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 Years & Years, Kacey Musgraves, Monsta X, and Ashley Kutcher.

Join us inside…

Years & Years – Sweet Talker

Years & Years is continuing its pop domination with its latest single, ‘Sweet Talker’ featuring EDM savant Galantis. Built around delicate strings, a heart-pounding backbeat, and euphoric synths, this bombastic tune is an ode to getting ghosted in the modern dating scene. More than another EDM tune, the combination of Years & Years and Galantis has created one of the defining house songs of the year.

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Kacey Musgraves – Fix You

For her latest release, acclaimed singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves has shared a cover of Coldplay’s ‘Fix You.’ Accompanied by gentle plucks of guitar, warm strings, and newly added piano, Musgraves makes the song all her own. That is precisely why it works too, it is more than a cover. It is one of those rare instances, where an artist takes a song and makes it all their own. Like Whitney Houston and Johnny Cash, Musgraves has now re-defined a song and made it a modern classic.

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Monsta X – One Day

K-pop band Monsta X is back with their first single from their upcoming ‘The Dreaming’ project. A song about regret, ‘One Day’ is complete with soft synths, an echoing backbeat, and tinges of glittering guitar throughout. By ditching the dance floor for a contemplative pop ballad, Monsta X is able to create a must-hear pop tune.

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Ashley Kutcher – Strangers

Serving as a single from her project, ‘One Eighty,’ rising music superstar Ashley Kutcher has shared the song ‘Strangers.’ A song all about falling in love with people unknown, ‘Strangers’ is constructed around distorted piano chords, a rollicking backbeat, and haunting synths. Easily one of the defining songs on the project and of the week, Kutcher delivers pop magic few are ever capable of mastering.

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Your thoughts?