What good pop music has come out recently?
- Louise Geri
- Feb 25, 2025
- 4 min read
Winter is typically dry in album releases, but pop fans just had two huge weeks. Here’s my summary of the February 14 and February 21, 2025, female pop releases!
Albums/EPs:
Tate McRae’s third album, So Close To What, came out on Friday. I’ve enjoyed casually listening to each of her albums over the years, but I listened to this more closely.
This album distinctly reminded me of Camila Cabello’s first two albums. The track from McRae’s record, “Signs”, especially reminds me of Cabello’s 2018 track “Inside Out”. As does “bloodonmyhands (feat. Flo Milli)” of “My Oh My (feat. DaBaby)” (2019).
Some other strong tracks include “Revolving Door”, “Dear God”, “Purple Lace Bra” “Sports Car”, and “Nostalgia”. The first was the most emotionally captivating on the album. The instrumentals and melody perfectly captured the feeling of returning to a romance incessantly. “Dear God” is extremely catchy, especially the pre-chorus. “Purple Lace Bra” was made for TikTok thirst traps. And I love the bridge. Don’t even get me started on the buildup of “Sports Car”. She tries to seduce her lover, starting by literally whispering the entire first chorus. In the second chorus, the production amps up and the whispering is layered with her full voice. “Nostalgia” is emotional. She references an anecdote that always kills me in songs: looking in the bathroom mirror. I think those are some of the most emotional and vulnerable settings in young women’s lives.
Next, we’ve got Workhorse by Isabel Pless. I love seeing Pless pop up on my TikTok feed. I love her so much as a songwriter. I want an album of acoustic voice memos. “I’ll See Him in Hell”, comes close to that acoustic production. My jaw frequently dropped over agonizing lines throughout the album, but especially in that song. The title track is also great and stripped. “Blonde”, “(Transition) Company” and “I Joined A Cult” pull off full production perfectly. Pless is a splendid lyricist and made me feel so seen on this release.
I love the deluxe version of Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet. Going chronologically, “Fifteen Minutes” describes Carpenter’s approach to fame with some sexual innuendos sprinkled in. I have a lot of respect for Dolly Parton, but the country remix of “Please Please Please” does not do justice to either artist. The harmonies feel off. “Couldn’t Make it Any Harder” feels inspired by the covers Carpenter did of Olivia Newton-John’s “Hopelessly Devoted to You” (1978) in the past year. I adore it. “Busy Woman” could do for Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe) what “Feather” (2023) did for the deluxe version of Emails I Can’t Send (2022). “Bad Reviews” is a gorgeous full country track. My guess is that Carpenter had to choose between it and “Slim Pickins” for the main record. The ending and Parton inclusion make me wonder if Carpenter is slowly shifting to the country genre.
Singles:
Do you remember hearing “I’m wearing his boxers; I’m being a good wife” all over TikTok in late summer 2022? I could never forget. Katie Gregson-MacLeod’s “Complex” has stayed on my mind for years. I’ve kept up with her releases, and she has yet to disappoint. The gem of her latest, “Teenage Love”, is the lyricism. Listen at least through the bridge (starting at 2:40) and you’ll see what I mean. I’d also recommend “Your Ex” (2023).
Suki Waterhouse was my favorite discovery of 2024, so I was psyched when she announced “Dream Woman” and I finally got to actively anticipate one of her songs. The song doesn’t disappoint, but I prefer her work where her words are clearer and more enunciated. If I had to compare this to other songs of hers, I’d say it’s a mix of “Good Looking” (2022) and “Supersad” (2024). But it reminded me even more strongly of Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” (2012) instrumentally.
Alix Page, meanwhile, was one of my favorite discoveries of 2023. “Bug” is a great acoustic nostalgic track, with Page tenderly singing to her younger self. I’d recommend “25” (2021) and “4Runner” (2023) to new listeners.
Sydney Rose has been a recurring artist in my life. Last month, she returned to my feed with the lyrics, “I have a feeling you got everything you wanted, and you’re not wasting time stuck here like me/you’re just thinking it’s a small thing that happened, the world ended when it happened to me”. I was in shock. The release those lyrics are featured on, “We Hug Now”, is impeccable. It’s devastating but comforting.
When “Too Much” by Dove Cameron came on as I got ready on Friday morning, I at first thought it was a Lady Gaga song. It’s a great track, although it didn’t fall in line with Cameron’s previous work. My primary frame of reference is “Boyfriend” (2022). I’m not as familiar with Cameron’s work, but that’s my two cents for any new listeners.
I was even less familiar with Coco Jones’ work, but I remembered her 2023 remix of Renee Rapp’s “Tummy Hurts” when I saw her on Spotify's New Music Friday playlist. I had to listen to her latest track, “Taste”. The song samples Britney Spears’ “Toxic” (2003), and I was thoroughly impressed.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the lead single, “Scared of Loving You”, for Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s collaborative album I Said I Love You First, but the following recent single, “Call Me When You Break Up (with Gracie Abrams)” is excellent. The song is super brief but catchy. I only wish they were releasing it a little closer to summer. Nonetheless, it will surely do a great job at building the hype for the album, which comes out surprisingly soon - late March.
Finally, “If I Had Never Lost My Mind…” by Carter Faith stunned me. The vocals. The lyrics. The production. Mwah. Definitely in my top 5 favorite releases of this year.
Which, to wrap things up, consists of these (in no order):
Sports Car by Tate McRae
If I Hadn’t Lost My Mind by Carter Faith
Busy Woman by Sabrina Carpenter
Revolving Door by Tate McRae
We Hug Now by Sydney Rose
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