NEW Music Monday: Jan. Week 2

Welcome to the second official NEW Music Monday --- Your one stop shop on what's happening in the music world and what Fire on the Fountain has to say about it.

This week we saw new releases from Selena Gomez, Tame Impala, Quinn XCII, Future, Jauz, Whethan, Khalid, and a preview of the post humous album by Mac Miller. It was a huge week in music to say the LEAST.

So since last week took a dive into the post break-up ~Jelena~ drama, I wanna start off this weeks update by jumping into the much anticipated release of Rare by Selena Gomez.

Rare by Selena Gomez

On Friday, January 10th, Selena released Rare, her first album since the very dramatic and public breakup with Justin Bieber. She said in an Apple Music Beats 1 interview that the creation process of this album was a part of her removing the toxicity from her life and the rebirth of a new version of herself. For two years, Selena was off the social media grid while emotionally healing from the many turmoils she has had to face these past few years, apart from her split with Bieber. I, myself, took a recent break from social media and as Selena mentioned in her interview, the break provided her with the opportunity to be happy with herself instead of living in a state of constant comparison. Now that we know the inspiration behind this project, let's jump in to its contents.

The cover of Rare features Selena lying down against a white background while wearing her signature Rare t-shirt, which sadly isn't available for purchase in the line of merchandise she released for the album. The project consists of 13 songs and since you've waited four years to hear it, I won't waste anymore time getting to the song breakdown.

(**Note: As I played the album from start to finish hearing all the tracks for the first time, I jotted down my first impressions on the songs that I see sparking gossip and popularity. The songs below aren't necessarily the best or worst on the album, just the ones that caught my eye.**)

1. "Rare"

So obviously I have to mention the track that the album is titled after. This track gives me all the girl power vibes. Not a super emotional song but it is a catchy beat with sassy lyrics calling out not being recognized as the gem she now knows she is. This song will easily be on every radio station within the week. As the album is titled after this song, I was not shocked when I saw that right at noon on Friday, she released the corresponding music video.

The video is sassy and SEXY. It features Selena in a beautiful nude gown and has a very futuristic vibe. To be honest, this video is trippy AF and more psychedelic than what I would have expected from her. Nevertheless, she appears much more confident and put together than her last music video for "Lose You to Love Me." Take a peak at it below.

5. "Ring"

So "Ring" is facing major attention on Twitter; basically because she sounds like a bad ass b*tch and also because people are buzzing if it's about Bieber. This song, featuring a more unique soundscape and what sounds like multiple different types of "rings," is about those who are wrapped around her finger like a ring and how she doesn't pick up the phone and just lets it (guess...) ring. Many are also picking up on the clues that Selena may have been referring to the proposal she received from Bieber at one point in their relationship as many have joked about if Justin gave Hailey the engagement ring he picked out for Selena. As the song picks up in beat, I wouldn't be shocked to see a re-release of the song with a well respected rap feature and if I'm placing bets, I'd put them on Offset or DaBaby as they recently are known to hop in on pop anthems.

6. "Vulnerable"

What I get from this track is that Selena isn't letting her heartbreak make her give up on love and opening up with someone new. I bring it up because it is one of the more raw songs on the album. Attempting at intimacy with someone new after being torn apart by the man before is no easy task but it seems like Selena is aiming to say that she's not giving up on love and ready to pursue a new romantic interest (if she isn't already...It's hard to keep up with a celeb who doesn't post her every move on Instagram).

7. "People You Know"

This song tackles the most relatable struggle of ending any relationship (including friendships) and she words it perfectly by singing, "And what hurts the most is people can go from people you know to people you don't." While talking in her Apple Music Beats 1 interview, Selena shared that these words of wisdom came from a close friend and they really resonated with her, encouraging her to compose this song. In the same interview she spoke about how she wanted this album to really allow her to connect with the emotions of her fans and this song does perfect at that. The song has slight EDM undertones so I expect to hear fun remixes of this song by some of our favorite DJ's and my top pick to take this on would be Kygo or The Chainsmokers as it wouldn't be the first collab that these two have done with Gomez.

13. "A Sweeter Place (feat. Kid Cudi)"

I'm going to be honest, I think that there was so much hype surrounding the release of this album that Selena could easily have more than two features from other artists but for now, I'll take what I can get it, especially if it's a Kid Cudi feature. The "Pursuit of Happiness" singer makes a surprising appearance on Rare and I am here for it. His unique voice meshes perfectly for this song and adds another layer of musicality to the album. The general idea of the song is about wanting to be in a "sweeter place" to cut ties with everything from the past and the worries that come with it. Almost all of the songs released on this album have no issue resonating with the common emotions and struggles we all face when it comes to romance.

Overall, I think the album will be a hit for Selena's comeback but I don't know that this was exactly what "Selenators" were hoping for after almost four years. Lyrically, it is not an album full of rainbows and butterflies. It definitely dives into some of the deepest emotions that the pop star has tackled in recent years but musically, a few of the tracks do sound very similar and with four years in the making, it wasn't the record breaking album I had hoped for.

"Good News" by Mac Miller Earlier this week, the family of Malcom McCormick, Mac Miller, released a statement on his Instagram that they have been moving forward with the music that Mac was working on before his passing. The project, Circles, is said to be the "companion album" of his album, Swimming, that was released in August of 2018 right before his tragic passing. Swimming was Mac Miller's fifth studio album that tackled his struggle of self-acceptance and beautifully described his journey battling his inner demons.

Prior to his passing, Miller was working on the production of Circles with Jon Brion and after his death, Brion has worked avidly to put together and achieve Mac's vision for the album. Circles is said to be a different style than the previous album but a work that he wanted the world to hear.

For those for don't know who Jon Brion is: no fear, many were clueless about him until the recent announcement. Jon Brion is a true jack of all trades. He is a singer-songwriter, composer, impressively plays multiple instruments, and is record producer. In terms of his producing accomplishments, he has laid down beats for the king himself, Kanye West, and previously worked with Mac on Swimming. Since Circles is said to be the companion album, who better to complete it than the man who collaborated with him previously.

The full album will be released Jan. 17 but the first song from the album was released earlier this week, "Good News." The track itself sounds similar to what we heard on Swimming and gives us all a deeper look into the mind of Mac Miller. It tackles how he felt like people expected a person from him who he wasn't yet at the same time talks about how he was able to see that life was worth living and "...that there's a whole lot for me waiting." The release of this album is going to be extremely difficult as you can tell, he was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We can expect to hear more reflective and deeply vulnerable songs that will paint the picture of his memory. It is unknown if more songs will be released before the drop of the entire project but I will be anxiously waiting to hear the raw emotions of Miller and take appreciation in the work that he created for us all to hear.

With the release of the song came its accompanying music video, which as a true Mac fan, it brought me to tears. It begins with a clip of Mac in the studio and then transitions into a trippy compilation of graphics, some of which including old pictures of Mac himself. The video does a great job of adding to the song while also paying tribute to Mac Miller. Fans are hoping that more music videos are in store for the remainder of songs on the album.

"Lost In Yesterday" by Tame Impala

Since the announcement of The Slow Rush, Tame Impala's fourth album, the group has teased us with four already released tracks; "Borderline," "Posthumous Forgiveness," "It Might Be Time," and "Lost In Yesterday." The group announced that "Lost In Yesterday" would be the last pre-release of the album before is releases on Feb. 14, 2020. The song speaks to how valuable time is and how easily it can be waisted by leaving your mind in the past rather than embracing the now, a not-so-simple message that we all could take away from. The song itself sounds from the future with a funky beat and is one that I can't wait to blast windows down on a sunny day.

"Two 10's" by Quinn XCII

"Two 10's" is the first release from Quinn XCII since the release of "Stacy" in 2019. He recently took to Twitter to announce that he was working on a new album so it can be assumed that this song will be present on that project. The song is about needing a spot on some cash to go out and have a good time with friends. Not one of the deeper songs we've heard from the artist but its a catchy, fun tune. The music video features a young kid getting twenty dollars from his dad and spending it to have a blast at the rollerskating rink. Nostalgia is real as the video completely covers every reason why I loved going to roller skate when I was young, it was cheap and everything I needed. For the song -- not the greatest thing since sliced bread but until we get more from Quinn XCII, it'll do.

Check out some of the other songs that were released this week.

"Life Is Good (feat. Drake)" by Future

"Stay Forever" by Whethan

"Eleven" by Khalid

"Bring Em Back" by Jauz & TYNAN

"What A Time To Be Alive" by Nitti Gritti

Although this second week of January already has 2020 popping off, gear up for a big month of new music. January will be full of exciting music releases and hopefully, tour announcements. Catch up on what's hot with me every Monday.

XOXO. Peace and blessings.