The cold roads ahead to new light and the aura of hope; press photo courtesy of Kerri O’Malley.

After the wild and overwhelming ride of the past year — Week in Pop’s news department is back, bring a variété of some of the latest breaking buzz. Where do we begin? Where did we leave off? The truth is by the onset of the pandemic in the spring of 2020 the news of the world became an endless doom scroll into an apocalyptic and inescapable abyss that felt too overbearing to begin to cover at length. With the focus increasingly on the craft of longer form exclusives and the like; Week in Pop brings you a working draft in progress that provides some quick looks at some of buzz we’re following:

Toppling the colonial conceits and constructs with Genesis Owusu; photographed by Bailey Howard.

Canberra, Australia by way of Ghana artist Genesis Owusu released their break out next level conscious ascending album debut Smiling With No Teeth via House Anxiety/Ourness. The follow up to the EP Cardrive, Owusu taps into a kinetic zeitgeist from the onset with the motion of "On the Move!", exploding the semiotics of racist pejoratives with "The Other Black Dog", the rich lounge sensations of "Centrefold", the nu-funk slick of "Waitin' on Ya", dispelling the codependent attachment and attractions of "I Don't Need You", to collaborating with fellow Aussie Kirin J Callinan on the chip-tuned "Drown", to calculating the coldness of materialism on "Golden Chains." The title track moves in a viscous syrupy step, to schooling the dubious backwards perceptions of performative allyship on "I Don't See Colour", turning the canine allegory inside out and reclaiming the semantics of "Black Dogs!", blending and bending the crafts of genre and denouncing fascists on "Whip Cracker", "Easy", busting out full on power balladry with "A Song About Fishing", reaching out to our collective hearts on "No Looking Back" (featuring a hook borrowed loosely from "Together Again"), before bidding us adieu on the poetics of "Bye Bye" that concludes the album in an epic and mighty fashion. Experience what is already being called one of the best albums you will hear this year.

Doss is back with Puppy friend; photographed by Alex Lee.

The almighty Doss returned with the vibrant boutique beat chic of "Puppy" via LuckyMe Almost 8 years back Doss released the underground rippling self-titled EP via the obsessively exclusive and illustrious imprint Acéphale and became some of a cult favorite of artists and heads of high artistic taste. With a rich, incredibly exquisite upper elevated production (and an adorable doggo galloping about the green grass visualizer to boot); Doss furthers her vision of blending the worlds of discreet techno, progressive/epic trance and a deluxe take on the house music constructs that ushers us further into the future world of tomorrow with the tag line — It's the music. As Doss described it to Paper:

I had an ex once who called me Puppy, you know what I mean. I had fallen in love with their family and friends while we were together, so it wasn't just about the person or the breakup with them, but about losing the whole world that had been so vibrant and intimate and important and familial. We had been broken up for a while, like maybe three months, and I got invited to a birthday party and decided to drive last minute. Driving back at 2 AM to Maryland, I was sort of parsing through how sweet and welcoming they had been, but how I knew that it would never be like how it was before and what to do with all of those feelings. There's nothing like the feeling of a solitary night drive home, thinking about life.

Enter the citadel of pageantry and prizes with Crumb's visual for "Trophy" from Haoyan of America and Truba Animation. The trio of Lila Ramani, Bri Aronow, Jesse Brotter and Jonathan Gilad have been curating some of the most mystifying and curious pop of recent years with lauded releases like Jinx and Locket that have established the band as creating a stylistic institution of immersive arts that transfix the mind like the beguiling page-turning thrillers of a noirish twentieth century pulp. Keeping true to their own on brand exhibitions of the strangely avant and intriguingly absurd; Crumb's ode to life's win, lose or draw sports are set to racetrack awards pageantries. The ranking ceremonies turn surreal where we see that the audience is full of animated trophy cups that feels like a quixotic Roger Rabbit-esque hallucination episode / event (complete with a cameo from band buddy / Citrus City Records boss Manuel Lemus).

Get lost in the single "Marie" from Lost Horizons (Simon Raymonde from Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz's Richie Thomas) that features inimitable ethereal vocals from Marissa Nadler. Featured off the second part of their Bella Union double album In Quiet Moments; the Jack Wolter of Penelope Isles video matches the world and spirit spinning aesthetic of the track that blends audio atmospheres into installation art house moving pictures.

Juliet Quick shared the soul stirring song of strings "Circles" from the Substitute Scene Records release Glass Years. Modes of melancholy are gently explored with a sense of enlightenment and autonomous joy that moves forward with a realized sense of self and purpose. In Quick's own reflective words:

"Circles" is about filtering out the feedback of others and just living inside yourself, even if that isn’t always the easiest place to be. I have trouble doing that—I have had this lifelong compulsion to be perceived as ‘good,’ even to people who I don’t think are ‘good!’ The particular kind of depression I was in when I wrote this song, though, gave me some relief from that at times. It was much more difficult to care about pleasing people. There are a handful of external voices that appear in the song—advice-givers, pedantic men, crust punks—who are kind of gently ignored. It is definitely a sad song but it is also about freedom.

Presenting an aggregated array of various pop buzz in no particular order — Hazel English delivered the ballad of woe, angst and opportunity with "Five and Dime" from the Polyvinyl album Wake Up; Problem delivered the track about conflict management with the lambo loving visual for "Don't Be Mad at Me"; Fearing released their album for today's dark days with the Funeral Party released album Shadow; Austra shared the inspiring single for "Mountain Baby" ft. Cecile Believe and the Wilkinson Public School choir; The Angry Lisas shared the cabin comforts and campfire-style tales of "Stonewaller"; Ess Ford brought the scuzz-studded grandiosity of "fortnite" produced by Gunior and directed by Ju92 from the album In Hindsight; DESIRE dropped the synth horror odyssey of "Black Latex"; Barleaux delivered the sophist-pop track that dabbles in the divorce of interpersonal connections with "Fresh Water"; Lydia Ainsworth delivered the brilliant ballad of "Forever"; Moscow Apartment appeared on the scene with a listen to the sincere sentiments of "Halfway"; Melody presented the melancholy pop of wishes and pensive meditations with "Teacher's Pet" via Lauren Records; Fatt Father shared a look at the reflective visual for "Growth" ft. Melanie Rutherford and production from Jeremy Ford featured off the new album King Father that sports appearances from Quelle Chris, Finale, Marv One, Scud One and more; Pussy Riot's Nadya Tolokonnikova released the mesmerizing futuristic visual representing battles of the present with "Panic Attack" directed by Asad J. Malik; Shilpa Ray delivered the awesome energy of "Manic Pixie Dream Cunt"; Tove Lo delivered the animated visual for "Sadder, Badder, Cooler" courtesy of the Venturia Animation Studios; Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats wowed us with the joint Unlocked 1.5 featuring appearances from Georgia Anne Muldrow, Joey Bada$$, Smino and more; DMV resident Rock Abruham sent us word of the upcoming album From the Mud (sporting appearances from the legendary Quelle Chris, Chris Crack, Muhsinah and more) with the Slimkat 79 produced cathartic don't-call-it-a-comeback track "10K"; dive into the luxury slick sophisti-pop of LA's own Fakelife via the well manicured EP Fall Behind via WAX LTD; Geographer delivered "Love Is Madness" ft. Kevin Ray from the album Down And Out In The Garden Of Earthly Delights; Bristol's Yard Arms brought the passion with the anthemic "These Four Walls" from their upcoming Sanctuary Lines EP; Mykki Blanco laid the smack down-down with "Patriarchy Ain't the End of Me"; Olivia Swann delivered the single of angsty discontent in the age of universal unrest with "Salty" ft. Jane Handcock; Soft People delivered the electro and humanity charged poetics with the pointed "22 Lunes" b/w "Wish I"; Welcome Center delivered the contemporary spiritual for strange times with "Animals Haunted by Love"; Richard Spitzer delivered a slice of humanism with the visual for “Text Your Ex”; Shelter Boy signed to Cascine with a listen to Atmosphere that bolsters the brightest pop reminiscent of the bangers that arrived before and all the best times soon to follow; Dent May is back on the scene with the glitz and glamor chill of "Easier Said Than Done" and "Sea Salt & Caramel" featured off the Carpark album Late Checkout; Torii Wolf shared a privy rooftop performance live from Silverlake with "Charlie"; Major Murphy delivered the epic down but not yet out unfettered and indefatigable ballad “Unfazed” visualized by New Archive and Greg Sheppard, from their second album Access via Winspear; Slow Pulp presented the world with a look at the visual for "Falling Apart" directed by Jake Lazovick off the Winspear album Moveys; Delaney Jane brought the electro shine of "Want You Now"; Tomberlin delivered a look at their nostalgic youthful visual for "Wasted" that illustrates the idleness of summer Saddle Creek EP Projections (co-produced by Alex Giannascoli, aka (SANDY) Alex G); Guadalajara duo Uay released the sweet psych synergistic stylings of La Selva via Halfshell Records; Once & Future Band presented the vintage video game visual for "Problem Addict" from their Castle Face release Deleted Scenes; Psychobuidings delivered a look at the CGI-rendered visual for "Mlia"; Body Double brought the big bold sound of "Ready to Die" with the visuals from Dalton Blanco; Tanzos delivered the inquiring and pointed expressions of pop with "Birdy"; Ilithios delivered the title track side-walk stepping visual from Jen Meller from the debut album Florist; Color Palette shared the sincere and serenely stitched pop single that is timely titled "Distance"; The Darcys' took us "Off the Deep" end with the bombastic new single; Leonardo Varella delivered the sweet sidewalk shuffle styles of "Pocket Full of Change"; Wyn Starks delves into the sources of core division on "Split in Two"; Smokescreens brought the pristine power pop of "Working Title" off the Slumberland release A Strange Dream; and in more Slumberland news, Lunchbox presented the Christina Riley visual for the modernist aesthetic of "I Really Wanna Know"; get mesmerized to far away locales and stunning vistas with Frànçois & The Atlas Mountains' new track "Coucou" from the Domino release Banane Bleue; GOD-DES delivered a state of the broken union with "Living in America"; new J Dilla box set Welcome 2 Detroit - The 20th Anniversary Edition dropped; Psychedelic Porn Crumpets brought all the stop-action animation fun with the "Tally-Ho" visual from the Marathon Artists album SHYGA! The Sunlight Mound; Sara Noelle shared an enchanted pop baroque cover of Judee Sill's "Emerald River Dance"; Future Islands signed massive deal with Third Side Music; Bob Mould released the new boxset Distortion; Tony Njoku delivered the head-space flipping "Death Dimitri"; Northwest shared the entrancing visual epic "Before the Spell" from the album II; Thebandivory, fronted by Venezuelan, American Frankie DeRosa, released the autobiographical album of discovery, identity, adversity and adventure on Anthropocene; Maria DeHart delivered the DIY portastudio majesty of "In My Head"; NIVO delivered the atmospheric and hazy hymn "Runnin It Up" ft. Rexx Life Raj; Palm Ghosts dropped the obfuscated and muddied visions of "Blind" featured off the album Lifeboat Candidate; Sculpture Club brought the big emotive pop passion with the Chaz Costello-directed video for "Just One More" from the Funeral Party Records album Worth; GOLDEN presented the ambient soft primavera season atmospheres with the Air Volle remix of "Eye"; Oak House's Gresham Cash delivered the space-bound swan song "Why Not Mars" off the solo album Any Day But Today; LA's Grey Factor woo'd and wowed with the electro pop anthem "You're So Cool" from The Perils of Popularity EP; Kid Dakota, aka Darren Jackson, released the masterpiece Age of Roaches via Graveface Records; Sanya N'Kanta delivered the introspective and evocative track and visual for "Waste My Time"; Nashville's rising electro rocker James Levy dropped the fuzzy jam of obfuscated identities "Myself Anymore" from the Side Hustle album Soldier; Cole Koch delivered the big fuzzy industrious pop with "Lockdown NYC";

The roads towards light and new frontiers of inspiration; press photo courtesy of Kerri O’Malley.

Mick Dimitri delivered the heart and soul pouring pop chart ready ballad "Oh My Friend"; Clara Jones delves beyond the hubris, facades and fronts in life with the back to reality basics of "Ordinary Person"; Thee Conductor shared a viewing of the the art animated videos captures by Scott Shellhamer for "Night Light" that features vocals from Bonnie "Prince" Billy from the album Spirit of a Ghost; Guspy delivered the laid back style of "STEEZ LUÍZ"; Nick Andre dropped a ray of hope with "Life is Awesome" featuring bars from Lil B, Zion I, Casual that keeps the focus on rebuilding a better life and world; Milly shared the throwback alternative nation-looking 90s-styled visual for "Denial" from the Wish Goes On EP; live the iced out high life with Young Dolph and Key Glock in the Colorado baller visual for "Aspen"; Generationals shared a spirited remix of Okey Dokey's "Delicious"; Sour Widows offered a listen to the sincere slow and glow burner title track from their Exploding in Sound album Crossing Over; Vegyn delivered the electro odyssey "B4 the Computer Crash" featured off the Warp Records EP Like a Good Old Friend; Imaginary People present the adonis worshiping weirdness and passion of the "Renegade" video from James Hartley and Justin Repasky off the album Alibi; ATL icon Dani Stevenson delivered a testament to the power of perseverance with "Love Me"; Jay Swinn in collaboration with guitarist Phil Miles delivered the catchy classic hung over headache jam "Empty Bottle"; SF by way of ATL artist Kelly McFarling delivered the earthy and earnest album Deep The Habit; Lisa Gerrard & Jules Maxwell (of Dead Can Dance) have been working with MAPS' James Chapman on the album sharing a look at the dramatic art/fashion house b/w visuals for "Noyalain (Burn)" directed by Jacob Chelkowski; Remember Sports delivered an ode to the things in life that weigh us down with "Materialistic" from the album Like a Stone via Father/Daughter Records & Big Scary Monsters; Cool Ghouls returned at last with some foggy and lovely San Francisco sunshine with the album At George's Zoo courtesy of Empty Cellar/Melodic Records; in the world of the illustrious Moon Glyph imprint we explored a first taste of Nuke Watch's experimental atmospheres of The Manhattan Project - Live In NY, the strings and woodwinds that encompass the nu-chamber graces of Songs of the Marsh from Henry the Rabbit, Beatrice Morel Journel & Semay Wu, Angela Wilson & Brian Griffith, aka the aptly applied moniker of Electric Sound Bath brought us to mind lifting new realms with Of This World, the psych streaked sounds from Ryan Garbes' Tabbed View, redefining chamber pop with Günter Schlienz on Orphée aux Enfers, Omni Gardens (the moniker of MG's own Steve Rosborough) brought us the therapeutic album Moss King, Mark Tester's transportive electro odyssey Super Hiss, Grapefruit's experiments with the aural luster of ambience on Light Fronds, the percussive chutzpah of Secret Drum Band's Chuva, the otherworldly Fishland from Aaron Space & His Terrestrial Underlings, to Cole Pulice's conscious twisting Gloam and a whole new set of creative dimensions waiting for you at Moon Glyph; King Krule remixed Eyedress’s “Jealous" (with the visual for the original previously premiered via Week in Pop) The Weeknd versus the Grammys; and we remember cassette tape inventor and hold in heart the memory of the millions of all we have lost to the pandemic worldwide.

As the world turns toward a chance of hope and progress, Week in Pop's ever evolving news section will work to present snapshot glimpses at various pop aesthetic developments of interest.