Hey, everyone. Anthony Fantano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. I hope you are doing well, and it's time for a Weekly Track Roundup. My thoughts on a bunch of tracks that have dropped over the past week or so, whether I loved them, hated them, or felt somewhere in between. They're all going to get mentioned in this video and linked down below, too, so you can check them out for yourself.

!!!WORST TRACKS THIS WEEK!!!

Let's get into the worst tracks of the week. We have a handful. We have a few. They are as follows.

Quavo, Lenny Kravitz - FLY

Bam. Quavo is sampling Lenny Kravitz's "Fly" for an awful trap radio tune that is incredibly excruciating. How does he get away with it? Why is this happening? This should be illegal.

Katy Perry - LIFETIMES

We also have a new one from Katy Perry, who is flopping one more time with the track "Lifetimes", a painfully generic little piece of house and dance pop with vocals that are so processed and so touched up. They don't even really sound like Katy Perry. The lyrics, absolutely soulless, especially for a love song. I really don't get it. Katy Perry has fallen off pretty immensely with these new singles.

Addison Rae - Diet Pepsi

And we also have Addison Rae, "Diet Pepsi", who is just blatantly with no filter whatsoever, raw dogging, ripping off Lana Del Rey on this new track with no hesitation. Vocally, instrumentally, and pretty much every way that you could rip off Lana Del Rey. She is ripping off Lana Del Rey, and it's unfortunate because I would rather just listen to Lana Del Rey.

...meh...

All right, meh. The tracks I was on the fence with, you might like them more than me. They are as that follows.

Zedd - Lucky ft. Remi Wolf

Bam. New one from Zedd, with Remi Wolf. I've always thought Remi had a fantastic, soaring, powerful lead vocal that would potentially sound really good over some EDM production. And look, I think the final result is okay. It's not my style, it's not my preference, but I will say, Remi does sound good on the Zedd track. So if this potentially gets her more shine into the future, all the more power to her. And for sure, this collaboration is going to make this track one of the better cuts off of the forthcoming Zedd album anyway. So there you go.

TR/ST - Dark Day

All right, we have a new one from TR/ST as well, "Dark Day". To me, this is some pretty decent, eerie, dark wave, maybe a bit too eerie. I'm not as enamored with the tune or the washed-out production as I am with the vibe, I suppose. But yeah, it's all right. Not the strongest single of the batch for this forthcoming album.

The Smile - Don't Get Me Started

We have a non-album extra single from The Smile, "Don't Get Me Started". Apt title, considering it doesn't really feel like this song ever starts. It just hangs in this very weird, awkward, abstract space that doesn't really build up too much in the way of any momentum. It's all right, I suppose. The vibe is there, but not much else.

Molchat Doma - Belaya Polosa

Alright, we also have a Molchat Doma, who has blessed us with another teaser to this forthcoming album, Baleya Pelosa. And while I think the songwriting and the production are solid overall, as far as this goth adjacent new wave, throwback stuff goes. For this particular track, I just don't see why you wouldn't just listen to Depeche Mode. It's just pretty much like Depeche Mode all over again without much in the way of any real alterations. It's okay. I would just rather listen to Depeche Mode, I suppose.

The Killers - Bright Lights

We also have The Killers, "Bright Lights", who are bringing an obnoxious, but also big, bright, high gloss, Americana rocker with just a lot of volume and a lot of pomp. I'll say that. Not much beyond that, but pomp.

Kali Uchis - Simple

We also have Kali Uchis, who has come through with a deluxe edition of her latest full-length LP with some extra songs. "Simple" is one of those, and it's a spacy, cool little bit of indie pop with some washed-out guitar and stuff like that. It's not bad, but there are songs off of the core record this is extending that are a lot stronger than this for sure.

The Dare - You're Invited

And we also have The Dare, which I'm not so crazy about this new single over here. Certainly not as enamored as I have become over the past weeks with "Perfume", which I think is a hilarious track, a very funny, very cheeky concept. This one over here, "You're Invited", without a hilarious or outlandish angle to pitch things lyrically, I feel like something is missing. Plus, instrumentally, the track just feels like some weird duck sauce, LCD Soundsystem pastiche. I'm not really crazy with the direction that's going on instrumentally. It just seems a little basic, I would say. Passible, but not exciting.

!!!BEST TRACKS THIS WEEK!!!

We also have best tracks of the week, a bunch of those. They are as follows.

TV Girl & George Clanton - Summer 2000 Baby & Take a Trip

Starting off with a couple of new singles with TV Girl as well as George Clanton, "Summer 2000 Baby". If you are all familiar with George Clanton's work, of course, you know you're going to be getting some woozy throwback, late '90s, early 2000s pop music that's super fuzzy, that's super blissful, that's super catchy. That's pretty much what you're getting with this and more with TV Girl in the mix as well. Yeah, liking it quite a bit. It's fun, it's nostalgic, it is intoxicating, just like some good George Clanton should be.

Toro y Moi - Hollywood ft. Benjamin Gibbard

Alright, moving on from there. Actually liking quite a bit this latest single from Toro y Moi, which actually features Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie fame. "Hollywood" is the title. And with some of this latest stuff, Toro was really trying to make this whole emo trap thing, put his own twist on it. In terms of the tune and the production and the way his and Ben's vocals tie together very nicely on this track, he's definitely succeeding. I like what he's doing a lot on this track, and I feel like him and Ben have a lot of vocal overlap, and their singing together almost creates this natural chorus effect. And I like the beat. I like how catchy it is. I like how moody it is. I like how poppy, yet also very emo-adjacent the track is. I'm messing with it. I think it's really cute, and again, quite moody.

Tommy Cash - UNTZ UNTZ

"UNTZ UNTZ", a new track from Tommy Cash. Fantastic pop, satirist, and surrealist is hitting us with a song and music video that sounds like it's aiming to be an official Olympics track, but also making fun of that a bit, too. It's actually a banger with some incredibly funny lyrics, great production, high-octane all the way through. Exciting and gut-bustingly hilarious all at once.

SBTRKT - OUTSPOKEN

Alright, we also have SBTRKT, who has been adding track after track after track to this new EP release. "Outspoken" is the latest of these songs. If you're looking for some quick, direct, short, clubby two-step with some fantastic progressions to it, and a lot of punch, you're going to like what SBTRKT has to offer on this one for sure.

OFF! - Oblivion (Free LSD Blu-Ray Bonus Track)

Alright, OFF!, who is pretty much off as a band. Fantastic hardcore punk revivalist outfit. They're done, they're finished, they're over. No more albums, no more music. But the band is hitting us with a last hurrah with this whole, I guess, like Blu-ray thing they're doing to commemorate the band and them ending things. And this Blu-ray, this Blu-ray project extra, they've thrown us, "Oblivion", is psychedelic, is heavy, is riffy, is hard as hell, just like a lot of tracks off of their final record, Free LSD. So that tracks and makes sense. Kick-ass cut, liking it a lot. Cool little extra over here from OFF!

Nails - Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy

Nails have come through with another banger. This one is as vicious as anything they have released in the lead-up to this new album, Every Bridge Burning. "Lacking the Ability to Process Empathy" is the title of this new one. It seems like the band is really leaning into those antisocial tendencies with these titles, with the music, with everything. The sonics definitely give off those vibes. No denying that, and it kicks absolute ass.

JOBA - People Need People

Moving on from there, JOBA, of Brockhampton fame, has dropped yet another single. This one, "People Need People", even more impressive than the last. Mostly because I'm really loving the range he's hitting us with vocally on this song, and the arrangements throughout the track, which are just powerful, incredible, and really refined pretty much of the time, too. Just, again, I didn't really foresee this musical transition from Joba, but he's absolutely killing it, going in this direction. "People Need People". Incredible track. Try it out.

Ichiko Aoba - Lullaby

Alright, we have Ichiko Aoba, Japanese singer and songwriter, whose sound is incredibly enchanting, low-key, acoustic, beautiful, touching, and quite tender. That is especially the case for this latest single, "Lullaby", which certainly lives up to its title. The song is like being cradled to sleep. It's gorgeous. It's just pretty, pretty, pretty, and stunning in ways that are subtle and nuanced. I highly recommend that you give this one a listen, as well as all of her albums so far, if you're into soft-type singer-songwriters, that's for sure.

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Hashtag

Alright, we have Gillian Welch who is teasing once again toward this upcoming album that she is dropping very soon. "Hashtag" is the name of the track. And if you're looking for some Americana, some Alt Country, some beautiful balladry, this track is what you're going to want to listen to

Fontaines D.C. - Here's the Thing

Also digging on "Here's the Thing", one of the most rocking singles from the forthcoming Fontaines D.C. album. This one definitely kicks quite a bit of ass.

FINNEAS - For Cryin' Out Loud!

Also liking this new one from FINNEAS. What a song. "Crying Out Loud" for crying out loud. Like, damn, the horns, the vocal harmonies. I was singing along with this track the first time I heard it before it was over because it was just that instantaneous. It was that sweet. It was that sharp. It was that well-written. FINNEAS is absolutely smashing it on this new song, that's for sure.

ELUCID - INSTANT TRANSFER ft. Billy Woods

We also have Elucid over here who was killing it on a new cut with some very abstract and strange production. Billy Wood's hitting us with a bit of a different flow on the back-end, different for what you might expect given their previous collaborations as the duo Armand Hammer. "Instant Transfer" is the name of the track. New album from Elucid on the way, which I'm very much looking forward to as long as we get more bops like this in the mix.

cumgirl8 - Karma Police

We have a couple more. "cumgirl8", "Karma Police", the 8th cumming is the name of their forthcoming album. And yes, this is not a Radiohead cover, but it is a badass, freaky, electronically-tinged, a little post-punk song with some hilarious lyrics and a lot of personality. If you're looking for something that is a bit on the weird side, maybe a good Devo track or something like that, give this thing a spin.

Adrianne Lenker - Once a Bunch

And finally, Adrianne Lenker has hit us with a song that is a post-Bright Future album single, "Extra". This one is a touching little duet, a folksy number that is super intimate and quite moving. A lot of endearing lyrics, "Once a Bunch", is the title of the track. It's simultaneously heartwarming and heart-wrenching. I'll say that.

And that is going to be it for this Weekly Track Roundup. Hopefully, you got some good recommendations out of this. You're the best.

Anthony Fantano, Weekly Tracks, Forever.