Readers of That Grape Juice know how passionate we are about music – whether that be past or present.
However, unlike our other segments – Retro Rewind, TGJ Replay, and From The Vault – The Pop Stop is the most in-depth look at Pop songs that may have flown under the radar over the last week that you should know, rather they be from music’s biggest stars or those on the rise.
This week, we want to highlight cuts from Demi Lovato, Olivia Rodrigo, ELIO, and Saint Raymond.
Join us inside…
Demi Lovato – The Way You Don’t Look At Me
Lovato’s new album, ‘Dancing With The Devil…The Art Of Starting Over,’ has won over the hearts of both fans and critics alike and deservedly so. It’s bold, emotional, and packed with some of her best songwriting and production to date. Case in point, the acoustic pop of ‘The Way You Don’t Look At Me.’ One of the few times that Lovato’s production has been this stripped back – and one of the few times a steel guitar has appeared on one of her songs – she does a razor-sharp job of telling how a lover’s quiet detachment can be worse than her journey to “hell and back.” While she may have laced up her boots to go to the wilderness in this country-inspired tune, she returned with one of the best songs of her career.
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Olvia Rodrigo – Deja Vu
After getting her ‘Drivers License,’ and taking her song of the same name to the top of the charts, the up-and-coming singer-songwriter has taken to the road for a trip with her latest song. With themes of a breakup and wondering what life is like for her ex and their new partner, the concepts are arguably more pinpointed and painful than ‘Drivers License.’ Pair them with the twinkling, captivating production and you have the best Taylor Swift and Radiohead crossover that has yet to exist. While Rodrigo has always looked up to Swift, it is clear that she is no longer the student, but has mastered her own craft.
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ELIO – Charger
Canadian pop protege ELIO is ready for her moment in the spotlight and her song ‘Charger’ is a prime example as to why her light will be so bright. Sonically, the song is a Troye Sivan meets Lorde-esque tune complete with an infectious bassline and soft synths perfect for those late-night drives or your own dance party. Lyrically, the song focuses on the cheap accessory post-fight but emphasizes how it is so essential, the same way the small acts in a relationship become so important. Not willing to risk a fight by going back, ELIO has turned to the dance floor for her salvation, where she has found it in this song. A brilliant showing from one of pop music’s most daring future stars.
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Saint Raymond – Soft Landing
Having opened on tour for the likes of Haim and Ed Sheeran, England’s Saint Raymond – real name Callum Burrows – has made a splash in the music industry, but with his upcoming album ‘We Forgot We Were Dreaming’ he is ready to send a tsunami through the music world. The perfect exemplifier of this is the ever so ethereal ‘Soft Landing.’ Built around gentle strums of electric guitar, a steady drumbeat, dramatic 80’s-inspired synths, and haunting echoes, this emotionally charged track explores the turbulent end of a relationship and the longing to be something more. While the lyrics talk about the loss of direction, Saint Raymond has found his path with this song, one that will take him to the stars and to the top of the music industry where he belongs.
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Do you agree with our picks?