In this week’s edition of What’s Going On, we’re going heavy on pop. There are new songs from Miley Cyrus, Neon Dreams, RAYE, Emily Reid and JustSideKicks. From dance-pop to alt-pop to country, there’s something here for all lovers of pop music. If you dig what you’re hearing, be sure to stream and follow these artists.
Miley Cyrus – A handful of marquee pop stars have truly been firing on all cylinders during the pandemic and one of those is none other than Miley Cyrus. The former child star has been slaying all of her backyard performances and musically has leaned into more of a sultry 80s pop-rock style. Her new single ‘Edge of Midnight’ is a remix of her summer single ‘Midnight Sky’, except this time she’s accompanied by the iconic Stevie Nicks. Whereas ‘Midnight Sky’ was only influenced by women like Stevie Nicks, ‘Edge of Midnight’ is a full-on mashup with ‘Edge of Seventeen’ and their voices co-exist so well. Cyrus’ new album Plastic Hearts is due out on November 27 via RCA Records.
Listen to Miley Cyrus’ new single ‘Edge of Midnight (Midnight Sky Remix)’ ft. Stevie Nicks below.
Neon Dreams – Canada’s Neon Dreams have a sound that’s all their own. The Halifax, Nova Scotia pop duo consisting of singer Frank Kadillac and drummer Adrian Morris write and produce their own music. ‘House Party’ is an introspective track that, despite the title, is not about turning up; rather it’s about knowing that you won’t find what you’re lacking at a house party. On ‘House Party’, singer Frank Kadillac draws on past insecurities as a teenage yearning to fit in and be accepted which makes the alt-pop track that much more relatable. The duo won the 2020 JUNO Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year, an indicator that there are big things ahead for them. Neon Dreams’ much anticipated sophomore album The Happiness of Tomorrow is due out on November 13.
Listen to Neon Dreams’ new single ‘House Party’ below.
RAYE – British singer RAYE’s new single ‘Love Of Your Life’ is the banger that we all need right now. ‘Love Of Your Life’ was written by RAYE along with Anton Göransson and Isabella Sjostrand. The disco-influenced track features the emotive and vulnerable lyrical style that we’ve come to love from RAYE. This new song is taken from RAYE’s upcoming nine-track project Euphoric Sad Songs. On ‘Love Of Your Life’, RAYE says: “This is the final stage of my project ‘Euphoric Sad Songs’. It feels big and uplifting and I love how free and honest I am with the lyrics. I hope everyone enjoys this slice of me.”
Listen to RAYE’s new single ‘Love Of Your Life’ below.
Emily Reid – Canadian singer-songwriter Emily Reid has released ‘California King’, her new single via Universal Music Canada. Originally from Victoria, B.C., the multi-instrumentalist country singer is quickly making a name for herself in the country music world. ‘California King’ is a catchy slice of pop-country that showcases Reid’s angelic vocals and wistful lyrics. On what went into ‘California King’, Reid says: “It’s hard to pick your favorite song, as I imagine it’s like picking your favorite child, but this song truly is my heart and soul. It’s manifested where I am now, and to look back on where I was when I wrote it is truly crazy. It blends my love of country storytelling with some indie production elements, and a good old fashion missing somebody.” We’re excited to see what Emily Reid does next!
Listen to Emily Reid’s new single ‘California King’ below.
JustSidekicks – US production duo JustSidekicks have just released their fourth single ‘Bittersweet’, this time assisted by AfterSound. Oren Strobel and Max Streitwieser of JustSidekicks have quickly been gaining attention for their slick production style. ‘Bittersweet’ is a genre-bending bop as it fuses electronic, rock and pop sounds into a sound that the boys have dubbed electrorock. On how ‘Bittersweet’ came to be, JustSidekicks says: “Bittersweet was made when we were on a music-focused getaway trip shortly after our song ‘Just Another Memory’ was released. It means a lot to us because it is by far the highest energy, most electronic song that we have put out up to this point”. The sky’s the limit for JustSidekicks.
Listen to JustSidekicks’ new single ‘Bittersweet’ below.
