Week of May 1st, 2026

Credit: The Hollywood Reporter

Dear Weekly New Music Friday Reviews: this week’s intro does not start with an interminable anecdote about how busy my life is?! Shocker. Anyways, like I fell under the weather due to the fluctuations in the weather, the music scene also proved unstable and fell ‘under’ in procuring songs that had enough emotion to give. This isn’t to say that there was a shortage of good music, but there was certainly a surplus of mediocre music. As some might say, bad is worse than boring. For me, some low-lights of the week: FINE PLACE TO DIE by Alex Warren, I know I know by STELLA LEFTY, It’s Me by ILLIT, Fallin’ by Leon Thomas and Chris Brown, and Just Wanna Cry by Meghan Trainor. Whether the problem within these songs was categorized by repetitive chord progressions, a boring lyrical purpose, a clear clout-chasing incentive that added artificial mattee, or a combination of two or three of said characteristics. 

Positively, the good within the yin and yang were typically enjoyable experiences. Staying Still by Noah Kahan delivers the same note of aggression to sentiment that has proven to make his newest album a top album of the year. Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert collaborate on Horses and Divorces to provide a type of country music that’s not only pretty but entertaining; a nice contrast from endeavors that neither entertain nor provide a unique opinion. BOY IN RED by Isaiah Rashad and SZA beautifully pieces together a medley of vocals between the two similar but distinct artist spaces that the two artists work within. Likewise, a highlight comes from Zara Larsson and a remix version of her Midnight Sun album, collaborating with legends like Shakira on Europsummer (Girls Trip). Further noteworthy shout-outs come with Maroon 5’s beautiful pop-rock style ballad, Heroine, Lady Gaga’s newest song for TheDevil Wears Prada 2 with Glamorous Life, Crutch by Love Spells, Carry the Weight by Halsey, Blackberry Marmable by Vince Staples, a debut EP by North West, and Promise? by rising star, Bella Kay. Without further ado, here are the best of the bunch! 

1. Most Streamed Song of the Week – “Bring Your Love” by Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter (8/10)

If there’s anything, Madonna could not be the one thing that’s safe to eliminate from that list is her ability to dominate culture. From her early days of bringing conversation with iconic albums like Erotica to a space where artistry was often characterized as a scene of commercial incentives, Madonna has been one of the main artists responsible for pushing boundaries within the music scene. Today, she is not only a northern star that guides modern music to be provocative, interesting, and true to artistic identities, but is also an artist who doesn’t hesitate for a second to integrate new sounds, ideas, and charts within a world of drastically changed mainstreams. She has remained a legacy that is timeless, and is evidenced by her evident talent and success even within the streaming era. Her recent collaboration with The Weeknd and Playboi Carti, Popular, is no longer a clear piece of evidence within this trope. It recently hit one billion streams, an impressive feat even for artists who withstand the test of time. 

The recent collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter is no exception. It debuted at Coachella Weekend 2 on April 17, 2026, during Carpenter’s headlining show. The two singers additionally sang a mashup of “Vogue” and “Like a Prayer” together. The song invites Sabrina into a world that complements her current stardom and popularity, but also one that feels distinctively ‘Madonna’. However, the song, while good in all measures possible (it’s fun, vibrant, and matches the sonic identity that is expected from this second single off of Madonna’s upcoming album, CONFESSIONS II, which is meant to be artistically parallel to 2005’s ‘Part 1 Version’, Confessions on a Dance Floor), doesn’t seem to invite Sabrina Carpenter’s own musical talents to truly shine. The lack of songwriting credits for Carpenter on the song reflects a lack of true authority for Sabrina to add her own true voice into the song, and is clearly audible when the Espresso-singer feels to be singing for someone else, rather than herself. This isn’t an uncommon phenomenon within the music industry, though, and is completely understandable. Madonna and her team likely require cohesion with the album’s expression, and cannot explore the inclusion of new instrumentals or sounds that complement another artist. Yet, in an age that celebrates diversity within the music field, a greater effort for Madonna to work alongside the new generation of musicians (like she did with Carti and The Weeknd), a chance to create  mutualistic art was definitely missed.

2. Lyrical Standout– “Material Lover” by SIENNA SPIRO (9.25/10)

I’ve recently been super obsessed with SIENNA SPIRO, and rightfully so. The 20-year-old singer, born and raised in the UK, recently broke through the internet and global charts with Die On This Hill, bringing a real revival to Amy Winehouse-esque music that screams ‘UK’ with fellow companions like Olivia Dean. Characterized by a beautifully defined soprano voice, bossa nova instrumentals, elements of jazz, and warmly produced vibratos to voice cracks, Material Lover not only shows off Spiro’s classy and warm voice. She’s here to show her songwriting talents that truly radiate within a current market oversaturated by fluffy songwriting that seems to say a large quantity of nothing within near three to five minute runtimes. Material Lover is part of the Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack–the movie which anticipantly featured actors like Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Steve Tucci. The movie was just released in theatres this Friday, along with the soundtrack’s entirety. 

The topic is gold, and culturally important: does materiality truly reflect a positive ideal within society? Rare as it is to find a critical song like this one within a soundtrack, the song is genuinely refreshing in terms of the entire music soundscape. It’s not boring and actually decides to have a perspective on life. To highlight some lyrics, it’s bluntly honest and self-aware as a song. “Well, I like things you can buy with money,” Spiro sings on the first line. What sounds like a sentence typically told off by society is admitantlly exposent of a quiet but existent ideal and psychoanalytical id that feels sinful to think out loud. She shows a dependence on this system of money and materialism, and illustrates a problem of awareness that continues to hurt. She cannot change her ways despite wanting to, a layered problem that seems all too relatable, but is hard to find in the world. It’s covert and not explained by simple emotions like happy or sad. The song is haunting, truthful, and blunt in a way that reminds the algorithm-era of music that true art raises conversation and ideas. 

3. Sonic Standout – “HOTLINE” by Mikayla Geier (8.5/10)

If you understand the methodology of the column, you’ll understand that Mikayla Geier is a constant force to work with. She displays her creative mind in a way that feels so understandable, it raises envy. I mean, why aren’t we as special in our way of thinking as Geier can so effortlessly (or seemingly effortlessly) be? The thing that makes her such an appealing artist is not just talent, though. In a world where talent is the bare minimum to sell records, that won’t get you far. Artistic identity, business smarts, and distinctive voices that are special within a crowd of one-noted voices is going to go much farther in any means of a long-run. Tutus, to Asian identity references? Yes, please, sign me up. A sonic identity that feels like Kylie Minogue meets Doja Cat, that’s still unique in its own right? Again, please, sign me up. The particular appeal with HOTLINE: what’s not to love? It feels like Mikayla is having fun even during the recording and production of the song. It’s a quirky disco song with spooky moments that create an adventurous experience when listening to the song. Truly, an immaculate song. 

4. Personal Favorite – “I’m not joking” by Bleachers (9/10)

The fourth and (likely) final single off of Bleachers’ upcoming studio album, everyone for ten minutes, ismy new favorite song, giving off the right mix of Jeff Buckley meets Radiohead. If you ever liked Karma Police by Radiohead minus the heartbreak, this Bleachers song will probably be your next latest obsession too. To describe it, it feels like a moment in between important chapters within your life. A train ride home from your first heartbreak? The slow ache of growing up? Falling apart slowly from someone you still love but just feel separated from? This is that moment of slow fleetingness verbalized into a song. It can feel like your own thoughts and feelings articulated in a way that makes you feel empathetic with. The great thing about the song, though, is that it doesn’t leave you hurt. The song feels incomplete in such a positive way. It ends just when the climax starts to remind you that the feeling of bittersweetness does hurt. It slowly heals you while breaking you simultaneously. Definitely a must-listen and a song I will be putting on repeat for a hot second!