It’s hot in the Midwest this week, or at least it was while typing this. You could’ve been forgiven for confusing early October for June, which has had me revisiting a lot of my summer faves from this and past years. Hey, did this warm spell give us license to re-litigate the Song of the Summer debate?
Channel Tres: “Topdown”
Newcomer Channel Tres dropped a video this week via the 88rising YouTube account and it is sick as hell. The Compton 20-something, who has a history in producing songs for other artists, had a big solo career kick-off of a summer with a number of polished singles that bridged west coast hip hop and house music beats. “Topdown” continued this vibe with some of Channel Tres’s most club-ready solo thus far — it’s not tough to hear a link from this banger to the work of GODMODE labelmate Yaeji.
Jaden Smith: “GOKU”
Jaden Smith feels like ’90s anime icon Goku, but he sounds like the moment around 2012 when dubstep did the fusion dance with Waka Flocka Flame and carried the EDM summer festival scene boom through the next half decade. So what exactly is happening here? Jaden hasn’t yet really clicked with the 18+ set, and if that’s a goal of his here it seems most likely to happen in a nostalgic sense (“Wow, remember TNGHT?”)
All this said, “GOKU” was very clearly engineered to slap, which it does handily thanks to production by Omar Rambert and Lexoskeleton. Neither seems to have many songwriting credits beyond previous work for Jaden and Willow Smith. I feel like any investigation or focus on its quality misses the point: It’s a stupid, extremely fun pump-up track. Whether you’re thrilled and on board with it or just amused by its dedication to the maximalist EDM style, it’s pretty tough to hear and keep a straight face.
Tasha: “New Place”
“New Place” is the dreamy, floating second single from the forthcoming debut full-length by Chicagoan Tasha Viets-VanLear. Sung over a loosely strummed electric guitar with layered backing vocals, and sparse beats and production flourishes, the song offers a gorgeous introduction to Tasha for anyone just now tuning in. Tasha’s Alone at Last is out Oct. 26, just in time to soundtrack some crisp autumn walks.
DJ Snake (feat. Selena Gomez, Ozuna, Cardi B): “Taki Taki”
Remember in Spring ’17 when half of the male pop stars in current rotation on top 40 radio were tapped by DJ Khaled for “I’m the One,” and how bloated that song felt in its wide-reaching approach? “Taki Taki” has all the high-profile artist appearances of “I’m the One” but to me it feels so much more cohesive despite retaining all the guaranteed success of a manufactured major label cross-(cross-, cross-) over single. After a week-and-a-half climbing the charts with not even a lyric video to its name, a very Halloweeny video dropped on Tuesday from director Colin Tilley, whose work highlights include “Anaconda” and “Alright.” It’s not as delightful as the song itself, but they can’t all be winners. Besides, this song wasn’t made to be watched on YouTube as much as heard on literally all Spotify playlists made in the next 6-12 months.
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