WEEKLY FLOW: VOLUME V Part II

SO much music that I’ve been listening to recently, so I’ve split up Volume V into two parts: the albums only version and the songs only version. Let’s not waste any time and get straight into the songs.

SONGS

Xtasy (Remix) [feat. Doechii]

I think I listened to this song 70 times. Very on brand for me as it falls into that dreamy, ethereal, house beat type music. Ravyn Lenae and Doechii are magnetizing on a track together. I could ask for nothing more from a song. Oh, and the cover art??? Ate down. I’ll be keeping a close eye on both of these artists as I just know they are next on top.

Venom

Venom, from the 2022 album ‘HYPNOS’ was my gateway song into Ravyn Lenae. Although it isn’t a single, it’s worth including apart from it’s originating project as I easily ran this song, and this song only, into the ground. It has a similar sound to that of Xtasy as earlier mentioned, and also from the same year when artists were deep in their house music infusion & exploration era. I personally think Ravyn has the perfect voice and sound for this type of style. 10/10 for her.

NISSAN ALTIMA

This song shifted the trajectory of the year for me. This song is for baadddd bitchesss. Get into your “who GAFs” mindset!! The beat on this is actually delicious. Doechii’s flow, as always, is tough. Nissan Altima flows so effortlessly, I love it bad.

I finally got on Doechii TikTok too, so I’ve been seeing a lot of others online enjoy this song for all its greatness. I didn’t realize at first that this was a single for her soon-to-come album ‘Alligator Bites Never Heal,’ but nonetheless what a fire single to release for an album.

ROCKET

OMG she has more Doechii on this week’s flow?? Yes. And what about it???

Need to hear this at a day party, at brunch, and on vacation. This song is simply good vibes and good fun. ROCKET is giving a bit more of a fusion, not her traditional hip-hop rap vibe or sound. I’m noticing that her singles that aren’t part of any greater project stick out to me. I really enjoy hearing Doechii explore her sound and capabilities, and just make some music that’s different than what’s charting or pushed by the radio.

Dive

God IS a woman, and in my world, she looks like and sounds like Olivia Dean. I first came across Olivia Dean on TikTok where I saw a video of her performing this song. I was actually shocked how beautiful her voice sounded live, and her stage presence is soo goddess-coded.

Again, Dive isn’t a single, but a song from her album ‘Messy,’ but I really really love this song. I got to hear this song live [in passing] at Lollapalooza this year and it sounded just as good as it does in your headphones. Need more from her like this!!

Ok Love You Bye

Ok, now this song is far from anything new that Olivia Dean has released, but after discovering who she is, I obviously had to listen to one of her most popular songs. The London girls have this indie-boho-pop genre on lock. This one just sounds good in my ears. Inject it into my veins, maybe??

Thank Goodness

Hope Tala is another London girlie who has a distinct sound that is a fusion of many styles and genres that just work really well together. This song is a bit R&B, a bit pop, kinda alternative- all of my listening genres! I love a song where you can actually hear different instruments being used- real music, dare I say. A great song comes from a great musician & great producers who know how to use the instruments and not just synth computer noises. Hope Tala up next, please & thank you!

(I also recommend Hope Tala’s Bad Love God, another single she released this year with a similar sound, style & vibe.)

Touch

Ok wait, this KATSEYE girl group just might have ate with this song?? It’s been gaining traction on TikTok, but it’s so cute and catchy I kind of fw it. I think we as a society really need to embrace any group or musician who has stage presence, is fun, and has a sound that’s a bit different than what the industry has been forcing down our throats. I don’t care for the details on whether or not this qualifies as a KPOP song, I think it’s a really seamless way to integrate what works well for KPOP groups into the mainstream of American music. And, not to be a boomer, but the youth of today need some fun music that isn’t all the sexy-bad-bitch music that’s all over everywhere. Interested to see what else this group comes up with!

Bending My Rules

If you haven’t listened to FLO yet, seriously get to it right now. I’ve been invested in their growth and success since they released Cardboard Box in 2022. The live version of this song that they posted on their Instagram is the best I’ve ever heard them sound. I can tell they have been training & working on their sound together. This song does all three of their voices so many favors and makes for the perfect R&B song. FLO is getting ready to finally release their DEBUT album later this year on November 15th, and if this is any indication of what else they have planned, we’re in for quite the treat.

Sidenote: If you’ve ever watched or heard of the TV series STAR on Fox, maybe you also feel the similarities between FLO and Take 3, made up of Ryan Destiny, Jude Demorest, and Brittany O’Grady. FLO is basically our irl R&B pop girl group that STAR delivered to us and I’m living for it. I would love to hear them do a cover of one of the songs from the show, as I think their sound is so incredibly similar. Real STAR fans still listen to Take 3’s songs, they were not playing around with their original soundtracks. If you’re curious, here’s a playlist of their songs from the series: