5 Songs You Need to Listen to This Week

5 minute read

This week brought with it a number of high-profile releases, from the return of Barbra Streisand and Cher’s album of ABBA covers to Lil Wayne’s long-awaited drop of Tha Carter V. But here are five other songs that also see female artists at the top of their game, from pop favorite Robyn’s much-anticipated release of masterpiece “Honey” to Lady Gaga’s powerful performance in the A Star Is Born soundtrack centerpiece with Bradley Cooper. Plus: Miranda Lambert gets some help from her friends on the Pistol Annies’ unapologetic “Got My Name Changed Back,” Korean-American artist Yaeji is hypnotic in any language and Swedish singer LÉON has a warm pop earworm on her hands.

“Shallow,” Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

If you’ve seen the trailer for the Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga remake of A Star Is Born — and, based on its nearly ten million views, you probably have — then you’ve heard snippets of “Shallow.” But now we can listen to the new movie’s soaring, heartfelt big song in full, performed by Cooper and Gaga themselves, ahead of the film’s release this weekend. It starts off as a sweet, acoustic country ditty before deepening into a piano ballad with Gaga’s verse. And then it opens up, and Gaga lets her voice fly: “I’m off the deep end, watch as I dive in,” she cries, and you might just get chills.

“Honey,” Robyn

After a long wait, it’s here at last: Robyn’s “Honey,” a song that’s been flitting around the edges of pop’s consciousness for years. In signature Robyn fashion, the new single off of the same-titled upcoming album seamlessly mixes melancholy and dance-ready euphoria. Robyn’s compositions often have a sense of depth, and this is no exception; the beats are warm and layered, the sonic environment lush and futuristic, her vocals feathery-light as they weave over and around the reverberating production. In the tradition of her classics like “Dancing On My Own” and “Call Your Girlfriend,” Robyn’s “Honey” is a hallmark of pop that’s as timeless as it is timely.

“Baby Don’t Talk,” LÉON

After taking time off following a strong 2017 with a tour and debut EP, Swedish singer-songwriter LÉON is returning ahead of a new album next year with “Baby Don’t Talk,” a warm and upbeat track that straddles the divide between acoustic reflection and pure pop delight. That’s become something of a signature for LÉON, whose distinctive, husky vocals soar well over anthemic rock chords and echoing synths alike. “Baby don’t talk,” she insists, “‘Cause I like it when you don’t say nothing, nothing at all.” It’s a simple enough request, and since LÉON is asking in such infectious song form, we should be happy to follow along and just listen.

 

“Got My Name Changed Back,” Pistol Annies

The Pistol Annies are back, and they’ve got plenty to say. The powerhouse country trio of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley last linked up for 2013’s Annie Up, but they have a third album planned for a November release — and are kicking things off this week with a trio of unapologetic new country songs. In an interview with TIME this summer, Lambert noted that there’s power in the group dynamic: “We can get more raw and rugged than we would alone,” she said. That suggestion takes toe-tapping form in “Got My Name Changed Back,” a rootsy rock ‘n’ roll track. “It takes a judge to get married, it takes a judge to get divorced,” Lambert sings off the top. “Well the last couple years, spent a lotta time in court / Got my name changed back.” The song is more than just a lot of fun; it’s a wink at personal history and a rollicking embrace of independent womanhood that pulls no punches. Sounds like the Pistol Annies are still straight-shooting this time around.

“One More,” Yaeji

Yaeji’s sonic world is dreamy; that’s the best word for it. On “One More,” the first new song from the Brooklyn artist since her well-received EP2 last year, she creates a vibe of sweet, whispery, enigmatic synth-pop that slips between woozy dreamscape and sleek, streamlined club beats. Switching seamlessly between Korean and English lyrics, she quietly devastates even as the mood remains stylishly detached: “So I can fall and hurt and learn, but you don’t need to change a thing,” she reflects, voice light and girlishly evocative. “That’s how it is.” The effect is hypnotic.

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Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com