The spectral and surreal luster of spring

Wandering into the equinox where winter transforms into spring; photograph by Kerri O’Malley.

Week in Pop has remained dedicated in covering the news beat of media evolution and the development of output from today and tomorrow’s upstarts. In recent weeks and months the speed of art and life movements have been on accelerated trajectory (to put it mildly). As we report from our respective quarantine locales with Week in Pop HQ on lockdown — we learned that the U.S. Senate passed a $2 trillion coronavirus bill, the global fallout of COVID-19 related fatalities and infections continues and add narco-trafficking shenanigans in Venezuela to the mix. As the pop world carries on in solitary, we bring news that Caroline Says announced the new Western Vinyl EP and shared the mystical and endearing title track "Ohio River"; U.S. Girls delivered the grand album Heavy Light; Rosalía delivered the raw and passionate "Dolerme"; Tierra Whack delivered the quarantied anthem "Stuck"; Boulevards along with La Roux busted out the boss move modes of "Too Far"; Caroline Polachek presented a look at the sensational and suave Matt Copson co-directed visual for "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings" featured off the solo album Pang; AKA George brought some down-home snot and sass for the quarantine era with the literal homemade visual for "bad for you"; Lil Uzi Vert gifted the universe Eternal Atake - LUV vs. The World 2; The Head and the Heart delivered the dramatic Tamar Levine visual for the perceptive pop of "See You Through My Eyes"; (SANDY) Alex G covered Shania Twain's "You're Still the One"; Banoffee announced the album Look At Us Now Dad for Cascine and delivered the glam Quinn Wilson visual for "Tennis Fan" ft. Empress Of and rolled out the visual for the sparkling and stylish new jam "Count On You", as well as “Contagious”; buzz for Frank Ocean's vinyl only singles "Dear April" and "Cayendo"; Diet Cig shared the imploring, chic and smart new single "Who Are You?" off Do You Wonder About Me?; Milk For the Angry presented a look at the electrifying performance visual for the throwback-steeped pop rock of "My Sugar" off the album Extraterrestrial Desert; San Francisco's No Vacation shared some of the shimmering new from their Topshelf album Phasing and shone even further with the single "Days"; Natie delivered the intimate, earnest, personal and sensual visual for "HKHT" (His Kiss, His Touch); Yalee collaborated with his mom on the track "Momma Sorrows" that spills some wisdom with a multigenerational weight of consicence and consequence; Shana Falana delivered the heavy electric luster of "Darkest Light"; Hamilton, Ontario's Dan Edmond cut us off something from the album Softie with the sweet, spirit swelling and swirling single "another try” featuring visuals by Masocre; Hannah Diamond released the anticipated debut album Reflections with the grandiose and illustrious LED-bathed electric anthem "Invisible" following up "Part of Me"; Paul Cauthen shared a live rendering of the blazing "Holy Ghost Fire" off of Room 41; the iconic Hinds sent word of The Prettiest Curse via Mom + Pop with a look and listen to "Good Bad Times"; Charly Bliss delivered the rocking Supermoon EP out of nowhere; Maria Lindén with I Break Horses return with the illustrious "Neon Lights" off the new Bella Union album Warnings; Micah E. Wood and Bobbi Rush rolled out the illustrious and expressive ballad of beauty and affection, "Day2Day"; Mothermary dropped the incendiary and wild "Catch Fire" visual; Post Animal delivered the song of securities and sincerities with "Safe or Not"; Jeremy Pascal delivered the dramatiste aches and angst of "Heart Scars"; Linen Closet presented a look at the mesmerizing visual for the electric signals of "Warning Sign"; WEEKS shared the elusive electric wonder "Plastic Screens"; Pastel delivered the new powerful and vulnerable single "Moon Landing"; Paco Versailles set sail with the gorgeous pop panorama "Unwind (Acoustic Version)"; Victoria Langford delivered the mystic moving "Psalm"; Mokita dropped some sentimental pop emotion with "Colorblind"; Work Drugs kicked off 2020 with an essence that captures the wonder of the season with "Winter Keys"; Erin Bowman delivered the passionate cycle of raw sincerity with Apartment 101; New Politics delivered a look at the action-angled lyric visual for "Comeback Kid"; Trinidad James returned with all the chills and thrills via the single and video for "Ugly"; Lightouts returned with the big bold single "Lucky Strikes" featured off the new album Wake; DAWN dropped the tracks "Slim Thicc" ft. Trakgirl & "Ay Papi" ft. Brooke Candy and the wild corresponding visual from Monty Marsh; Midnight Vesta shared a slice of sentimental Americana with "Complicated Pony"; Lisa Prank delivered the creative Stacy Peck-directed visual for the break-up rocker ballad "IUD"; Christopher John, of Dead Ceremony, delivered a listen to the earnest and vulnerable earnest expressions of "Be Honest"; Hoops are back with a gentle fury bringing us a cup of cool sophisti-pop excellence via "They Say"; Philly's own cool cats theaterkids delivered another jubilant slice of joy via "echoes"; Griff delivered the celestial seeking visual for "Paradise" from the Mirror Talk EP; Eyedress delivered the reflective chill of "Trauma" b/w "I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend"; Clams Casino returned with the visualizer for the new album Moon Trip Radio; Choir Boy delivered the throwback Halloween in spring visual for "Toxic Eye" filmed by Annie Avila and Andrew Aguilera from the new Dais album Gathering Swans; Julia Jones elevated our consciousnesses to an upper level with "Lift You High"; King Von presented the visual for the suspicious minds and more of "Trust Issues" ft. Yungeen Ace; Toronto's Kiwi Jr. dropped the title track jam "Football Money"; Frances Quinlan presented the cool creative keys of the slick sequenced and mind-lighting single "Now That I'm Back" from the Saddle Creek album Likewise; Kilo Kish dropped the electric aura of "Spark" off the Redux EP; Lil Durk along with G Herbo shared some bars from the frontlines of Chi-town with "Chiraq Demons"; Kentucky's Joshua Brooks pays a tribute to Stephon Clark and takes a stand against police brutal Kentucky's Joshua Brooks pays a tribute to Stephon Clark and takes a stand against police brutal Kentucky's Joshua Brooks pays a tribute to Stephon Clark and takes a stand against police brutality with the powerful strummer "Ballad of Love Lost (The Death of Stephon Clark)"; Jay Whiss presented the bossy visual for "Valet" ft. Puffy L'z and production courtesy of Murda Beatz & Cubeatz; Billie Eilish presented a look at the self-directed visual for "xanny"; Sløtface shared the gift of "New year, new me"; Ester shared a very apt single and Emulsion Labs visual for our time with "Lock Me Up" off the album Turn Around; Ásgeir presented us with "Lazy Giants" directed by Guðmundur Kristinn Jónsson and Ásgeir Trausti Einarsson; Loving presented us with the mellow and meditative "Lately In Another Time" off their Last Gang Records release If I Am Only My Thoughts; Kid Froopy dropped the expressive emotive dump in the tear streaked pop of jagged hope "Some Nights I Feel Like Crying" off the Dead Beats album Silver Silver; DRAMA delivered the urgency of "Nine One One" from the Ghostly release Dance Without Me; Bananagun presented the creative cool pop tones of "Out of Reach" via Full Time Hobby; our friends En Attendant Ana announced the album "Juillet" for Trouble in Mind with the inquiring rhythmic intrigues of "Do You Understand?"; Disq presented a look and listen to the new radical single "Daily Routine" from the Saddle Creek album Routine; Joey Trap announced the new release CHAMP; Frances Quinlan shared the suave ode to epistolary patience with "Your Reply" from the Saddle Creek album Likewise; Post Animal delivered the moody track "Fitness"; Ringo Deathstarr gave the world the blazing wonder of "Gazin'" from their Club AC30 self-titled; Milk for the Angry brought the angst and anachronistic rock visuals with "My Sugar" featured off the album Extraterrestrial Desert; YlangYlang shared the sinewy sparkle of "Limitless" off the Crash Symbols release Interplay; Lil Gotit delivered some intimate down low views with the visual for "Slime Hood" feat. Slimelife Shawty produced by London On Da Track; FLAX, aka Sean Flax, shared the evocative exhibitions of "More Love" produced by the Revivalists' Zack Feinberg; Loose Koozies shared some earnest and organic light with their anticipated album Feel a Bit Free from Outer Limits Lounge Records; Best Coast presented a look at the vintage styled Ryan Baxley game show visual for "Everything Has Changed" off the album Always Tomorrow; Fatal Jamz' own Marion Belle delivered the cinematheque styles of "Soundcheck"; East Memphis emcee Big Moochie Grape rolled up with the fretch batch of "Clusters” featuring production courtesy of Bandplay; Soko presented a look at the melancholic performance art chic visual for "Being Sad is Not a Crime" directed by Gilbert Trejo featured off the album of the same name; Sløtface presented the new slick punk pop single "Tap the Pack" from the new album Sorry for the Late Reply; Comethazine announced the new album Pandemic with the flashy single "No Front"; Soccer Mommy presented the single and visual for "yellow is the color of her eyes" and delivered a look and listen at the waterpark/skatepark visual for "circle the drain" off the new album color theory; Ellis delivered the single and visual for the cosmic and floral fascinations of "saturn return" from the artist's debut album born again; Catholic Action presented the call to action "People Don't Protest Enough" off the album Celebrated By Strangers; Kesha released High Road; Disq delivered the cabin essence of winter warmth with the visual for "Loneliness"; TOPS returned with the wicked majesty of "Witching Hour" off the new album I Feel Alive; Portland's Olivia Awbrey delivered the deep dive into the throes of entropy and a gravity greater than the imagination with "Advanced State of Decay" off the release Dishonorable Harvest; Human Potential, Andrew Becker of Medications and Screens, released the life-affirming work I'm Glad You're Alive; somegirlnamedanna emerged on the scene with the introductory single "hello i am"; Rockie Fresh shared the single about sentiments and considerations with the spring steez of "Feelings Hurt" ft. Casey Veggies; Fox Violet delivered the grandiose anthem of grandeur and grith a la "Trenches"; Katy Perry delivered the single and visual from Manson (consisting of Pau Lopez, Gerardo del Hierro, and Tomas Pena) for "Harleys in Hawaii" and the big baby-bump reveal via the never “Never Worn White” visual; massive buzz for the deluxe edition of The Weeknd's After Hours replete with remixes; Mo3 shared some insights on localized hazards overlooked by much of the press on the effects of COVID-19 on under-served communities with "Black Corona"; Lena Machina shared an organic, evocative and acoustic rendering of "Dark" off the debut Secret Shame album Dark Synthetics; Hare Squead delivered an illustrious for our times (and perhaps for all time) with the wade into the weird of our world with the tape Superweird; Classixx dropped "One More Song" ft. Roosevelt; Deerhoof shared the electric energy of amour with "The Loved One" off their new Joyful Noise album Future Teenage Cave Artists; Big Sean announced his fifth album Detroit 2; Bright Eyes delivered the new song "Persona Non Grata" via Dead Oceans; Nine Inch Nails delivered Ghosts V-VI; Dr. Dre's iconic is set to be archived via the Library of Congress; Lightning Bug covered Townes Van Zandt's "No Place to Fall", Ellis covers Yuck and The Districts cover T. Rex via Fat Possum's KAGED series; Bob Dylan released the moving epic “Murder Most Foul”; the entire world of festivals/concerts/conferences/gatherings and the like have either been cancelled or postponed and we remember Gabi Delgado-López of D.A.F., legendary drummer Bill Rieflin, composer Krzysztof Penderecki, 28 Degrees’ Jinsen Liu, Psychic Ills' Tres Warren and the iconic Manu Dibango.

Keep up with all the buzz and hype via Week in Pop’s news department.