Time for the May Hyperpop playlist post!
Highlights
My three highlights of May are Charli XCX, Dorian Electra, and Folie. If you’ve seen my posts in the past, you know I am a Charli stan at heart. Her ‘quarantine’ album “How I’m Feeling Now” came out May 15 and really didn’t disappoint overall. It could be a top 3 album in her discography but I need some time to think about that.
Dorian Electra’s “Sorry Bro (I Love You)” feels like a short and powerful sequel to their track Man to Man. Dorian’s treatment of male strength and fragility fills such a gap in music for me. It turns the policing of masculinity into something tender, and I find it incredibly satisfying.
Folie…don’t know much about ’em, but this was released on Dog Show Records, led by Dylan Brady (who also has production credit on the previous two mentioned releases). Really good cathartic instrumentals with some warped vocals. It’s serving me Battles and or Religious Girls levels of innovative gritty ‘rock’ music.
Notable
Lots of other notable things happening: GFOTY & Count Baldor had separate releases, but also worked together on a remix of Stupid Horse by 100 gecs. Chromatica came out (pretty meh overall…I don’t really consider Lady Gaga an album artist, but I really enjoy the singles). Kim Petras and Arca both released music too.
Specifically, I’ll call-out GFOTY’s “By My Side” which is a loose parody of Eiffel 65’s
“I’m Blue.” Super catchy. GFOTY (or Girlfriend of the Year) has always been a fascinating figure. Talented, but maybe not polished. The Adore Delano of PC Music perhaps?
Also need to call out Arca: the visuals; the everything. She looks like a derranged Tekken fighter or a villain from Resident Evil. Excited for the full album releases (Arca, unlike Lady Gaga, feels more like an album artist).
Everything Else
Plenty of other fun music. I’m sure I’ve missed out on a lot, but I need to move on to June releases. Carly Rae Jepsen’s b-sides for Dedicated is a fun treat, but not the same impact as Emotion b-sides. Sun Araw is a mellow funky track that is a change of pace for my listening. Remi Wolf (from the bay area!) and the track Photo ID is an upbeat dance track that reminds me of late aughts indie-pop.
You can find my April Hyperpop playlist here if you are looking for more music.