Reading Time: 7 minutes

This is soooo late. What can I say? The end of August/beginning of September is a busy one.

Despite August being my least busy month, I always find it’s the month I listen to the least amount of music.

Initially there wasn’t that much here, then Sabrina Carpenter released her brilliant new album and it seems to have bulked out quite a bit!

As always, a huge thank you for reading. It really does mean the world.

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The Essential 5

Sabrina Carpenter – Juno
Horny Countrypop with hints of 80’s poprock, feeling part Fleetwood Mac, part The Corrs and with a brillliant “you make me wanna make you fall in love” hook.

Sabrina Carpenter – Don’t Smile
Moody, mellow and dreamy downtempo which flips the cliche “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” into a break up song: “Don’t smile because it happened baby, cry because it’s over.”

Flowerovlove – Boys
Cheeky, fun 80’s electropop-inspired pop with an infectiously catchy chorus.

Katy Perry – Lifetimes
Katy Perry is back on form with this huge housepop banger, apparently written for her daughter.

Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga – Die with a Smile
Bruno and Gaga are a match made in heaven on this gorgeous, nostalgic soft-rock ballad.

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The Long List

Sabrina Carpenter – Juno
Sabrina’s new album is absolutely brilliant. ‘Juno’ might be the album’s second best song after ‘Espresso’ to be honest. Sticking to the 80’s theme similarly to ‘Bad Chem’ and ‘Espresso’ but this time opting for a pop-rock feel, it’s full of echo-ey synths, stomping drums and country guitars.
It’s a perfect amalgamation of countrypop and pop-rock, feeling part Stevie Nicks, part The Corrs. This is Sabrina at her horniest, (she even declares “I’m so f*****g horny” in the middle eight) and lyrically draws on themes from the 2007 movie Juno, expressing a desire to become pregnant because of the way her partner makes her feel. There’s lots of great lyrics here; “one of me is cute but two, though?” but the song’s best feature is its “you make me wanna make you fall in love” hook. Adore this song!

Sabrina Carpenter – Don’t Smile
Possibly my favourite song on the album, this downtempo, almost lo-fi closing track flips the cliché “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” into a break up song: “Don’t smile because it happened baby, cry because it’s over.” It’s mellow and dreamy with soft guitar drums, twinkling synths and whispered, reverb-heavy vocals. Again, the melodies are stunning and have been stuck in my head for days. Just gorgeous.

Flowerovlove – Boys
This is brilliant! Utilising an 80’s electropop sound with giggling synthesisers, slap percussion and perfect pop melodies, it’s a cheeky and fun song about… well, loving boys! The chorus is absolutely brilliant and infectiously catchy. Pop Perfection!

Katy Perry – Lifetimes
Katy is an incredibly frustrating artist. She feels very stuck in her 2010s sound (‘Teenage Dream‘ was an incredible pop album) and has refused to evolve. She got it very wrong with lead single ‘Woman’s World’ from her upcoming album and was hugely ridiculed online. ‘Lifetimes’ is a pop-house smash reminiscent of Katy’s brilliant album track ‘Walking On Air’ from 2014’s ‘Prism‘. It’s not perfect but it’s a huge step up from ‘Woman’s World’ and should have been the album’s lead single in my eyes. It’s also a shame this has tanked, like its predecessor because it’s a great song.

Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga – Die with a Smile
Was a Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga collaboration on your 2024 bingo card? It certainly wasn’t on mine! I wasn’t sure if I’d like this (love and respect both artists but wasn’t sure what vibe they’d go for) but it turns out I really do! It’s a lovely, dramatic soft-rock ballad which doesn’t feel a world away from Gaga’s ‘Shallow’ and Bruno’s work with Silk Sonic. Their voices compliment each other beautifully and Mars (possibly surprisingly) really holds his own. Gorgeous melancholic, wistful guitar chords and verses give way to a HUGE chorus which is full of drama. It’s nostalgic, dreamy and simply magical.

Sabrina Carpenter – Taste
Yep, Sabrina again. Sorry, not sorry. The perfect opener to Sabrina’s brilliant new album, this has an early 00’s pop-rock vibe (think The Corrs – Breathless) with live drums, grungy guitars and infectious melodies. Lyrically, it addresses an ex (rumoured to be Shawn Mendes) who has gone back to his previous girlfriend. It’s witty and a little acerbic in classic Sabrina style, with lyrics such as “You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you” and “I leave quite an impression, five feet to be exact“, a reference to her petite stature.

Sabrina Carpenter – Good Graces
A smooth R&B track with smooth guitar licks, a frenetic beat and gorgeous, syrupy vocals. The chorus melody in particular is infectious and a proper earworm, almost venturing into Ariana Grande territory. A song about setting boundaries in a relationship, it’s catchy and forthright as always, with a spoken “I won’t give a f**k about you” refrain following the chorus.

Sabrina Carpenter – Bed Chem
Things go a little late 80’s soul / R&B here with warm synths, smooth electric guitars, a meticulously programmed drum track and almost whispered vocals. It’s catchy and incredibly horny with the title itself leaving little to the imagination. Also a special mention to song’s outro with lovely closing piano riffs which feel inspired by Ashanti’s ‘Foolish’ (in turn sampling DeBarge’s ‘Stay With Me’)

Halsey – Lucky
I love this smooth Pop/R&B crossover from Halsey. Cleverly incorporating elements from Britney Spears’ song of the same name and Monica’s ‘Angel of Mine’, it documents the pressure of fame, referencing Britney’s life many times in its lyrics.

Bread – Make It With You
Perhaps one of the quirkiest ways of discovering a song ever… Jo and Jon from S Club 7 posted a video on Instagram of them singing this in the bathroom (and they sounded gorgeous), I googled the lyrics and here we are. Very smooth and romantic with a gorgeous melody. Grateful to have found this.

Tom Aspaul – Thessaloniki
Flew into Thessaloniki when I went to Greece so, of course, this song popped into my head. A europop flavoured song with hints of trance, electro and middle eastern music, it’s a suggestive and sensual song. Hugely camp but brilliant all the same and one of my favourites by Tom Aspaul. Great production on this!

Aswad – Don’t Turn Around
I’ve known this song since I was little but have had it on repeat recently since hearing it recently at a wedding. Originally a huge pop-rock ballad which was recorded by the likes of Tina Turner, producer Chris Porter (who has worked with George Michael and Take That amongst others) transformed it into this brilliant reggae arrangement, brought to life by reggae group Aswad. Full of 80’s cheese but irresistible with its bouncy feel, lovely harmonies and superior chord changes to the original.

Gwen Stefani – Cool
Before Lady Gaga, there was Gwen Stefani and her fun, bold artistry. ‘Cool’ probably isn’t as well-remembered as much as some of her other hits but I’ve always loved it. A Pop song with 80’s new wave elements, unlike the rest of her work, it doesn’t feel a world away from Gwen’s work with No Doubt. It’s a little Madonna and a little Cyndi Lauper melody-wise and lyrically is about being ‘cool’ with an ex. I also can’t write about this song without referring to its gorgeous music video, shot in Lake Como in Italy, and worthy of an Oscar (honestly, it’s one of the best music videos of all time, in my eyes.)

LANY – 4EVER!
Ahhh LANY back in the day were SO good! They began as like an LA version of The 1975 with their fun, 80’s infused Pop. This song always feels like summer to me with it’s uplifting vibe, on-steroid thumping drums and cheerful synths.

Slim Gabriel – Chelsea
I found this indiepop song buried away in a Spotify-made playlist during the pandemic and fell in love. Infectious 80’s-inspired Pop with reverb-heavy drums, hazy pads, jolly synths and dreamy vocals. Still sounds brilliant years later and is another of my perfect summer songs.

Unlikely, but if you fancied finding all these songs in one place, you can do so below: