Open-air music festivals are already in full swing, a surefire sign of the warming weather. Rolling Loud LA, Coachella and Dreamville have already blessed fans with their starpower and strobe lights, with Stagecoach, Lovers and Friends, and Bonnaroo close on the horizon. Rolling Loud Miami recently announced their highly anticipated lineup, featuring headliners Playboi Carti, Travis Scott and A$AP Rocky. Other big names include Ice Spice, Central Cee, and Destroy Lonely, all of whom achieved wide-spread popularity within the last year, touting unique and unconventional styles. In such a quickly evolving musicscape, it’s hard to stay on top of the pulse of the people! The charts are always changing, so to stay on top of the latest trends, we listened to Billboard’s top 5 songs from the week of April 17, to see what people across the country are listening to. 

1. Last Night- Morgan Wallen

Breaking from many of his other hits, Morgan Wallen slows it down for this song. The minimalist drum pattern serves to highlight the catchy guitar riff, as well as Wallen’s classic twang. Wallen’s soulful timbre and heartfelt lyrics blend beautifully with the simple, sweet guitar. 

Wallen tells a captivating story, yet neither his flow, nor the guitar riff, ever changes throughout the song, making the song feel slow at times. However, this song is simple and heartfelt, and I would recommend it to country fans and critics alike.

2. Search and Rescue- Drake

This song was very exciting for me. Drake, undoubtedly a giant in the rap industry, made Search and Rescue, produced by BNYX, a relative newcomer in the spotlight who blew up as an influential producer of many of Yeat’s songs. 

Clearly a master of his craft, Drake’s classic melodic rap effortlessly floats on BNYX’s ethereal, albeit subdued, beat. 

In an oversaturated market, established artists are vying for the peoples’ plays with thousands of underground artists– and now even AI. For me, this song was fantastic; I’ve been bumping this song all week. However, popular artists tend to bring critics out of the woodwork. This song has– unfairly so, in my opinion– criticized for everything from the vocal mix to the lyrics to the seemingly random (or maybe not random) sample of Kim Kardashian. 

Personally, I really enjoyed this song, and view it as a sign that mainstream rap is beginning to mix more with artists such as Yeat, Destroy Lonely, and Dro Kenji. 

3. Flowers- Miley Cyrus

Party in the USA was released 14 years ago(!), yet this song is a testament to Miley Cyrus’ sticking power. Blending together elements of pop and indie/alternative, the empowering anthem propelled her to the number 1 spot on Billboard, where she happily sat for 9 weeks.

The beat is upbeat and bouncy, led by guitars, bass, and an airy synth. Using this upbeat instrumental, Cyrus’ lyrics and melody are an interpolation of Bruno Mars’ hit song “When I was Your Man.” Cyrus flipped Mars’ message of regret over a lost relationship into an ode to self, making this song a great pick for self-love seekers. 

4. Kill Bill- SZA

SZA’s SOS was one of the best albums of 2022, and Kill Bill gives listeners just a taste of it. Released only four months ago, the song has already surpassed 800 million streams on Spotify. Blending elements of pop, indie, soul, and, of course, R&B, SZA delivers a stunning performance over a psychedelic beat. 

The melody and beat are sweet and innocent, yet the lyrics tell a different story. Throughout the song, SZA details her fixation on her ex-partner, and seeing him with another woman. The lyrics are a bit repetitive, yet the message is clear. To be fair, her chorus opens with “I might kill my ex… His new girlfriend’s next,” so I’m not sure how much clearer you can be. By the end, her toxic fixation boils over, with the last iteration of the chorus being “I just killed my ex… killed his girlfriend next… rather be in hell than alone.” 

These lyrics are nothing short of abrasive and jarring, yet I think SZA is one of the only artists that can pull it off as artfully as she did. Crazy stalker lyrics notwithstanding, I think we are witnessing a classic in the making. 

5. Creepin’- Metro Boomin (feat. The Weeknd & 21 Savage)

Metro Boomin’s “Creepin’” is just one of many songs from his most recent album that made it AOTY for me. HEROES & VILLAINS was jam packed with high energy and high rollers such as Travis Scott, Future and Young Thug. “Creepin’” is one of the slower projects on the album, featuring The Weeknd and 21 Savage. 

Clearly, the Weeknd’s philosophy around fidelity within a relationship differs greatly from SZA’s, as he sings about if his partner cheats he merely wants them to “keep it on the low.” Singing over a spacy track, The Weeknd’s flow is captivating, and he fills every word with emotion. 

The bumping bass and sparse hi hats blend together beautifully, but it gets even better. Partway through the song, 21 Savage floats in on a perfectly executed beatswitch. Every element of this song blessed my ears, and I highly recommend adding it to your rotation.