Every week, Spotify updates its playlist, titled “New Music Friday.” They take the top 100 newly released songs of that week and add them to the playlist, making them easily accessible to listeners looking for something new.

Coincidentally, I happened to be one of those listeners searching for new music to add to my library. As I scrolled through the playlist, I encountered many artists that I was unfamiliar with, along with a few that I have listened to some of their music. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to expand my horizon of what I generally am drawn to. So, I chose four songs that intrigued me and hoped for the best.

The first track on “New Music Friday” was called “Thousand Miles” by The Kid LAROI. The first few seconds sounded intriguing with the acoustic guitar, but then he started singing. Now, this may be rude of me to say, but his voice sounded extremely forced. Along with that, he used excessive amounts of autotune. There is nothing wrong with using it in music, but The Kid LAROI used far too much that it completely masks his natural voice. The beat in the music fits the tone of the song, but I feel like it was too “electronic.” The song would be much better if everything was toned down a few notches. 

Though the beginning of this musical experiment was the epitome of unsuccessful, it picked back up with the third track, “Plan B” by Megan Thee Stallion. I am not the hugest listener of rap music, but anything by Thee Stallion always hypes me up and gets me in the mood to dance. Most of the songs I have heard from her have had more of a faster speed. What I enjoyed about this song, however, was the change of pace to something slower. “Plan B” had a steady, catchy beat throughout the entire song that was mellow, but contained a cool vibe to it as well. Though it wasn’t like the faster songs that Thee Stallion has released before, it definitely has not lost her signature style, which I absolutely love.

The fourth track on the playlist was “Where you are (feat. WILLOW)” by PinkPantheress. Since I am familiar with some of WILLOW’s music, I was intrigued by this song and was curious as to what it would sound like. To say the least, it was not at all what I expected. PinkPantheress’ voice was a much higher pitch than what I had pictured in my head. Her voice, much like The Kid LAROI’s, was obviously tainted by too much autotune. I could tell that she has a beautiful voice, but I wish I was actually able to hear it. What I did like about this song was the musicality, with strings and a beat that I could not help but bob my head along with. WILLOW’s voice also nicely complemented PinkPantheress’ in a way that seems like it wouldn’t work but does. “Where you are (feat. WILLOW)” was not my favorite song that I heard, but I did not hate it.

One of my favorite “feel good” songs is “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine. The tenth track on the playlist, “Free,” is by the same artist, so I couldn’t pass up the chance to possibly discover another “feel good” song. Parts of “Free” had similar aspects to the musicality of “Dog Days Are Over,” specifically the dominating electric guitar and drums, which perfectly augment each other. “Free” is such an uplifting and upbeat song, and funny enough, it emits a feeling of freedom from the burdens I am carrying. The song had me dancing in my bedroom, and I kept playing it on repeat. Out of the four new songs I listened to, “Free” was, by far, my favorite.

I normally do not listen to new music very often. I simply stick to the same few songs until I wear them out and then move on to the next set. After exposing myself to Spotify’s “New Music Friday” playlist, I now have more of an understanding of what I do and don’t like, along with new songs to add to my library.