Song of the Week: Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama Aren’t Going to “Beg For You”
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The post Song of the Week: Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama Aren’t Going to “Beg For You” appeared first on Consequence.
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama put their pop powers together in their first collaboration after years of friendship.
There’s a strong chance Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama have dropped the first big bop of 2022. Maybe they were also feeling the void in explosive dance hall tracks — how long it’s been since we had the cathartic joy of “Rain On Me” — and came to the rescue. “Beg For You” is fine-tuned, almost to a fault (the song is barely over two and a half minutes) but it’s a worthy collaboration between two artists who know what pop music needs to go from good to great.
Here, one of the secret weapons is the song’s use of a sample from “Cry For You,” an iconic club track from Swedish pop singer September. It’s a highly accessible offering from two artists who often veer into hyperpop and the avant-garde, especially when it comes to visuals. “Beg For You” arrives ahead of Charli XCX’s fourth album, CRASH, set to arrive March 18th — Rina Sawyama, meanwhile, will be making us wait a bit longer. While the latter is expected to release an album this year as well, no details have been revealed.
In the meantime, we have “Beg For You” to tide us over. In a world still full of new variants and big question marks, “Beg For You” paints the picture of a 2022 where dance-floor joy will be possible.
— Mary Siroky
Contributing Editor
Honorable Mentions:
Primer – “Just A Clown”
Primer — AKA Alyssa Midcalf — makes incredibly tight, catchy synth pop that feels indestructible. Her latest track is “Just A Clown,” and its euphoric air is perfect for the ending montage of a movie where the protagonist finally realizes what she needs to do. With thumping bass and layer after layer of bright, warm synths, “Just A Clown” depicts immense doubt in its lyrics, but still manages to come across like a cathartic romp. — Paolo Ragusa
NoSo – “Honey Understand”
While NoSo’s excellent 2021 track “Suburbia” found a balance between hazy dream pop and Lucy Dacus’ confessional style of indie rock, their new track “Honey Understand” finds the artist demonstrating even more urgency than before. The song’s patient, synth-covered trot builds to a powerful crescendo, and by the final chorus, the words “honey understand” become less of a request and more of a demand. The way NoSo matches the atmospheric with the immediate is what makes them standout, and each new track seems to expand upon the last in a truly intriguing way. — P.R.
SOAK – “last july”
Bridie Monds-Watson, who performs as SOAK, is on a journey to become a fully-realized person. Like so many of us, they are acutely aware of the passage of time — for SOAK’s music, this means the process of capturing a moment is never-ending. “last july” arrives ahead of their third album, If I Never Know You Like This Again, set to arrive in May, and is just off-kilter enough to capture the feeling of uneasy nostalgia. What the song confirms is that experiences don’t have to be extraordinary to be memorialized in art — instead, creating art around the everyday is what makes things extraordinary. — M.S.
Ex-Vöid “Churchyard”
Ex-Vöid, which features members from the UK noise pop group Joanna Gruesome, have recently announced their debut LP Bigger Than Before, and the first single “Churchyard” is simply irresistible. With vocalists Lan McArdle and Owen Williams sharing every word together, there’s a communal energy that drives “Churchyard,” and each chord change is inviting and warm. Their brand of melodic pop is wholly original, but it’s filled to the brim with catchy melodies, moments of clarity, and a sense of enthusiasm that brightens the entire track. Even though the track falls just short of two minutes, it’s one to play over and over again. — P.R.
LLusion – “After the Tone” feat. UPSAHL
LLusion — known on TikTok as “The Remix Guy” — is the rare breakout from the trendy video app that feels like a welcome addition to the music scene. “After the Tone” features vocals from UPSAHL, and the resulting song is simply a bop. With an addictive bassline and bouncy piano melodies, it’s the perfect showcase for both UPSAHL’s playful energy and LLusion’s production expertise. — M.S.
Top Songs Playlist:
Check out and subscribe to our Spotify Top Songs playlist.
Song of the Week: Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama Aren’t Going to “Beg For You”
Mary Siroky and Paolo Ragusa
Popular Posts
