EW's Friday Five: Harry Styles and Green Day make two very different pop returns
Every Friday, EW runs down the five best songs of the week. In today’s edition, Harry Styles kicks off his sophomore solo effort with a sensational message, Green Day come back swinging, and a K-pop queen serves up some jaw-dropping drama.
Harry Styles — “Lights Up”
The grand experiment of the former One Directioner’s solo endeavor ultimately proved to be a success, but the vibe that Styles establishes on the first music from his second lap is nevertheless just as exhilarating in its expressive potential. “Lights Up,” which dropped alongside an astonishing video that immediately struck a chord in the oft-underrepresented bisexual community, shows that much as we collectively latched onto the gentle introspection in his debut album, we’re only just getting to know Styles as the artist he was always meant to be as he steps into the spotlight of his second act. —Marc Snetiker
Green Day — “Fire, Ready, Aim”
Thirty-plus years into their career, the Bay Area trio are still switching things up, as evidenced by this this giddy ditty from their upcoming album Father of All…, out Feb. 7. With Billie Joe Armstrong deploying a heretofore underutilized upper register and the band leaning hard into pop sensibilities, this clap-happy track is a full-tilt power-pop delight and still feels complete even though it clocks in at under two minutes. Hockey fans should prepare to hear this tune a lot, since it was picked as the opening theme song for the NHL and NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Hockey broadcasts. —Sarah Rodman
Tiffany Young — “Run For Your Life”
The sheer drama of it all! It’s impossible to contain on this showstopper from K-pop star and Girls’ Generation alum Tiffany Young, who will head off on her first North American solo tour later this month with a particular boost of confidence thanks to this ferociously fire-powered track (produced by Lady Gaga collaborator — ah, it all makes sense now — Fernando Garibay). For Americans who still feel aloof from the K-pop explosion, let Tiffany offer you a marvelous means to understanding just why this boom is still echoing. —MS
Marcus King — “The Well”
His debut album, El Dorado, won’t be out until January, but this track is a great introduction to the South Carolina singer-songwriter and a compelling explanation for why Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys wanted to be involved as a producer. The 23-year-old King certainly has a sound simpatico to the Black Keys, and this stomping slice of incendiary blues rock radiates swagger and soul. —SR
Kash Doll, Kim Petras, ALMA, Stefflon Don — “How It’s Done”
The build-up to Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Rey’s Charlie’s Angels anthem ultimately left us waiting for a climax that never came; by comparison, this earworm team-up of rising pop names is the real collaborative surprise off the soundtrack, bringing the kind of high-speed-car-chase vigor we’d hope might back the angelic action of the November reboot. —MS
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