No: Taylor Swift, “Archer” – I don’t hate this song, nor do I think there is anything particularly objectionable about it. In fact, I still think no one writes a bridge like Taylor Swift, and that’s when she drops my fave lyrical line in “The Archer”: “They see right through me/Can you see right through me?/I see right through me.” However, the song is lost, to the point where most people I spoke to at the end of this week forgot she released a song in the first place. This is undeniably the result of Jack Antonoff production. He needs to stop. —Maria Sherman
No, but I did laugh: The Chainsmokers, ILLENIUM feat. Lennon Stella, “Takeaway” – This song is so smooth and slick, it’ll slip straight out of your mind as soon as it’s done playing, much like the image of the hideously modern and ultimately lifeless building in New York City’s Hudson Yards its meant to advertise: the Vessel. I actually watched and listened to the whole thing—I’ve loved Lennon Stella since her role in Nashville, and I doubt I’ll ever actually go to the Vessel, so it was nice to see it in High Def—but I don’t suggest you do the same. —MS
Yes: Black Belt Eagle Scout, “My Heart Dreams” – Black Belt Eagle Scout, project of Pacific Northwesterner/indigenous woman/feminist hero Katherine Paul, is one of my favorite indiepop songwriters of late, in the vein of Palehound or Jay Som—tight, soft vocals placed high in the mix, competing with and complimenting an anxious guitar riff. “My Heart Dreams” is the perfect tune to ease into your weekend, and the video is really sweet, too—according to a statement provided to Stereogum, the extras and girls who portray the band are “members of the Portland Two Spirit Society, a special group of LGBTQ Indigenous and Native American/Alaska Natives and the Portland All Nations Canoe Family.”
No, but I did laugh: The Chainsmokers, ILLENIUM feat. Lennon Stella, “Takeaway” – This song is so smooth and slick, it’ll slip straight out of your mind as soon as it’s done playing, much like the image of the hideously modern and ultimately lifeless building in New York City’s Hudson Yards its meant to advertise: the Vessel. I actually watched and listened to the whole thing—I’ve loved Lennon Stella since her role in Nashville, and I doubt I’ll ever actually go to the Vessel, so it was nice to see it in High Def—but I don’t suggest you do the same. —MS
Yes: Black Belt Eagle Scout, “My Heart Dreams” – Black Belt Eagle Scout, project of Pacific Northwesterner/indigenous woman/feminist hero Katherine Paul, is one of my favorite indiepop songwriters of late, in the vein of Palehound or Jay Som—tight, soft vocals placed high in the mix, competing with and complimenting an anxious guitar riff. “My Heart Dreams” is the perfect tune to ease into your weekend, and the video is really sweet, too—according to a statement provided to Stereogum, the extras and girls who portray the band are “members of the Portland Two Spirit Society, a special group of LGBTQ Indigenous and Native American/Alaska Natives and the Portland All Nations Canoe Family.”