Week of March 6th, 2026
Credit: Official Charts
Confession: This article is actually being written way after March 8th. Actually, it’s being written in April due to my lack of balance in keeping up with the column. But, I’m back on track and still wanted to write about March 6th and the selection of music from New Music Friday, as it’s a great way of documenting this great moment of musical culture I’ve been born into and have the privilege of writing about. The New Music Friday Playlist, though, doesn’t seem to have a record log of every single song that was placed on it. As a result, I won’t be able to recommend any songs from March 8th, but the ones I documented before the playlist updated. I hope it puts some music history into writing.
1. Most Streamed Song of the Week – “American Girls” by Harry Styles (6.25/10)
Despite an abundance of thought-provoking songs within his discography, Harry Styles seems to have lost a spark that once fueled his former artistry. Tracks such as Matilda and Fine Line that have grounded Styles into an image of profound artistry didn’t prove consistent with his new album, ‘Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.’ and likewise American Girls, which is part of his fourth album’s disco exploration. Apart from an arguably bland thematic exploration of love that comes with ‘ounces’ of disco, it’s the lack of genuine clarity within the album’s focus that provides confusion and critical disappointment. In verbalizing the theme itself, it feels like it was intended to be artistically deep, but it results in a muddled understanding. In other words, the album’s 42 minutes of runtime say a whole lot of nothing while saying so much.
The song itself isn’t wrong. American Girls portrays itself as a song about how Harry’s friends are all falling in love with American Girls. The production lacks some originality but is absolutely fine; nothing wrong. And the concept of distant friends who seem to keep falling in love with a specific standard of women had the potential to be expanded into an album’s exploration of ideas such as artificial romance. However, his fans seem to have picked the wrong song to stream the most. While again, nothing is horrifically wrong with American Girls, the album has some high moments like with Taste Back that, I think, deserved better mainstream recognition. Nevertheless, while Harry didn’t treat his anticipatory listeners to an album that was as sweet as the marketing promised, I’m confident that if Styles can find something new to feel passionate and purposeful towards, he can work towards channelling his id into a stronger future album.
2. Hidden Gem – “Queen of Texas” by Solya (8.25/10)
If Lana Del Rey, Madison Beer, and Suki Waterhouse were to make a song together, it feels like Solya’s Queen of Texas provides just the right touch of early Del Rey (Elizabeth Grant) quirky musical themes, the type of Greek-tragedy-esque instrumentals that can be found in Madison Beer’s newer songs like bittersweet, and Suki’s tendency to utilize dark-romantic synth chords. The song is hauntingly alluring and provides a glimpse into what it’s like to be the Queen of Texas–which from the song’s lyrics (see: ‘You'd cut my head off to take my place’) doesn’t seem too positive–it keeps certain questions unanswered and discreet to serve the track’s purpose as the opener for Solya’s album, Queen of Texas. While learning about all the true consequences that come with being a Southwestern Queen requires a diligent reading into the entire album, the song alone is strong enough to be a mysterious standalone and is a song that should be on the radar for any LDR fans!
3. Personal Favorite – “Old Time’s Sake” by Devon Gabriella (5.75/10)
A note of country? A note of bedroom pop? Count me in! March 6th came with Devon Gabriella’s fun country-style ballad, Old Time’s Sake. To me, it’s honestly a very fun track that feels like a breezy moment to take a line dance or walk in a suburban park. To my liking, the song is not original in many ways. It sounds like a repeat version of many existing country-style songs, is paired with lyrics that mainly feel redundant of the title, and comes with a pairing of acoustic guitars as the instrumental focus. But, from a positive note, the track is consistent with Devon’s brand, which shows authenticity and a consistent brand, which is something an artist should always be proud of. But the charm in this song is its familiar vibe, fun rodeo enthusiasm with a slight note of sorrow about how the past played out.
