Members of GLR’s Creative Services Department share their thoughts on songs released in November 2024!
“Always Time” - Miguel
Written by Willow Pannozzo
Miguel’s “Always Time” is an emotional song about hardship and what it feels like to lose control. “Always Time” is his first release of 2024, and it gives listeners insight into his life and the highs and lows of love. Miguel sings in the chorus ‘Maybe this time love means letting go’ and ‘I know it’s too late, I thought there was always time’. While these lyrics can point to the ups and downs of a romantic relationship, I interpreted the lyrics instead to mean letting go of things that you cannot control and allowing yourself grace during tough times. The track is beautiful, and classic Miguel delivers exquisite vocals that he’s widely known for. While his other hits like “Adorn” or “Sky Walker” are mellow yet groovy, “Always Time” hits at a much more melancholy tone, allowing listeners to feel the raw emotion in his words.
“Drums of Death” - FKA twigs, Koreless
Written by Praagna Kashyap
“Drums of Death,” a collaboration with producer Koreless, is FKA twigs’ third single from her highly anticipated upcoming album EUSEXUA, releasing in January 2025. As the name suggests, the heart of this dance track lies in its heavy, hypnotic drumbeat. twigs’ vocals are glitchy and ethereal, seamlessly juxtaposing with the aggressiveness of the drums. In the first verse, she encourages women to “Tear your clothes, body torn / Shed your skin / Rip your shirt, flesh exposed” and feel liberated. She pivots slightly in the chorus and flirtatiously sings, “Hello, it's your life and you're my main character / I'm here any time, you can call me up.” However, there is a clear throughline of indulging in pleasure, not only in this song’s lyrics but in the album as a whole. twigs explains in an interview that “eusexua,” a term she coined herself, refers to “this kind of meditative, like, amazing physical experience.” “Drums of Death” is a complete embodiment of eusexua that is sure to cause listeners to be entranced, losing track of time and space. The production, melody, and lyrics come together to create a bold work of art that is uniquely and recognizably FKA twigs, but what makes this song so good is that the feelings it evokes of freedom and desire can easily resonate with others.
“Overflow” - Linkin Park
Written by Gigi Peterson
“Overflow” was released as part of Linkin Park's new album From Zero on November 15, 2024. The song captures the experience of feeling overwhelmed and ultimately spiraling downward. This is evident in the lyrics, specifically in the chorus: ‘Turnin’ from a white sky to a black hole, Turnin’ from the sunlight to a shadow, I know I can't make it stop, I know I'm out of control, I keep on filling it up to overflow.’ I particularly loved the metaphors in these lines, as they capture the song’s emotional intensity. The transition between each metaphor also showcases what it feels like to start spiraling into chaos and losing control of your emotions altogether. Beyond the lyrics, this is revealed within the intense build-up of instruments and sound throughout the song. It starts slow, with synthetic sounds in the background, gradually building into a powerful and intense arrangement. The sound and lyrics are directly correlated, which I found the most interesting part of the song. Overall, this song is one of the most underrated and unique tracks on Linkin Park's new album. It's a piece that both old and new fans will appreciate for its powerful emotion and distinct sound.
“People Watching” – Sam Fender
Written by Kayla Anderson
Sam Fender’s newest track “People Watching” is the titular single of his upcoming album. Working with Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs, Fender created a charging rock song storying someone who was like a surrogate mother to him but sadly passed away. “I people watch on the way back home,” Fender cries, wishing his life was like the strangers around him instead of his current state. He dedicates the rest of the song to his motherly figure, “and I’ll hold you in my heart till the day I die.” This marks Fender’s long-awaited return to music, furthered by the announcement of a European, North American, and English stadium tour, including support from The War on Drugs themselves. Sam Fender has been a staple of the new wave of UK rock music, and with this new album, America should absolutely follow suit.
“Punish” - Ethel Cain
Written by Betsy Solomon
Ethel Cain’s “Punish” was released on November 1st, 2024, and it is a six-minute long track. The song has a very eerie vibe to it with slow piano coursing through the whole piece, backed by whale-like sounding synths. The high levels of reverb make the song sound almost ghostly; the first verse is beautifully haunting. As the song moves into the chorus, there isn’t much shift in the dynamic of the song; it is rhythmically quite homogenous, but melodically becomes very “crunchy” sounding in its harmonies, which carries the song forward. The chorus ends, and just as I had begun to assume that there wasn’t much more to the production, a wave of synth comes in with heavy gain, giving the song much more depth in comparison to the first half. All in all, the song isn’t particularly interesting regarding dynamic and fluctuation, but if you’re looking for a melancholy and slow song, there are layers to it that beautifully capture that feeling.
“Relocazion” - The Baxbys
Written by Brendan DiTullio
“Relocazion” is the latest single by The Baxbys, the Amherst-based indie rock foursome that's been making waves in the New England music scene. Much of The Baxby’s musical catalogue is The Strokes-inspired 2000s alt rock anthems, and “Relocazion” is no exception. The song is about making a change and relocating, either to get away from something, someone, or your own self-doubt. This is further cemented by the gorgeous album art, featuring a toy plane captured mid-take off. While the instrumentation is snappy, upbeat, and impressive, I think the song’s strongest aspects are its lyrics. They capture a sense of youthful longing–a desire to go somewhere, anywhere but here. In the chorus, vocalist Alex Nordlund sings “Why don’t you think you are growing / All day / Why do you say you are lonely? / All damn day.” In the outro, the phrase “evil eye” is repeated four times, and we’re left to ponder what this could mean. I think “evil eye” relates to truly taking a closer look at yourself and rexamining the choices you’ve made. If you don’t like what you see, it might be time to relocate.
“Viola” - Yves
Written by Caden Garza
Yves, in her second EP, I Did, continues to define her unique style, moving past her former title of LOONA member. The mix of dreamy synths, crunchy bass lines and her ethereal voice make the song have this addicting, floaty feeling. The background vocals that at one point Yves's own vocals have a filter that is hyperpop adjacent and emphasize the electronica influences in this track. It's catchy and upbeat, but clearly has a deeper meaning and emotion behind it. The chorus repeats the phrase "I just need some space," capturing the common feeling of being overwhelmed and spiraling. Yves can't catch a break from what others say or from her own thoughts in her head, as reflected in the music video.
In a predominately monochrome music video, there are tons of imagery corresponding with the lyrics and emotions she's going through. In color alone, you have it cutting from her with dancers in white to her alone in black, isolated. Alone, she mirrors an image of an overworked man sleeping at his desk with a pile of work next to him in a chaotic and cluttered, yet tiny, room. There're close ups of Yves smiling crazily as red lights flash over the screen and the song builds to the second verse, "I'm not that crazy". Aside from color, you have tons of spiral imagery. There's a zoom in to a spinning fan and burning black spirals overlayed on her head as she blankly looks into the distance. She's confined in a box that has the faces of frowning men on the side of it at one point.
As I think and look more into these qualities, I am reminded of Charli XCX's Brat— an electronic pop album with catchy, upbeat songs that have pure raw emotion behind them. With the album being so big this year, I am positive Yves took some inspiration from that. So, if you liked Brat, you should give Yves's 5-song EP, I Did, a listen.