#Zeptis: The Band Perry - Nite Swim
This will be a very interesting round for me because the only 2 or 3 songs I’ve heard out of the 12 submissions I am pretty lukewarm on. Let’s jump in! So my immediate thought is.. What the hell is this? The “If I Die Young” band are making lowkey vibe songs with trap influences? I mean, this is better than that piece of trash hit of theirs although that’s an extremely low bar to clear. This is one of the absolute last things I expected to hear from The Band Perry but I’m not mad at it. This is… ok?
#LaCroix: LeAnn Rimes - Can’t Fight The Moonlight
Ok, yes. Did you submit this for that failed collab season I tried running? I think I remember seeing this before in one of these. Anyway, yeah this is LeAnn Rimes so obviously it’s gonna be good. This song has a nice groove to it, and I love her voice. There’s just not a whole lot to say on this one, it’s just plainly good.
#UsernameThatWasFree: Troye Sivan - My My My
I remember this being a minor hit years ago? I also remember not liking it all that much. Revisiting it now, it’s a lot better than I remember. This is still pretty mid though, it’s kinda generic and I feel like there’s plenty of songs in this same lane that do this a whole lot better. It’s not BAD though.
#Booyahhayoob: Skillet - The Last Night
This is a very bold submission considering you know my stance on Skillet, lol. This love song is reeeeeeeeally generic, although tbf I don’t know what I expected from a Skillet deep cut, and… Hold the fuck up. I’m re-reading the lyrics and… is this a song from the pov of God talking to a suicide victim? What the fuck. If I’m reading this wrong, it’s just a really bland/generic/cheesy love song from some dude who wants to be this woman’s savior. If I’m reading this right… This is so gross. Either way, not a fan. Also, fuck John Cooper.
#Spinfur: Elenoir - Nightride
Now, while this does have the word night in the title, this is also something I feel would be fantastic to drive along the highway to, windows rolled down, wind in my nonexistent hair. Is this something I would’ve sought out on my own? I’m not sure if I could say for certain, but now that I have it I think it’d be fun to revisit once in a while. The music in the background was eerie, and her voice was hypnotic. I think the vibe I got from this is discount Midnight City, but if you’re familiar with that song you know that’s not really an insult!
#MrRobzilla: Beyonce - Sweet Dreams
I fully expected to see this one here somewhere, and… Yeah, I get it. This is one of her better singles from that album cycle. There’s not a lot to say on this one either, I mean it’s goddamn Beyonce. Of course it’s gonna do well if it’s one of her good ones, and this is.
#Samsam: Felix Jaehn ft. Jasmine Thompson - Ain't Nobody
This feels like cheating. I’m going to allow it because TECHNICALLY it’s not the same as the version that was submitted in round 4, but still… I have nothing new to say about Ain’t Nobody that I didn’t say round 4, except for the fact that this version is nowhere near as good as the original. It’s lacking the power the original had. This feels like the Dollar Store version of the original. I have absolutely no use for this in my life when not only is the Chaka Khan original good, but Teyana Taylor’s version on Masked Singer is phenomenal.
#Turkeylover: LSDXOXO ft. Eartheater - Demons
This was actually the most interesting submission I’ve heard so far this round! Like, I can easily see this being something Lil Nas X would do or someone of that nature and I stan the hell out of him so I’m not discounting this. Now, I have absolutely no idea what was being said for basically the entire song and I couldn’t find the lyrics anywhere so fuck me I guess. But, I don’t think it matters because his voice was so captivating that I was sucked in for the ride anyway. This is a song I can see slotting into my driving playlist pretty easily.
#SeongWoo: Sarah Jeffery - Queen Of Mean
Oh boy, the Descendants movie that I pretty much slept through the entirety of after binging the first 2 with my ex. Now, I honestly can’t say that I would’ve said this fit the theme if not for your brief explanation which made this submission make a whole lot more sense. Anyway, Audrey is spitting bars and I’m kinda into it, even if the fact that she was the villain of this movie at all always struck me as kinda dumb. Not my top pick from this series, or even this specific movie, but yeah this isn’t bad.
#Austino15fffan: The Chain Gang Of 1974 - Sleepwalking
This is frustrating. Because I WANT to like this, this sounds a lot like something I would absolutely be into, I can hear the good song in here. But god this guy’s voice is just not something I’m feeling all that much. Whatever effect is being used on it, I can’t stand. Everything else is pretty great though, it’s just being weighed down by 1 aspect.
#Lucas_RFS: Martin Garrix ft. Bonn - No Sleep
I mean, this is fine. Sounds a lot like every other generic mid ‘10s EDM track except apparently this came out in 2019??? That drop is kinda weak and it takes way too long to get there imo. This is a cute song though, the guy singing sounds really chill and I like his voice. The lyrics are kinda repetitive but I know they’re pretty much never the point to an EDM track so that’s fine. Yeah this was alright I guess.
#Aidan0621: Lorde - Ribs
Alright, some Pure Heroine era Lorde to wrap up this round. I know this is a fan favorite but I haven’t actually heard this one before so my expectations are pretty high going in, and… Yeah, I get it. I’ve heard plenty of songs about falling in love, but this is the rare “falling OUT of love” song. There’s a nostalgic feeling to this one, reflecting on youth and on better times, desperately trying to convince yourself that things can and will be ok despite the fact that it’s pretty much already over. This is pretty good!
