This Week’s Music is a weekly column that discusses the weeks’ best, worst, and most interesting songs. We try to select songs of different artists and genres to keep things interesting and to please a variety of music fans.
This week’s column features Sharon Van Etten’s last single before the release of her much anticipated album, Billie Eilish’s ode to the movie Roma, and Sam Smith’s awesome collaboration with Normani.
Rock
Sharon Van Etten – Seventeen
Sharon Van Etten’s next album, “Remind Me Tomorrow,” will be released on January 18. “Seventeen” is the third song from the album that has been released, following “Jupiter 4” and “Comback Kid.” Van Etten’s lyrics are always self-reflective and deeply personal, with “Seventeen” being one of her most upbeat songs despite its melancholic tinge. Van Etten said on a tweet that the song’s music video is her love letter to New York City, the place where she’s lived for the past 15 years, and where she’s grown up and found herself.
Pop
Billie Eilish – When I Was Older
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Billie Eilish’s latest single was inspired by the Mexican movie Roma, which is primed to be one of this year’s biggest award winners. Despite the awkward fit between a song from an American rising pop star and an international movie that discusses the life of a housekeeper, “When I Was Older” is an interesting experiment, just as weird as Elish’s latest songs. With melancholic lyrics and a moody beat, it’s a good enough addition to Eilish’s inventory even if it doesn’t break any new territory for her. Whether the song is an accurate reflection of Roma is a whole other discussion.
Sam Smith and Normani – Dancing With A Stranger
“Dancing With A Stranger” joins Sam Smith’s latest collaborations with other artists where he gives himself the opportunity to explore other beats and types of songs. The single has a rhythm that’s slow and contained yet still makes room for fun, different than Smith’s solo work which tends to be more serious and thoughtful. Normani, breaking free from her role of Fifth Harmony, balances out the song with her smooth vocals, providing the right amount of intrigue for it to leave a lasting impression.
