Okay. Okay. Hi everyone. Anthony Fantano here, Internet's busiest music nerd. Hope you're doing well. Weekly track roundup. It is time to go over a bunch of cuts that have dropped over the past week or so. Whether I loved them or hated them or felt somewhere in between, that is the point of this video. Let's get into the...

Worst tracks of the week

We only have a few. They are as follows. Boom.

Yeat doing a Drake cover of "Feel No Wayz". Yeah, yeah, I'm not feeling it. You know, I think Yeat vocally can do a lot of things, but, but does he have the sort of appeal that Drake does? Can he bring the sort of magic to a track like this that that Drake does for the most part, you know, does he have that Drake appeal? Not really, but maybe if you're a hardcore Yeat fan, it'll do something for you.

Also not really feeling this new Don Toliver track with Doja Cat, "Lose My Mind". I don't really think the track is a display of either artists talent or unique style or esthetics. It just sort of sounds like a generic electro rap pop blend for a movie soundtrack, which in fact it is. So you know, you're not really missing much here. All right.

Meh. The tracks that I was on the fence with.

But you might like them more than me. They are as follows. You know, again, not crazy about these cuts but, but they have their merits.

First off, new Primus, where I think in some respects they sounding like old school Primus, but in others I think maybe the lyrics are a bit too on the nose and the psychedelic effects I think take away some of the punch of the drums and the bass. But still with that being said, sick slap bass lines and it's kind of cool to hear Les engaging in this kind of like, you know, gutter type storytelling and character portrait-ism once again on this "Little Lord Fentanyl" track, which, you know, definitely has a message to it for sure.

We also have this new one from Lido Pimienta, which I am liking the grandiosity of. It is a very lush track. She is really sort of digging deep into like orchestrations and stuff like that on this cut. But simultaneously I feel like the tune isn't really going anywhere too strong. And it does feel like very Bjork-esque in a way that is maybe slightly distracting. I don't know. I'll say that.

We also have a new Green Day track, which "Ballyhoo" is the title. And I think it's pretty decent, you know, definitely stronger than the last deluxe additional track and single from the new record Saviors. You know, look, I would say this is like... If this track was like in the Uno Dos Tres trilogy of records, it would be one of the better songs for sure. I mean, obviously not a key era for Green Day, but does sound very pop punky. Sounds like it's got a bit of bite to it and certainly way better than anything off of Father of All... We can definitively say that.

All right, we also have Ed Sheeran over here, "Old Phone", new track from him, which I think is a kind of a cute cut. I mean, instrumentally it is bland like a lot of Ed Sheeran songs tend to be, but he is going just straight into that acoustic singer songwriter mode and, you know, giving us some pretty heartfelt lyrics about, you know, just what's going on with all these old memories coming back to him once he is looking through this old phone, family, friends, exes, so on and so forth. It does seem like a very personal song. And he's writing, I think, a lot of thought into these lyrics and I can at least respect that, even if it's not like one of my favorite songs of the year.

All right, we also have a new one over here from Bladee, new EP out now. One track from it that I would like to point out is "One in a Million". And to me, this does not hit as hard as like the recent rage stuff Bladee has been engaging in as of late. It just kind of seems like some very kind of low impact trap and not much else, frankly.

We do have a new one from The Beths over here. "Metal" is the title. I do like the lyrics of the track. They're quite cute. It's all about, you know, you needing metal, iron in your blood in order to survive all that. I mean, it's essential. Send this track to the biophysicist in your life, I suppose. But it's a cute tune all around. It's got a bit of, I would say, a derivative jangle pop style to it, but, you know, it's not a bad song. Not a bad song. All right.

We have Benny the Butcher, Excelsior new EP out now. One track from it that I would like to point out features Harry Fraud on production. "Sign Language" is the name of the track and while I think the bars on the track are decent, I just don't know if this sort of instrumental palette complements Benny best. While I know that he does have maybe more of a commercial appeal and skew than maybe some of his, you know, Griselda brethren, I think like a very synthy kind of chilled out beat like this doesn't really bring the bite that I love to hear on on a Benny the Butcher track, I'll say that.

All right, we have Amine over here who was giving us a, you know, cute little rap and dance blend with some driving beats on this "Vacay" track. It's okay, it's cute, it's fun, it's summery, it's a nice summer jam. Sun's out, buns out, that sort of thing.

And let's move on to the best tracks of the week.

We have a bunch, bunch, bunch of those.

Hitting you with this "Egypt" remix from Westside Gunn with Doechii on it. Doechii does her thing on the track. It's cool to sort of hear what originally brought this song to come together. Doechii talking about Westside, Westside sampling. Doechii talking about Westside. Then Doechii is on the remix and it's sick, you know, she spits furiously on the remix and, you know, has a few cool bars in there that reference back to the Westside verse on the track. It's cool. There's chemistry there and, you know, reminder that Doechii is not just like, you know, some one trick pony or an artist that writes a certain type of song. She has versatility. So, you know – and if she didn't, she wouldn't be able to hang with Westside on a track like this, frankly.

All right, moving on from there. Turnstile has dropped a couple of new tracks and I wanted to point out at least one of them. "Birds" is the title of this one. And this one's atmospheric, it's punky, it's fast paced, it's aggressive. It's in your face. Really everything I wanted from the first single from the record. I highly doubt everything on the forthcoming album is going to sound like this. As you know, I think the band is going to continue to explore different sounds, be versatile and sort of trend in dreamier, atmospheric directions, given that that has proven to be a big appeal for them. This track, at the very least, does bang quite a bit. "Birds."

All right, moving on from there. Rico Nasty has hit us with another single, "Butterfly Kisses". Yeah, it's a cutesy bop, cutesy banger, with a, I would say like a playful instrumental and some aggressive flows on top. You know, it sort of like has that classic and, you know, trademark Rico Nasty feel where there's like some bite to it. It's a little nasty, it's kind of badass. But there's something simultaneously kind of cutesy and fun about it too, which I continue to appreciate about her. Her vibe. All right, moving on from there.

McKinley Dixon comes through with another highlight, another great single for his forthcoming album in June. I think one of the most underrated rappers out there currently. Show McKinley D his respect. We are 3 for 3 on these new singles. He's got something to say and the verbiage and the flow to do it. I'm not even 100% sure on how to say the title, but it features Teller Bank$ on it, so please forgive me.

Also we have Magdalena Bay, Like a Version covering none other than David Bowie, "Ashes to Ashes". And it's a very good cover. I respect it. I respect it highly. David Bowie, hard artist to cover because the most popular songs have been covered to death. And even if you're covering, you know, not like one of the top three top four Bowie songs of all time, the expectations are still going to be high. But there's a fiery guitar solo on this. There is a bumpin' bass line, a solid vocal performance. It's a good rendition all around. So shout out to Magdalena Bay for that. And Triple J as well, obviously.

All right.

Also enjoying this new track from Loathe over here. "Gifted Every Strength". The ferocity of the vocals, the intensity of these like, mathy, heavy, crushing riffs is incredible. And the way they transition into these very melodic, kind of dreamy, Deftones-inspired hooks. Soaring chorus is quite nice. It's a nice combo and I feel like as they kind of move into those more pillowy passages, the music doesn't necessarily lose its flavor or momentum, which I quite appreciate.

Also enjoying this new one from Indigo De Souza over here. You know, I feel like there were quite a few tracks off of her last record that maybe could have had a bit more punch. And I think this new song, "Heartthrob", is like doing exactly that. Like this is one of the most rocking tracks I think Indigo De Souza has ever come through with. And on top of it, she's like maintaining that heart wrenching passion that I think makes her intriguing as a singer, as a voice, you know, sort of on the indie circuit right now. So really enjoying this one quite a bit.

Also enjoying this new single from BADBADNOTGOOD with V.C.R., "Found a Light". It's a nice little peppy, fast paced piece of jazz and soul with great solos and cool group vocals.

Also enjoying this new Aesop Rock track. "Send Help". More dizzying bars and solid production from one of the most legendary rappers himself.

And finally, shout out to 1999 Write the Future who have a new EP out with Pharcyde, and one track from it, "Citrus Nioxide", that I want to point in your direction has Danny Brown on. It's kind of a classic, grimy Danny Brown feature for sure. For sure.

And that is pretty much every song I wanted to shout out in this weekly track roundup. Thank you very much for watching.

Anthony Fantano, Weekly Tracks Forever.