The 5 Best New Songs We Heard This Week: Prince, Betty Who

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Look, I’m all for a big-booty anthem, but trust me when I say: Iggy-Iggs and J.Lo aren’t the droids you’re looking for. So here are some that are.

Prince — “FUNKNROLL”

Prince will release two different albums, PLECTRUMELECTRUM and Art Official Age, on September 30. So far we’ve heard a few songs off both, both none can touch AOA track “FUNKNROLL” (though “PRETZELBODYLOGIC” does get stuck in my head ~once a week). “FUNKNROLL” is Prince’s attempt at a modern club banger, particularly in the song’s production. But this being Prince, there are minutes of space-rock guitar solos, lyrics about eschewing cellular technology, and a Michael Bay explosion in the song’s final seconds. How many times is Prince going to redefine funk?

https://soundcloud.com/bettywhomusic/betty-who-all-of-you-1

Betty Who — “All of You”

It’s been a minute since Katy Perry has satiated our nation’s hunger for candy-coated electro-pop. Her tour opener Betty Who fills in with a new song off her forthcoming debut LP, Take Me When You Go (out October 7). With its prominent use of soft-rock drum machines, keyboards, and syths, “All of You” is overwhelmingly eighties, with a modern reprieve stemming from a flurry of EDM beats. “All of You” is not the most original thing I’ve heard this week, but it very well be the catchiest.

SALES — “Getting It On”

As Stereogum points out in the site’s premiere of this song by Florida guitar-pop duo SALES, “Getting It On” is not about what you think it’s about. Rather, vocalist Lauren Morgan laments a poor judgement call the morning after. I’m reminded a little of early Beach House, but there’s more of a dance music feel with how repetition is used throughout.

Sharon Van Etten — “Our Love (The Juan MacLean Remix)”

When one thinks of Sharon Van Etten, the first thing that comes to mind is perhaps an indie rock approximation of talk therapy. One thing SVE does not typically conjure in listeners is the desire to hit the Studio 54 dance floor. Until now. The Juan MacLean and SVE, who both put out great albums this year, make for a surprisingly excellent pair.

Dream Police — “Hypnotized”

Guitar music isn’t dead, it’s just being made by dudes who named their band after a Cheap Trick album and sound like ZZ Top with synths.