As the academic year comes to a close, Brown students are gearing up for a summer full of possibilities — and whatever fills the next few months, The Herald has your summer soundtrack covered with three hot new singles.
April has been a packed month for music lovers, with every genre producing new, inventive tracks to wile away the time. Maisie Peters, Lana Del Rey and Kacey Musgraves are just a few standouts to keep an eye on this spring.
Maisie Peters’s “Kingmaker (with Julia Michaels)”
The rollout for Maisie Peters’s upcoming album has been nothing short of exquisite: “Florescence,” set for release on May 15, has already been introduced to the world through standout tracks such as “You You You” and “Audrey Hepburn.”
Peters’s latest single features six-time Grammy nominee Julia Michaels. Released on April 21, the track explores the dynamics of a parasitic connection, where the purity of one’s support for their partner is not enough to avoid being used. It is a scathing critique of toxic relationships and a celebration of self-worth.
In lyrics like, “I put in everything, I called in every favor / But give a man one sword, he thinks that he’s a savior / Watch him ride around, fucking weird behavior,” Peters finds humor, even through emotional, heartbroken tracks. It is a testament to her talent for production and writing: With clever observations, Peters brings novelty to a cliche subject matter.
But the song is not without its flaws. Lines like “I put gold on your head, should’ve put wax paper” are nonsensical analogies that detract from the track’s thoughtful lyrics. The song’s gentle sound culminates in an orchestral explosion that is sonically uninteresting and fails to distinguish the track from the singles preceding it.
Lana Del Rey’s “First Light”
Fans of Lana Del Rey have been patiently waiting for her country-inspired album since it was originally announced in 2024. But through several delays and name changes, the album has yet to see the light of day. Instead, listeners were offered a theme song for “007 First Light,” a James Bond-themed video game by video game developer IO Interactive set for release this spring.
While this collaboration may seem slightly out of left field, topical knowledge of del Rey’s career reveals the importance of this track to her musical legacy. In 2024, Del Rey revealed she wrote and submitted “24” — a track off her 2015 album “Honeymoon” — to be a theme song for the “James Bond” film franchise. While the song was ultimately rejected by the movie’s producers, Del Rey’s position within the Bond universe has been cemented through “First Light” — albeit in a slightly roundabout fashion.
“First Light” lives up to the cinematic nature of the Bond franchise. With a sweeping orchestral arrangement and her trademark seductive vocals, Del Rey revives her highly aestheticized persona on this track. Danger and desire war with each other as del Rey sings “Can’t say I’m surprised to see you running towards the sun / Like a moth to a flame (Hey).”
It seems like a waste that the track was made for a video game release — the sound is better fit for a 1920s speakeasy. While fans might have to continue waiting for an album release, del Rey is honoring her musical history with this addition to her discography.
Kacey Musgrave’s “Middle of Nowhere”
In a turn of pace for this spring, Kacey Musgrave’s “Middle of Nowhere” — the title track for her upcoming album — was released on April 17. The song blends all the best elements of Musgrave’s long and diverse discography. Combining the soft country sound of her magnificent 2013 album “Same Trailer Different Park” and the self-reflection of her 2024 record “Deeper Well,” “Middle of Nowhere” promises serenity to listeners.
On the title track, Musgraves makes peace with nothingness. Despite being “in the middle of nowhere,” she asserts “The thing that I love about the place that I’m in / There’s no reckless men who don’t know what they want / I’m trying to lean in to the in-between / It’s just me and me.” While cliche, the track possesses clarity in a music industry saturated with songs about situationships and confusion. “Middle of Nowhere” is calm in the midst of this storm: With a soft acoustic guitar and lulling production, listeners are encouraged to find love on their own terms and in their own time.
Alyssia Ouhocine is a Senior Staff Writer covering Arts & Culture. Hailing from Bayonne, New Jersey, she is concentrating in English and History with a particular interest in Algerian history and literature. When she’s not writing, she can be found listening to music and sending Google Calendar invites.
