DETROIT – Happy Friday!
5 songs we have on repeat this week:
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It's a Bad Dream -- Vic Mensa feat. Good Charlotte
Rapper Vic Mensa dove into a new style earlier this summer when he debuted an alternative rock and rap project, 93PUNX, earlier this summer.
"It's a Bad Dream" features Good Charlotte and was produced by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.
With a theme about messing up and struggling through life, edgy and dark lyrics blend over a catchy beat, perfectly combining the variety of musical styles on the track.
"Maybe it's a bad dream, maybe it's a bad dream / Every time I look at me / I try so hard but I can't seem / To find a shred of decency / But maybe it's a good thing, it's a good thing."
While Mensa and Good Charlotte may seem like unlikely artists to team up, they crafted a pretty great track.
If you like "It's a Bad Dream," here are some other songs by Vic Mensa worth checking out:
Dark Things | Reverse | U Mad | 3 Years Sober | Camp America |
Highwomen -- The Highwomen
The Highwomen are a new country music group composed of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires.
The name of the group pays homage to the legendary Highwaymen, which consisted of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson. The Highwaymen sang "Highwayman," written by Jimmy Webb.
Webb played a role in the reworking of his original "Highwayman" into "Highwomen" and was enlisted to co-write the lyrics. Yola and Sheryl Crow joined the four members of The Highwomen for this track.
"We are The Highwomen / Singing stories still untold / We carry the sons you can only hold / We are the daughters of the silent generations / You sent our hearts to die alone in foreign nations / It may return to us as tiny drops of rain / But we will still remain"
Their debut album is expected to be released on Sept. 6 by Elektra Records.
If you like "Highwomen," here are some other songs by The Highwomen worth checking out:
Redesigning Women | Crowded Table | The Chain | (Original: Highwayman) |
Degenerates -- A Day to Remember
After three years with no new music, aside from a recent feature on a Marshmello track, Florida rockers A Day to Remember finally dropped a new song.
The group also announced it was now signed to Fueled by Ramen.
"Degenerates" garnered mixed reactions from fans.
On one hand, it's an incredibly poppy song and basically lacks any of the heavier elements the band is known for. On the other hand, ADTR has blended pop-punk elements into songs in the past, and their albums usually have several tracks that aren't heavy.
"My friends are degenerates / But I'd never change them / Liars, cheats, and hypocrites / Not the type for saving."
While it is different, it's not a bad song. It did take me a few listens to get into it. It's certainly not their best work, but it's a new, catchy song from ADTR, so I can't complain. Plus, a new album is coming later this year, the band said this week.
ADTR will be in Michigan on Nov. 16 as part of the Degenerates tour.
If you like "Degenerates," here are some other songs by A Day to Remember worth checking out:
The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle | Heartless | End of Me | If I Leave | My Life for Hire |
Living in Lightning -- City and Colour
Dallas Michael John Albert Green, is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter who records under the name City and Colour.
"Living in Lightning" will be featured on his upcoming album. The song is deeply enchanting as a whole. His voice is haunting, and filled with emotion.
"Can't you see I'm sorry that I / Wasn't better at being / Who you wanted me to be / I've been living in lightning / For what seems like eternity"
His upcoming album "a pill for loneliness" will be released on Oct. 4. Green said, in a Facebook post, that he wasn't originally going to call the album "a pill for loneliness" and had another name for it up until the last second.
"i was watching the news one night and something i saw made me change it. they were talking about how researchers are trying to create an actual pill for loneliness. i thought it was pretty awful that we live in world that is making it necessary for us to need a pill to cure being lonely. i realized music was like my pill for loneliness. it allowed me to feel like i had somebody else in my life. when I was younger, all I wanted to do was write a song that made someone feel the way I felt when I connected to music. ‘a pill for loneliness' is the right title. it is the best way to describe this album and the band."
City and Colour will be at The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor on Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
If you like "Living in Lightning," here are some other songs by City and Colour worth checking out:
The Girl | Northern Wind | Grand Optimist | Little Hell | Wasted Love |
Sunday -- Neffex
Duo Neffex dropped their second new song of the summer this week.
"Sunday" is an energetic, upbeat track that blends electronic beats with a more mellow pop vibe.
"She be by my side every time I wanna run away / And I live my best life pourin' up on a Sunday."
Cameron Wales and Bryce Savage started Neffex after playing in bands together when they were in high school. In 2017, they set out release a song a week for 100 weeks, and started to garner attention.
Neffex is working on a new EP.
If you like "Sunday," here are some other songs by Neffex worth checking out:
It's My Life | Rumors | Fight Back | Grateful | Destiny |
Other songs to check out:
- 16 -- Highly Suspect
- Hallucinations -- PVRIS
- Middle of Somewhere -- The Neighbourhood
- MLK BLVD -- Jeezy feat. Meek Mill
- EASY -- The True Blue
Upcoming shows:
- Nicki Minaj at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Aug. 26 (Monday)
- Waka Flocka Flame at Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on Aug. 30 (Friday)
- Erykah Badu at Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit on Aug. 31 (Saturday)
- Meek Mill at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston on Sept. 1 (Sunday)
- The Avett Brothers at The Detroit Masonic Temple in Detroit on Sept. 19 (Thursday)
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Friday Finds: Aug. 16, 2019 -- Aug. 30, 2019
Email us with local music suggestions and events at aainsworth@wdiv.com or kclarke@wdiv.com