New songs for the day after St. Patrick's Day 2024

 here they are:


"Common Blue" by Warpaint:  It's been about 7 years since Warpaint last released a successful adult alt radio single, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear they were making a comeback! Where their previous single, "New Song," was mostly upbeat and synth-focused, "Common Blue" is a more melancholy song that focuses equally on synth and acoustic guitar. The title is not mentioned anywhere within the lyrics of the song, so I can only guess what it refers to, but perhaps it refers to the part where lead singer Emily Kokal asks, "Can you see the colors?" Lyrically, it is an interesting song that uses vivid imagery like colors and butterflies to refer to the brevity and scarcity of life. 

"Highway Queen" by Mt. Joy:  It has been common for Mt. Joy to incorporate elements of folk-rock and psychedelic rock into their music, but so far, "Highway Queen" is the first time they've tried their hand at bluegrass! The chorus of the song gives it a bit more of a rock sound, but its rustic, "travelin' down the highway" banjo-based sound resonates throughout. The song's country-rock vibes make sense when you know that the idea came to lead singer Matt Quinn during a road tour he had with Mt. Joy last year. However, the song itself is about something far more personal. Specifically, it's about seeing elements of yourself in the person you fall in love with. 

"Missing Out" by Maya Hawke:  If this spelling of "Hawke" looks familiar, it's probably because you are a fan of actor Ethan Hawke, whose daughter Maya happens to be both an actress and a musician! Her first big song, "Missing Out," seems like a slightly more upbeat version of the "ASMR pop" subgenre that people like Lorde and Lana Del Rey helped to popularize in the early 2010's, employing a surprise guitar solo not common in the material of either of the aforementioned musicians. In "Missing Out," Hawke uses both brutal honesty and dry humor to recount her college experiences. What a way to debut!

"Superstar" by Rainbow Kitten Surprise:  "Superstar" picks up right where the catchy, funky indie-pop of such RKS staples as "Fever Pitch" and "Hide" left off! Well...kind of. It sounds that way at first, but it doesn't sound too different from most mid-2010's "indie-pop" in the vein of Grouplove, Walk the Moon, fun., Bastille, etc. as it goes on. The quirkiness that "Fever Pitch" had isn't really anywhere to be found on "Superstar." The lyrics don't seem too inspired either, not constituting much more than a generic love song. That said, this song is not a bad one, but I expected more from RKS since all three of their 2018 singles ("Fever Pitch," "Hide," and "Heart") were all memorable in their own ways.