album “Temptations 60” and they dropped two singles, “When We Were Kings” and “Calling Out Your Name,” as sneak peeks of what’s to come.

“When We Were Kings” is certainly not their older music, but it still holds a very similar soulful joy that fans know and love.

Otis Williams, the last original member of The Temptations, wrote the entire song as a tribute to the original members who have passed on referencing each of them in the lyrics with occasional callbacks to their older music.

Naturally, it’s impossible to recreate the exact sound that The Temptations used to have as they are older and not the same members, but it does take away from the equally strong vocals presented throughout the new drop.

Although “When We Were Kings” is a genuinely nice song to listen to if listeners are looking to hear the same group that once ruled Motown. But unfortunately, they won’t find it here. - Erell Williams

“Love It When You Hate Me (feat. blackbear)” - Avril Lavigne

It’s official, pop-punk princess, Avril Lavigne, will be releasing her seventh album “Love Sux” in February.

On Friday, Lavigne released the second single from the album “Love It When You Hate Me”. This follows the release of “Bite Me”, the first single from the album that she dropped last November.

Both tracks reveal that Lavigne will be returning to her angsty roots in her new album, featuring a couple of collaborators who will surely add to her sound.

This single captures the essence of the singer’s “Let Go” and “Goodbye Lullaby” days while meshing modern pop-punk sounds, much of which can be attributed to former Blink 182 drummer, Travis Barker, who has a magic touch on the tracks he works on.

It has been over a decade since Lavigne has released music like this style so why the return? To celebrate her musical roots? To hop back into the reawakening pop-punk scene?

Whatever the answer is, the two pre-album singles confirm that Lavigne fans have much to look forward to in the upcoming month. - Abby Chachoute

“Eazy” - Kanye West & The Game

After plenty of TMZ headlines, Kanye is back with his first single since the release of his 9th studio album, “Donda.” The song was announced on social media a few days before it came out, and fans were surprised it dropped on time as that is very un-Kanye-like. The track itself is, well, interesting.

Compared to the album cover of “Donda,” “Eazy,” is graphic and disturbing. The cover got the attention of various people, including the animal rights group, PETA, after the artwork was confirmed to be a real photo of a skinned monkey.

Kanye West is unhinged and truly does not care what the world thinks of him. The track is also explicit, the only time people have heard Kanye curse since 2018.

The Game gives a solid performance on the chorus and first verse of the song. It is not too flashy, and his flows fit the instrumental as well. Ye then discusses his recent drama in his verse, and it is subpar.

His most memorable bars say, “If we go to court, we'll go to court together | Matter of fact, pick up your sis, we'll go to Kourt's together,” and “God saved me from that crash | Just so I can beat Pete Davidson's ass (Who?).” It is not his greatest verse, as he is just speaking his mind without any second thoughts.

The beat is arguably the best part of everything. “Eazy Duz It” by Eazy-E is the primary sample, and the reverse drums sound similar to “Paul Revere” by the Beastie Boys. Ominous synth chords come in giving the track a dark tone to it.

Overall, “Eazy,” may seem like a culture shock now, but it will most likely not have any significance in Kanye’s discography in the future. It shows that he is willing to take all of the risks even if they backfire right in front of him. - Caelan Chevrier


Jack Freiser is a second-year majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email jef5614@psu.edu.

Erell Williams is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email exw5303@psu.edu.

Abigail Chachoute is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact her, email axc6070@psu.edu.

Caelan Chevrier is a second year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email cjc6789@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

Caelan Chevrier's photo

Caelan Chevrier

Third Year / Marketing & Journalism

Caelan Chevrier is a third-year student in the Smeal College of Business at Penn State University studying marketing and broadcast journalism with the goal of graduating with a bachelor’s degree in four years. His career goal is to spread informative, meaningful, and entertaining content across various platforms and to be a positive impact on the community. He has also spent time working at WWE in the communications department and writing for The Westport Local Press in his hometown of Westport, CT. If you’d like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Jack Freiser's photo

Jack Freiser

Third-Year / Telecommunications

Jack Freiser is a third-year student in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State University studying telecommunications. He is very passionate about both music and film. He aspires to impact the music business as a successful A+R by signing artists who will be culturally relevant and will leave an impact on the world, and through keeping a strong relationship with the artist and their team. Email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Erell Williams's photo

Erell Williams

First Year /

Erell Williams is a first-year student, and her intended majors are Broadcasting Journalism and Chinese. She grew up in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. She is a member of the CommRadio News and Arts department. To contact her, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).