Model/Actriz, Cinderella
The track Cinderella by Model/Actriz is a masterclass in building tension and emotional resonance. From the very start, the song’s intro teases the listener with a faint, almost imperceptible beat, creating a sense of anticipation that lingers throughout. The dissonant note that repeats irregularly adds an air of unease, like a subconscious hum of anxiety. As the industrial dance beat begins to assemble itself, it feels almost mechanical, as if it’s piecing together fragments of sound into a cohesive rhythm. But just as it starts to settle, it crumbles again, leaving the listener on edge.
Vocalist Cole Haden’s performance is deeply personal and vulnerable, as he grapples with the fear of opening up to a partner. His lyrics are raw and introspective, capturing the hesitation and uncertainty that comes with revealing one’s true self. The repetition of the dissonant note mirrors the internal conflict he’s navigating, creating a sonic representation of his emotional state. By the end of the track, Haden resolves, “I won’t leave as I came,” signaling a decision to embrace vulnerability and step into the unknown. It’s a powerful moment of self-realization, set against a backdrop of shifting beats and haunting melodies. Cinderella is not just a song—it’s an emotional journey, with every note and lyric carefully crafted to reflect the complexity of human connection.
Jenny Hval, To Be a Rose
Jenny Hval, the Norwegian pop experimentalist, has always had a knack for taking familiar imagery and turning it into something extraordinary. In To Be a Rose, she takes the timeless symbol of the rose and transforms it into a surreal and deeply personal exploration. The track begins with sparse, hypnotic percussion and subtle bursts of brass, creating an intimate and otherworldly atmosphere. Hval’s voice glides over the minimalist arrangement, her words painting vivid pictures that feel both deeply personal and universally relatable.
Lyrically, Hval reimagines the rose as something more than just a flower. “A rose is a rose is a rose is a cigarette,” she sings, blending the natural beauty of the rose with the mundane, even gritty, act of smoking. This juxtaposition is classic Hval, merging the sacred and the ordinary into something entirely her own. As the song builds, she recounts a childhood memory of her mother smoking on a balcony, the “long inhales and long exhales” becoming a kind of choreographed routine over the “dead-end town” they inhabited. It’s a moment of quiet beauty, captured in the way Hval weaves the personal and the poetic. The arrangement slowly swells, adding layers of sound that mirror the growing complexity of her narrative. By the end, To Be a Rose feels like a vivid snapshot of memory and imagination, filtered through Hval’s unique lens.
J Noa and Lowlight, Traficando Rap
At just 19 years old, Dominican rapper J Noa is already making waves in the music scene, and her latest collaboration with producer Lowlight, Traficando Rap, is a testament to her talent and confidence. The track is a high-energy explosion of sound, with brash horn riffs and hyperactive bongos that immediately grab attention. The duo draws inspiration from the classic Apache by the Sugar Hill Gang and the Incredible Bongo Band, but they don’t just pay homage—they reimagine it with a modern, bold twist.
J Noa’s rapping is a whirlwind of crisp, rapid-fire syllables, her delivery self-assured and infectious. She boasts about her skills, her business acumen, and her bank accounts, each line delivered with a confidence that’s impossible to ignore. The track’s refrain, a simple but catchy “la-la-la,” becomes a joyful expression of her arrogance, celebrating her success with unapologetic pride. Traficando Rap is more than just a party anthem; it’s a declaration of intent, with J Noa firmly planting her flag as a rising star in the rap world. The combination of her dynamic energy and Lowlight’s infectious production makes for a track that’s as fun as it is formidable.
J. Cole, Clouds
In Clouds, J. Cole delivers a track that feels deeply reflective and forward-thinking, both sonically and lyrically. The title itself is a clever play on words, with the word “loud” embedded within “Clouds,” hinting at the track’s ambition and intensity. Musically, the song is built around a two-chord vamp, with electric piano improvisations that give it a jazzy, improvisational feel. This loose, almost experimental structure provides the perfect backdrop for Cole’s introspective lyrics, as he confronts the challenges of aging, the changing world, and his own place within it.
Cole’s rhymes are characteristically raw and honest, touching on themes of personal growth and societal unease. He brags about his impact, declaring, “The planet’ll shake when I’m performing,” but this confidence is balanced by a deeper concern for the state of the world. He ruminates on the greed of billionaires, the environmental crisis, and the infiltration of AI into music, questioning the role of humanity in an increasingly automated world. “What happened to human beings?” he asks, though he doesn’t pretend to have the answers. Instead, Clouds feels like a meditation on these issues, Cole’s thoughts spiraling in circles as he tries to make sense of it all. It’s a brooding, deeply personal track that showcases Cole’s ability to blend the introspective with the expansive.
Deradoorian, Set Me Free
Set Me Free by Angel Deradoorian is a hauntingly elegant track that feels both deeply rooted in tradition and timeless. Best known for her work as the bassist and singer for Dirty Projectors until 2012, Deradoorian has always had a unique voice, and this latest offering is no exception. The song opens with a processional beat and harpsichord tones, evoking the grandeur of Baroque music, while her vocals take center stage, layered with her own choral harmonies.
Lyrically, the track is a meditation on transcendence and liberation. Deradoorian sings of rising above the disappointments of the earthly realm, seeking solace in a “cosmic invitation.” The song’s arrangement is formal and structured, yet it’s this very constraint that gives it its sense of liberation. The interplay between the organic and the ethereal creates a sense of longing, as if the rigid forms of the music are being stretched to their limits in search of something greater. Deradoorian’s harmonies add a sense of depth and spirituality, her voice folding in on itself in a way that feels both intimate and expansive. Set Me Free is a paradoxical song—one that seeks liberation through elegance and structure—and it’s this tension that makes it so compelling.
Final Thoughts
These tracks, each in their own way, challenge the boundaries of what music can do. From Model/Actriz’s tense, emotional journey in Cinderella to J. Cole’s brooding reflections in Clouds, and from Jenny Hval’s surreal meditation on memory in To Be a Rose to J Noa’s brash, confident swagger in Traficando Rap, each artist brings something unique to the table. Deradoorian’s Set Me Free rounds out the group with its haunting elegance, proving that even in constraint, there is beauty to be found. Together, these tracks remind us of the power of music to explore the human condition—to express vulnerability, ambition, memory, and hope.