Okay, okay, okay. Hey, hi. Hello, everyone. Anthony Fantano here, Internet's busiest music nerd. Hope you're doing well. And it's time for a Weekly Track Roundup. My thoughts, my feelings, my opinions on a bunch of tracks that have dropped over the past week or so.

Let's move on quickly to a few shoutouts that come by way of Austen, who wants to point out this Kevin Drum, Sheer Hellish Miasma 2. It says that she wants to shout out this sequel to Kevin Drum's clasic noise album, saying that while the original is pretty varied for the genre, this one basically ups the ante with two unrelenting torrents of electronics spanning 95 minutes. It starts blasting with no foreplay, too. That's the description. But there is just enough development to the whole thing to keep it interesting.

Another shout-out by way of Austen, that would be this new Dean Blunt over here. Basically, it's a new EP featuring vocals from Elias of Iceage Fame, and she thinks he sounds great over Dean's Janglepoppy instrumentals. This is probably your favorite mini Dean side project, so that's pretty fire.

All right.

Worst tracks of the week.

Now that those shoutouts are out of the way. We have a couple, we have a few.

One, being this new Tyga cut off of a record titled NSFW. The song features Lil Wayne, and it could not possibly sound more stale, dated. Even Tyga himself sounds bored on the song. He looks bored on this album cover. What are we even doing? What is the purpose of this? What is the passion? What is the excitement? What is the anything? There's no hype behind this. No gusto, no nothing. It's just completely deflated. No gas in the tank. A snoozer. Even though it's trying to be a banger.

Papa Roach are back with a brand new track. "Even If It Kills Me" is the title of it. And you know what? I am not listening to this song again, even if it doesn't kill me. I'm not man enough to listen to this song twice. I'm going to be honest with you. It sounds like a dated version of alt metal and butt rock that came years later after Papa Roach originated. It's like they're playing catch up with an older, newer sound. It's like two times being dated over here. I don't know. It's a little strange to hear the band so out of sorts right now, especially considering, I feel like going back to the OG rap rock delivery might in fact be the move right now. I feel like that's becoming nostalgic once again, but whatever. Such is life. Can't always get a new Papa Roach track that bangs.

Moving on from there, we have Fivio Foreign with a track titled "PlaqueBoyMax", and it's just a really boring, clout-chasey type where he's obviously shouting out a streamer with a much more massive platform than he has. There's not really much to it in terms of bars or production. It just falls flat, and it's weird hearing Fivio completely lose his sense of self artistically as he drifts further and further away from that classic Brooklyn drill sound.

All right. And next we have Djo, an artist who, obviously, he is very well known for his work in the acting world, but obviously, I say obviously twice, he has really been making a name for himself in music, though, under this name. "Basic Being Basic" is the name of the first single from the forthcoming The Crux. I don't know if I'm getting the crux of this track. It just seems like some mediocre indie talk-singing stuff with some lyrics that are pretty much going nowhere fast. It could use something, really anything, honestly. And I'm usually a big fan of the talk singing meta, but I feel like there's a lot of people getting in on it right now that are not doing it well, not doing it justice. This track is a shining example right here.

All right. The tracks I was meh on.

Not crazy about, but still thought I would shout them out. They are as follows.

We have Travis Scott, brand new single, "4x4", is the name of the track, and it sounds like a leftover from Astroworld. Yeah. I mean, it sounds like an Astroworld leftover. I really don't know what else to say. I know Travis has a tendency to really feed into fans' expectations and go very simple and go very predictable on a new single, and maybe it's the deeper cuts that are a bit more adventurous, but come on, man. I feel like he's been writing the same song for years now. It's fine, it's psychadelic, it's trappy, it's thick, it's dense, it's grandiose. But I feel like, again, it's not as exciting as when he's done this exact same formula in the past. And on top of it, I feel like Travis's rapping and presence on a song has dwindled down over the years because of his over-reliance on features. And as a result, it's really just hard for him, I think, to muster up a true banger completely by himself. Yeah, it's okay. It's passable, and not really much more than that.

All right.

Past that, we have Tate McRae, who's actually... I mean, I'm usually very unimpressed with Tate McRae's music. I will say this song over here, "Sports Car", is a relative pop-off. It's got some "Bad Girl" era Britney, some Pussy Cat Dolls vibes. The tune is solid. The production is there. Are the vocals blowing me away? No. Is the tune anything super new? But I do feel like she is borrowing from those Y2K influences in a way that's actually tasteful and doing those sounds, at least a little bit of justice on this new one.

We also have a Shygirl, who has come through with an interesting collaborative crossover, Isabella Lovestory and PinkPantheress on this "True Religion" song. It's a great little spacy bit of dance pop. I guess my issue is that the production and the vocals are presented in such a way to where it all melts together, and it's really difficult to pull much of anything out specifically from the song because it does all blend together. But it's still a vibe, I suppose.

All right, past that, we have Roc Marciano with the lyrical, but also very repetitive "Vintage Limo". Those drums and that bass really could have used a switch up on such a long cut, but Roc's coldblooded delivery, and heady lyrics are most certainly still there.

We have one over here from our producer extraordinaire, quickly, quickly, who continues his artistic evolution into a ballad that's like a low-key, jangly, very meditative and relaxing indie singer songwriter cut. "Anything" is the title of the song. I wouldn't say the performance is blowing me away or anything, but I see the reference points, and they're being collaged together in a very pretty, in a very vibey way.

We also have the great Lonnie Holley, who has a new record on the way. I feel like this new song over here is a little too short to really hit hard for me. However, I'm expecting that it's going to be reinforced by the tracks surrounding it on the forthcoming Tonky. The song is called "Protest with Love". It is an impassioned soul influenced plea with some weary lead vocals and some gorgeous instrumentation. It's pretty much about what the title says. It's about Lonnie Holley coming through with the very direct messaging on this track. Again, I thought it was a little short, I wish it had more of a grand, ambitious ascent or build to it, especially with such a powerful, loving message being packed into the lyrics. But I will withdraw full feelings on the track until I hear how it works in the greater context of the album. Because if Holley is anything, it is an album artist as far as music is concerned, because he is involved in multiple artistic disciplines.

Shout out to the Jesus Lizard, who have come through with this happy, very colorful and guitar-driven new album single "West Side", which is okay. I feel like it has everything except those trademark, intense, wild Jesus Lizard vocals. I feel like that element of the band has been a little toned down in recent years, and I feel like that, unfortunately, is also the case on this new track, too. And as a result, it's not hitting quite as intensely for me.

We have Cheekface, "Growth Sux", new single, new album cycle. The indie talk rock underground titans are back. However, I'm not as enamored with this song. Having heard it this week and having previewed the single, too. Unfortunately, not only do I just not agree all that much with the message – I don't inherently think that growing sucks and makes you worse, personally, artistically, whatever. I'm sure there's a hint of irony there, and Cheekface is really leaning into the the similarity that this song shares with everything they've put out previously. But on top of that, I feel like, instrumentally and musically, this track doesn't really hit as hard as the band's best. And I suppose you could say most classic stuff. So far, I feel like the groove and the instrumental is a little subpar for them, and maybe the lyrics come across a bit too ironic. I don't know. I mean, I feel like Cheekface is great. I'm loving the creativity. I'm loving the standout style they've brought to the table so far. But I feel like it would be a shame to see all that, I don't want to say devolve or evolve, just stagnate in one single place for record after record. I feel like that's not necessarily the move either. But there could be more variations on the deep cuts of this forthcoming album for sure. We'll see.

All right, moving on from there...

Best tracks of the week.

They are as follows.

Starting off with my boys, my Viagra Boys. They have a new album on the way. First single, "Man Made of Meat". It is like punk rock Loser, a very direct, riffy, playful, and somewhat self-effacing rocker with a lot of wild lyrics, just very colorful commentary throughout the track. Some dark humor as well being expressed, obviously. It's a catchy one. It's a rocking one. I like that the Viagra Boys are coming back with a vengeance on this new track.

We have also, shout out to Sunrot, who came through with a new EP, one track off of it that I want to push your guys away, featuring Dylan Walker of Full of Hell fame. "The First Wound" is an amazing piece of very blueprint, but still very heavy, very crushing, very cathartic sludge with some great layered up vocals, some just massive, massive guitar riffs, steady but still gratifying pacing. It's a great track, and make sure to look out for the rest of their Passages EP that is out now.

Moving on from there, we have Sumac, also dealing in the field of sludge and doom, and just those slow juggernaut, just monolithic metal riffs. They've come back again with a track. This one's a collaboration. They're no strangers to collaborating, especially with artists who are in the more experimental and avant-garde field. And that is the case with including Moor Mother on this forthcoming record. It's formatted, or at least it's portrayed as being envisioned, like a movie. In fact, the first single from the record is titled "Scene One". It's an intense drone metal spoken word stunner. A great meld of Mother's and Sumac's respective styles. I feel like it just works. The social commentary is rapid fire, is on point. The guitar riffs are just droning. They're heavy, they're thick, they're distorted. Very Sunn-esque, in my opinion. Gratifying track, thoughtful track, and looking forward to seeing how crushing and dark and conscious this forthcoming record gets.

We have Malignant Worthlessness, the forthcoming album from Pissgrave, whose upcoming record art here I have heavily censored. Yes, their album covers tend to be pretty vile and disgusting, and their new single over here for their forthcoming album, "In Heretic Blood Christened", is one of the filthiest, most abrasive, most ugly pieces of death metal you are going to hear this year, I guarantee it. Pissgrave, for me, historically, does tend to wear their welcome a little bit when I listen to an entire album. But in those short, very noisy, chaotic, abrasive bursts, I really do got to give it to the band because a few groups out there, regardless of genre, are doing it as heavy, as fast, and as hideous, just straight up fucking disgusting as Pissgrave is. And you know what? The band, their music, their sound, it really does live up to their album covers. You can certainly give them that. All right.

A shout out to JPEGMAFIA, who has given us a little post-album, extra cut over here, "Protect the Cross", is the name of the song. And yeah, with all the rock riffs and the somewhat thinner production palate, it does feel like a leftover from his last album. But still, there are so many banger bars and lyrics on the track. It seems like he had to put it out. It seemed like there were too many good moments not to share, even if it isn't necessarily stepping up to the plate in a lot of the the same way as that the heavier, riffier songs off of his latest album are. But still a cool standout. Looking forward to more extras from this era from Peggy for sure.

And finally, Bruno Mars and Sexyy Red come through with a brand new single. "Fat, Juicy, and Wet" is the name of the track, and it's outlandish, it's sexual, it's ridiculous. It sees Sexyy Red embracing her poppier side. It sees Bruno Mars embracing embracing his just horny boy side. It sees both of these people out of their element to a certain degree, and for whatever reason, that's just really fun. It's got a West Coast instrumental, very synthy. You can feel the waves of GNX already impacting the music industry. And on top of that, Bruno Mars has some funny lines himself – throwing up a fucking set, Bruno? Throwing up a set? What set is Bruno throwing up? Anyway, wild track, absolutely off the wall. He's been doing a lot of collaborations as of late. Personally, I found pretty much all of them to be underwhelming, except for this one. This one was actually legitimately fun, even if it does smack a little bit of novelty, I suppose.

But yeah, that is going to be the Weekly Track Roundup. Hopefully, you guys got some good recommendations out of this video.

Anthony Fantano. Weekly Tracks. Forever.