Prism's Picks

Danielle’s pop choices of 2021

2021 has been delivering in terms of new music! I have to admit it – very few things get me more hyped than music release Fridays. Here are my top five new song releases of 2021:

1. “drivers license” - Olivia Rodrigo

If you say you haven’t heard this song, I don’t believe you. Miss Olivia Rodrigo has taken the world by storm with the first debut single to spend its first six weeks on the Hot 100 at #1, and it is entirely well-deserved! This song fully embodies the feelings associated with heartbreak, and it made me sad over a breakup that I didn’t even have. Not to mention, her voice is absolutely spectacular...and she’s only 17! She served with this one!

2. “right where you left me” - Taylor Swift

How could Taylor not be included in this list? The woman does not rest. We got two outstanding albums last year (she saved 2020...there, I said it), and she released two bonus tracks from “evermore” on Jan. 7, 2021! This particular song is my favorite of the two; her vocals really shine, and it feels nostalgic because of the country twang that she incorporates in both her tone and the music. After all, she did start off her career as a country singer; it comes naturally to her. This song is about a girl who has her heart broken, and she stays frozen in time, not wanting to move on. It’s heart-wrenching in the best way.

3. “Beginning Middle End” - Leah Nobel

In honor of the release of “To All the Boys: Always & Forever”, I had to include Peter and Lara Jean’s official song! If you have no idea what I’m talking about, this song is from a Netflix film franchise that premiered its final film in mid- February; the main couple in the movie picked this song as “their song” and danced to it. It was the cutest thing ever. Nobel is a relatively new artist, and she blends the folk, pop and alternative genres seamlessly while providing really meaningful lyrics. Give this song a listen if you haven’t yet!

4. “Like 1999” - Valley

The story behind this song’s release would not have made sense a couple of years ago; Valley posted a TikTok of themselves recording this song, and it went viral. It got a million views and thousands of comments from both fans and people who had just discovered them. They ended up releasing it a few days later. I want to get in the car with my friends and drive to the beach while blasting this song. It feels like summer!

5. “main thing” - Ariana Grande

Ariana has blessed us with the deluxe version of “positions”, and this is one of the four bonus tracks. As a long-time fan, I am overjoyed that she is releasing songs about how happy and in love she is now! Her smooth, controlled voice and the R&B vibes come together to make a really soulful love song. She also wrote the lyrics, did the background vocals and served as the vocal producer. She’s an absolute boss.

Story by Danielle Conde

Bryan’s hyperpop pick

One of my favorite albums is ““OIL” OF EVERY PEARL’S UN- INSIDES” by SOPHIE, a Scottish musician and producer. “OIL” belongs to a genre called hyperpop: a music style derived from the pop genre. Hyperpop has exploded in popularity within the last year, transforming from an obscure style of music to an established movement in modern music. Hyperpop has found itself an audience, particularly among teenagers and college students, and I want to call attention to what is, in my opinion, one of its best pieces of music so far.

“OIL” is what first exposed me to hyperpop. I found the album through YouTube and quickly became entranced. The album was like nothing I had ever heard before, a maelstrom of rattling bass and futuristic synth notes intercut with quiet moments of pitchshifted poignancy. SOPHIE’s vocals are layered on and between these instrumentals, pitched into something just this side of otherworldly. If the album is a maelstrom, a swirling storm of noise, then you are a sailor, and SOPHIE is the siren luring you ever deeper. There is a good amount of variety to the tracks which keeps the album from feeling monotonous. The high-energy party tracks like “Ponyboy” find a balance with more subdued and emotional songs, such as “Immaterial” and “Infatuation.”

Similar to other hyperpop artists, SOPHIE’s work is peppered with commentary on the digital age and Internet culture, and “OIL” is no exception. For example, the track “Faceshopping” (my personal favorite from the album) is a critique on the calculated, artificial nature of social media. The track “Immaterial” explores the often disjoint relationship between a person’s identity, their physical form and the expectations of their society.

SOPHIE is considered a trailblazer in many respects. As a musician, SOPHIE was one of the prime contributors to hyperpop and its development, and the genre owes much to her influence. As a trans woman, SOPHIE became an icon for the LGBTQ+ community and broke new ground for trans representation in the music industry. SOPHIE tragically passed away in January, less than two years after the release of “OIL”, her debut album. Since then, listening to “OIL” has, for me, become more than just enjoying SOPHIE’s music; it is also about remembering the icon and creative force that she was.

Story by Brian Paulsen

Joyce’s look at “Soul”

Watching Pixar’s “Soul” is like being in sensory overload. The film is packed with stirring jazz music, stunning animation and comic dialogue, all while exploring the age-old question: what is the purpose of life?

The story follows Joe Gardner, a middle-aged middle school music teacher who desperately wants to be a professional jazz musician. But just when Joe finally gets a chance to realize his dream by performing with the famous Dorothea Williams, Joe falls down a manhole and dies. When Joe finds himself facing the light in The Great Beyond, Joe panics, runs away and accidentally winds up in The Great Before, where souls that have not been born yet get their personalities and find their spark (under the tutelage of mentors who had led extraordinary lives) before being born on Earth. Joe is mistaken for a famous psychologist and is assigned as a mentor to a soul called 22, who is determined not to live life on Earth. The movie follows the bizarre journey of Joe and 22 as they try to find 22’s spark and help Joe return to his life.

Ultimately, “Soul” was a beautiful and entertaining 100 minutes that had a sweet message to remind us all to enjoy life while we have it.

Story by Joyce Jiang

Julia’s throwback to “The Handmaid’s Tale”

If, like me, you watched “The Handmaid’s Tale” before reading it, you will find that the show did an incredible job of faithfully adapting the novel, often including exact quotes from impactful scenes. I personally chose the audiobook version and, while I typically do not listen to audiobooks, I highly recommend it for this novel; it is narrated by Elizabeth Moss, the actress who plays the main character Offred in Hulu’s television adaptation. Moss’s narration, combined with Atwood’s beautiful writing, fully immerses you in the world of Gilead and the horrors faced by the Handmaids who are forced to bear children for the Commanders and their infertile wives. I truly have never read a book with such incredible imagery and metaphors; Atwood’s skill with words is undeniable. If you enjoy drama, dystopia and extraordinary writing, you absolutely should read Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Story by Julia Garcia

Illustration by Nikita Patel

Design by Erin McLoughlin