Hey everyone! For today's blog, I will be writing a quick summary for 11 songs that I have recently listened to the audios for (that haven't got a music video yet, or it hasn't appeared on my feed). I remember doing music reviews before and they were really fun to do, so thought I would start them up again whenever I have time and energy to find new music. Without further delay... let's go!
Cat Janice 'Dance You Outta My Head'
The first track I listened to is by Cat Janice and the overall song sounded like it had a dance vibe, almost like a party song with some of her high pitched vocals strongly coming through. She sings the line 'want to dance instead, get you out of my head' which shows that maybe she is a confident performer and is used to being on the dancefloor. Other lyrics are 'being on the edge of disaster, makes me heart beat faster' which could show that sometimes being in a difficult relationship or situation, she actually gets a lot more emotionally nervous or connected to someone, giving the nervous butterflies energy because you know something could go wrong.
The chorus had a lot of repeated words but it was really catchy. She also uses the words 'must be the red wine or I'm intoxicated by your style' to explain how she feels about this particular love interest, almost giving Lady Gaga vibes. Unfortunately she did recently pass away in February 2024 due to a sarcoma, which is a rare cancer of the bones or soft tissue, which was a real shock to read, but sending condolences to her family, friends and anyone that knew her personally.
JVKE & Pink Sweat$ 'Lavender'
Up next is a really lovely sounding song by JVKE and his featuring artist who seem to be singing an emotional ballad in the form of a reply to an apology. The first line includes the words 'I can never stay mad at her' which suggests that JVKE has either experienced something bad from this girl, or he's done something wrong and is trying to win her love back but maybe an apology is not being accepted. He goes on to say 'reverse stress when you call my name' hinting at the fact that when she speaks to him, he doesn't feel like he's in a bad place and can actually relax because his name is being spoken. I guess here when she's using a different name, or not speaking to him at all, it maybe makes him wonder if she's speaking to other people.
During the middle of the song there was a nice singing rap verse which was really soothing to listen to and he sings the words 'got my breaking all my rules' which could be related to being in a relationship, that sometimes there are things on his requirement list, but for this girl they don't really matter. I also wrote a note at the end of my review that the singer has a cute voice, so that's probably the best way I can summarise the entire song.
Dan Aura 'Rewritten'
Okay, another song is from Dan Aura who I believe identifies as an LGBTQ+ singer/songwriter and I've been following him on socials for a while. His new track Rewritten could also symbolise going back in time to try and do something again. The opening lyrics 'I just called but you never answered the phone' almost confirm this, maybe there was a reason the call was not being answered so the song is a way to try and find out why. He also says 'we keep making the same mistakes' hinting that it seems to be a two person problem rather than pushing the blame either side, adding the words 'too many words to be forgiven'. With this, I think he could mean that there has been a lot of exchanging of words and some of those you can't just easily take back, maybe there was something that causes offense or upset.
For the chorus of the song, there was a lot of 'uh uh uhhh's with the vocals and drums and it sounded really electric and powerful. He also says at the end of the song 'where would we be if we were rewritten'. This could also be a line which makes it feel like Dan wants to go back in the past and try to re-live a different series of events. Great song though, was a lovely listen!
Em Beihold 'Maybe Life's Good'
From the song title, it sounds like this song could have negative connotations and that the singer Em is constantly thinking about the bad parts of life, and that she thinks everything in life is going to be bad or that the world is going to end. The overall vibe of the song sounds like a rock track which is really cool, and the lyric video has lots of cool animations that work well with the sounds of the track. She says to herself 'maybe take a breath, do it twice' which could be a way to recover from any bad thoughts or situation, rather than always thinking of the bad things.
She goes on to sing the lyrics 'I don't want to take a pill', hinting that she doesn't want to turn to tablets and prescriptions in order to recover from a bad feeling.'I'm stuck inside a pattern' was a really interesting line that she sang during the song, and it could either mean a pattern of life with things being repeated, or a pattern of events being good or bad so it just feels like nothing will change. At the end of the song there was a nice acoustic guitar solo with the lyrics 'might be time to turn the page' being sang, hinting at the positive change to put everything negative to sleep, and focus on moving forward.
James Charles 'Call Me Back'
This is the most shocking song on the list as I know James Charles sings, but I didn't know he sings this well. His song 'Call Me Back' has a very simple meaning of not being ignored. He sings the opening line 'I'm over love that's digital' which could be related to social media or dating apps, kind of saying here that he prefers in real life relationships and dating in the real world. He goes on to sing that somebody has been on his mind and that they don't think about him. He said that there's also a 'version of me that would never let go', saying that although James might have changed as a person, towards this person he will be the same person that he was before, being emotionally connected or attached to this guy.
James sings the words 'spent so much time wondering why you left' and during the chorus has a lot of strong vocals and backing vocals, amplifying the words throghout the main part of the song. He also says 'boys don't cry, after 100 times you think I would have learned. Although these lyrics can be interpreted as quite sad, he self reflects here saying that he might have been in this situation before but still feels like he doesn't understand why these situations happen, or why he gets ignored - maybe it's because of his platform growth and men want to be with him for the wrong reason, get bored and then ghost him. James also hints at this saying that 'instead of ghosting, you should man up and say what you mean', by being honest with their emotions and not just running away if they are not interested anymore. 'I meant to you less than you meant to me' means that James was a little bit more invested in this other individual than they were in him, suggesting that he was putting more effort into this situationship and that effort was not given back..
Meghan Trainor & TPain 'Been Like This'
Another new track here from Meghan Trainor who's coming back with a strong collaboration with TPain. The overall vibe of the song is very sassy and strong female qualities which she sings in a soothing pop way. At the start of the song there was a few circus/carousel type sounds to introduce the song. Some of the opening lyrics from Meghan included 'she got that booty' which could be referring to herself, and that she is cute, classy, bold and sassy and that she's basically going to ignore any negative comments or hate she receives from anyone and everyone.
TPain also sings lyrics which include 'make me act up on this flight, we're on first class to Heaven' suggesting that they are always on good flights heading to a great destination. They add the cheekg line 'tripping over these Grammy's' suggesting that they have been nominated before, or they are genuinely flying in their first class planes, over where the Grammy's are taking place (smart interpretation right?). Meghan sings that she's a popstar, wifey and that you can 'put an X if you' don't like me, almost telling people they can close the tabs instead of writing some form of negative story or post about her. Meghan also says that people can 'talk that smack' suggesting that she knows there are people who will just say negative things for no reason, and she doesn't believe it because she's a strong minded woman.
Madison Beer 'Make You Mine'
The next song by Madison had quite a warm feel to the song, with lyrics such as 'wanna feel, taste, get you going', which repeated a few times in a very sensual way to begin the song. It sounded like it could be a slow song but also an emotional ballad at the same time. She goes on to sing 'I wanna lay you down, string you up and make you mine' which I guess are traits of having control over somebody, or potentially being in the moment of fun and excitement when somebody least expects it. By 'stringing' someup up, it shows that she would be the dominant person in this encounter.
Towards the middle of the song there was an electronic piano with robotic backing vocvals which add a new dimension of strangeness but sexiness to the song, with Madison singing the words 'look at us, fantasy for life', and that the closer she gets, can you resist?. I think it's a very self confident song where she is trying to impress somebody, and I feel like there needs to be a video reply song with the person's emotions and how she made them feel, but she has amazingly strong vocals and it was a good listen!
TIMP 'I Still Dream Of You'
Up next is singer/songwriter TIMP who's song I discovered online, and I think he has an entire album out also but I will review that separately (giving it the time and energy it needs!). He says at the beginning of the song 'I didn't know what else to say, had it together until that one day'. I think the lyrics almost hint that the relationship he was having with someone was very strong, and one little thing broke it up. He says that he 'has no option but with every girl I have to stall', reflecting on his past relationship and that he won't be able to move on that easily.
It sounds like a really emotional song reflecting on a bad situation and he even says towards the end of the song that he 'tried to change myself, but it didn't work out' which I would say is quite a sad thing to hear, and he's saying that it's almost his fault why the relationship ended, which might or might not be true. I've always said it, and I will continue to say it, never change yourself for anyone because everyone is unique and can bring their own set of traits and qualities to the table.
Aqyila 'Bloom'
The next song was called 'Bloom' which gives me the initial connotations of something flowery or something positive. There were some popping sounds at the beginning of the song and her beginning lyrics suggest that she 'left my sweater back at your house', suggesting that it was either on purpose or she forgot to take it home with her. She said that when this person was to kiss it, it would take away her self doubt. I think Aqyila might have self confidence issues and she just wanted somebody to compliment her to prove to herself that she is valid.
She asked rhetorial questions such as 'what do you see, what do you believe, do you keep your schedule clear for me', all things she is probably asking herself and why she is being the time of day by this person. The fact that this person has a clear schedule could suggest that the love interest has a lot of time for Aqyila and wants to get to know her more. At the end of the song there were a lot of sexy adlib vocals, harmonies and relaxing music to bring it to a close. It was a lovely song to listen to and I'm excited to see what else she brings out (Oh, and I've dropped her a follow on Instagram, as with some of the other artists on this thread!)
IdkImHaz 'Punchbag'
Haz is actually a content creator friends with creators in the digital word, so when she posted that she was releasing music it was a very interesting and scary thing to see, because it's a new journey that she is going on. It seems to have had a good reception so far, and the track is called 'Punchbag' which may relate to a previous friend or partner. There are two versions, clean and explicit with pretty similar lyrics, but I listened to the explicit one as I thought there might have been more emotional parts of the song. She initially says that 'something hit harder than it ever did', with Haz maybe thinking that it wasn't going to affect her that badly, and in fact it did.
She also signs the lines 'the disbelief from friends, looking back at me' which maybe suggests that she knew her friends did not accept the situation she got herself into, sounding almost like a broken relationship that took her time away from spending it with friends. 'you lost your punchbag' was the main lyric of the song that was quite worrying to hear, almost like she was referring to herself as this, and again, it was another rock song which also brought through a lot more emotion through the way she was singing the lyrics and telling the story. She goes on to say 'all the time that I'll never get back', suggesting that whatever she was building with someone has been a wate of time now that it's ended.
Haz also sings the line 'stuck around like a people pleaser, asked for flowers and I got bruises' which also is a worrying line, and a very honest representation of her situation, so it's very brave for her to be able to speak up so confidently about what she went through rather than pretending everything was ok. She also said towards the end of the song that the 'd*ck was so useless' and had a little nervous giggle towards the end of the song. She says the words 'I don't knoow why I don't just do it while I'm laughing' as I guess she made herself laugh with a few of the lines that she was singing throughout. It was a great listen, nice to her reflecting so positively on a bad situation, and hopefully she will find a man who will appreciate her for who she is and not be involved in any boxing/punchbagging (unless in a professional capacity or a gym).
Zach Bryan 'The Way Back'
The final song on today's list is by Zach who I think has a bit of a country singer sounding voice. For this song, he had filmed an unedited version of the song with the camera recording him from his piano...and we even saw the camera falling at the end of the song. Some of the lyrics of the song include the first line where he sings 'I saw you in my dreams last night, you had a vandal grin framed by a suit and tie' which is very hard to analyse the lyrics for, but sounds like it's either a person from a past relationship who may have been held by another man wearing a suit and tie, so there could be some jealousy there, or he's referring to himself and a past situation him or his family could have been through before.
The next paragraph have the lines 'who'd of thought, she would ruin you, leave your whole damn family in shambles too' which bring my point to life in the fact that this girl has messed around with Zach, and somebody he is close with (potentially brother, father, best friend) and he's almost writing an apology letter that he didn't notice it sooner, or that he wasn't around to try and fix the situation before it got out of hand. 'smoking cigarettes in the kitchen, Tom & Jerry's on the front room television makes me also think that this could have set many years ago, so he is reflecting on something from the past, so could actually be about his mother, sister or another female in the family, as both stranger and family member can fit this role of messing with people's lives... but it's a difficult one to work out. In the end, there is a line that says somebody used to say 'God I miss the old me', so maybe this person in question has reflected on their bad actions and know that they need to change to go back to the person they were before!
Ok that was my first mini song reviews for a while so let me know what you think, and if there are any other singers, songwriters or audios for songs (with or without videos) that you would like me to review. Audio only and albums will be done through a blog, music video reviews will continue to be through videos on my music channel 'BRANDN EXTRA'. Until my next music reviews, continue having a great 2024 if you are and if you can, and see you soon!