Nah: Jonas Brothers, “What A Man Gotta Do” (music video)- As a Jonas Brothers superfan, it physically pains me to say this sucks. “What A Man Gotta Do,” is the only milquetoast track on Happiness Begins, and the strong “wife guy” energy emitting from this is hard to swallow. Give it a break, y’all. —Maria Sherman
Yep, you got me: Missy Elliot, “Why I Still Love You”—In what I feel is an incredible algorithmic own, the acoustic version of this track from Missy Elliot’s 2019 EP Iconology, which is the precise kind of Motown-adjacent, sad-sack love song that hits me directly in the gut whenever it comes on. The video itself is also very cute. Any song with a double-time clap is a yes in my book and if someone could direct me to where that sequined, fringed catsuit in the first half comes from, I’d be much obliged. —Megan Reynolds
Sure: Mandy Moore, “Save A Little For Yourself” – This Is… Her? When she’s not canvassing for the Democratic presidential hopeful no one should be gunning for, Pete Buttigieg, Mandy Moore is working on reentering the pop music space. And guess what? It’s pretty fine. I’m not at the Wilco-stage of my life, but she is, and that’s fine. Someone will like this. Her voice sounds nice. —MS
Yes: Okay Kaya, “Psych Ward” – It’s far too early in the year to already have such ardent new faves, but I’m obsessed with the asymmetrical indie compositions of Okay Kaya’s Kaya Wilkins. “Psych Ward” covers the very topic the title suggests, delivered with robotic recordings of performative conversation and minimalist, narrative songwriting that simply flows. “This is basically a Hospital Evaluation Form,” singer Kaya Wilkins writes in the press release. “The last few days I was in a hospital a nurse unlocked one of the cabinets and let me use the rec room guitar, to play outside of art therapy class. I wrote what I saw to understand how I felt. It turned into this funny bop, I wanted it to feel like a Ramones song or something.” I’m not so sure it does—it’s much weirder than what the Ramones are known for, and I love it all the more because of it. —MS
Y: Wale ft. Bryson Tiller, “Love… (Her Fault)” (music video) – I missed this single the first time around, so I’m happy the Teyana Taylor-directed music video dropped in a week I was hungry for something smooth. “Love… (Her Fault)” is purposefully biased in the way all breakups tend to be (I prefer “Break My Heart (My Fault),” of the two tracks from Wale’s 2019 LP Wow… That’s Crazy, but wow… that’s beside the point.) This is probably the first great breakup video of the new decade. —MS
Oui: Rina Sawayama, “Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys)” – Rina Sawayama has consistently given us the pop vocals that we deserve, and she delivered yet again with “Comme Des Garçons.” It’s a fun little bop with a chorus that’ll make anyone in their right mind want to find a dance floor (or a catwalk to truly stunt). I’m not quite as enamored with “CDS” as I was her previous single, “STFU,” but there’s still a lot to love here. Two strong releases in a row bode well for whatever album Sawayama is cooking up, and in the words of Monique, “I would like to see it.”—Ashley Reese
Yep, you got me: Missy Elliot, “Why I Still Love You”—In what I feel is an incredible algorithmic own, the acoustic version of this track from Missy Elliot’s 2019 EP Iconology, which is the precise kind of Motown-adjacent, sad-sack love song that hits me directly in the gut whenever it comes on. The video itself is also very cute. Any song with a double-time clap is a yes in my book and if someone could direct me to where that sequined, fringed catsuit in the first half comes from, I’d be much obliged. —Megan Reynolds
Sure: Mandy Moore, “Save A Little For Yourself” – This Is… Her? When she’s not canvassing for the Democratic presidential hopeful no one should be gunning for, Pete Buttigieg, Mandy Moore is working on reentering the pop music space. And guess what? It’s pretty fine. I’m not at the Wilco-stage of my life, but she is, and that’s fine. Someone will like this. Her voice sounds nice. —MS
Yes: Okay Kaya, “Psych Ward” – It’s far too early in the year to already have such ardent new faves, but I’m obsessed with the asymmetrical indie compositions of Okay Kaya’s Kaya Wilkins. “Psych Ward” covers the very topic the title suggests, delivered with robotic recordings of performative conversation and minimalist, narrative songwriting that simply flows. “This is basically a Hospital Evaluation Form,” singer Kaya Wilkins writes in the press release. “The last few days I was in a hospital a nurse unlocked one of the cabinets and let me use the rec room guitar, to play outside of art therapy class. I wrote what I saw to understand how I felt. It turned into this funny bop, I wanted it to feel like a Ramones song or something.” I’m not so sure it does—it’s much weirder than what the Ramones are known for, and I love it all the more because of it. —MS
Y: Wale ft. Bryson Tiller, “Love… (Her Fault)” (music video) – I missed this single the first time around, so I’m happy the Teyana Taylor-directed music video dropped in a week I was hungry for something smooth. “Love… (Her Fault)” is purposefully biased in the way all breakups tend to be (I prefer “Break My Heart (My Fault),” of the two tracks from Wale’s 2019 LP Wow… That’s Crazy, but wow… that’s beside the point.) This is probably the first great breakup video of the new decade. —MS
Oui: Rina Sawayama, “Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys)” – Rina Sawayama has consistently given us the pop vocals that we deserve, and she delivered yet again with “Comme Des Garçons.” It’s a fun little bop with a chorus that’ll make anyone in their right mind want to find a dance floor (or a catwalk to truly stunt). I’m not quite as enamored with “CDS” as I was her previous single, “STFU,” but there’s still a lot to love here. Two strong releases in a row bode well for whatever album Sawayama is cooking up, and in the words of Monique, “I would like to see it.”—Ashley Reese
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