SheBOPS Hub is a collection of recently released bops which deserve to get their shine on, no rhinestones. In the fourth column, Michael Rigg takes over to update your playlists with some much needed new SheBOPS!
Ellis – Okay (In the Morning)
Newcomer Ellis is already amazing despite “Okay (In the Morning)” being her debut bop. It’s a commanding yet haunting ballad which explores the eternally relatable theme of trying to move on from an old flame, with a driving beat to really punch those lyrics right into your emotions.
Bella Fariñas – barely breathing
https://soundcloud.com/iamxbella/barely-breathing
Opening with a faint breath-like rhythm, “barely breathing” draws the listener in with its ever-present guitar and bass and Bella’s curious, hypnotic vocals. The lyrics evoke memories of drowning in failed relationships, losing any sense of self trying to swim through another’s oceans.
REGN – WATR
“WATR” blends electronic themes and snappy rhythms to beg the listener to join at the water through harmonies evoking images of water dropping. Singing about being set on fire, REGN’s vocals call out how she needs dousing out. We’ve all been there.
Alaina Cross – SIX FT
Reflecting the tone of wanting to die mixed with an angelic voice, “SIX FT” blends harsh rock elements with softer electropop influences. Wanting to die rather than let our love walk away, the agonized Alaina Cross put it plain: might as well be buried six feet underground.
Marie Digby – Outside Our Heads
It starts off gentle—like a music box—then “Outside Our Heads” combines one part drumline, two parts harmonious vocals, and a splash of synth to lure the listener to a “place outside our heads” like the Sirens of Greek myth.
PRIYYA – Constant
The beginning is simple, with hints of vocals and instruments slipping in, then a single drum enters with the vocals. “Constant” starts subtle but builds with a solid beat to a chorus of blended English and Nepalese that will stick with you, PRIYYA’s haunting voice and melody lingering in the back of your mind like a gentle lullaby.
Mia Koo – Lies
The drums, bass, and guitar, set the scene of a busy club with cigarette smoke and alcohol. Mia Koo’s voice calls over them for someone to tell her she’s wanted and everything’s alright for at least one night – even if they’re just “lies”.
Kuzo – Luna
With sultry vocals, “Luna” lures the listener in and captures with the rhythm and beats of the chorus.
Geminii – Hip Hop Junkie
https://soundcloud.com/nicolej-chicago/hip-hop-junkie
Geminii raps over a background of horns and drums that provide a relaxed and go with the flow mood in contrast to the impassioned words of hip hop being a drug. The driving, consistent rhythm of the lyrics and rhymes are guaranteed to transform you into a hip hop junkie too.
Half Gringa – Body of Water
“Body of Water” uses natural acoustic guitars with flowing vocals to create a beautiful body of music. Half Gringa’s indie style is perfect for lying back and letting the lyrics wash over you.
Wafia – Bodies
Dance like nobody’s watching. “Bodies” calls you to forget about everything but being bodies in the night, to dance to the rhythm and the snapping beat and to ignore what anyone else thinks.
Juliet Ariel – Take Me With You
“Take Me With You” will make you fly away with the electropop style and a breathable melody. I want to know who inspired Juliet Ariel’s lyrics; she captures the feeling of being swept up in love and thinking anything is possible.
DJ Chillz – Hide It
DJ Chillz’s tribal-style, drum-heavy track begs you to dance with complete abandon while the lyrics talk about how nothing makes sense. The fast rhythm is just right for the club or for a dance party of one in your room, but why would you hide your moves?
Wallace – Black Lake
Like a grownup, more sensual Little Mermaid, the Wallace sings about drowning under the surface with someone special, falling deeper and deeper. The harmonies and rhythms call forth images of choppy surf, ripping tides, and bubbly froth, shifting like the ocean itself from sweetly seductive to ravishingly demanding.
Militia Vox – THE GUILTY ONE
“THE GUILTY ONE” will make your head bang with the thrashing guitar and aggressive vocals. Militia Vox’s song of heartache and self-blame is perfect for that oh-so-familiar feeling of compromising yourself for a love who isn’t worth it.
Rié – Levels
A piano gently opens “Levels” then picks up as Rié’s dulcet voice joins with a gentle drum to keep the tempo and move the rhythm onward. The vocals are a heartfelt, melodic expression of deep adoration and love. If you believe in soulmates, then “Levels” is totally for you.
Pale Honey – Get These Things Out of My Head
A little electric guitar and the titular line open. Some drums slip in effortlessly. Then, the intensity dials up. Pale Honey’s “Get These Things Out Of My Head” knows when to pull back and subdue itself a little to let the vocals be heard then swell to a cacophony of emotion.
Black Coast – Medicine (feat. Ponette)
Ever felt so inflamed with passion for someone that you felt addicted to them? Helene Svaland of Ponette in this collaboration with Black Coast creates captivating vocals about being both sin and medicine before suddenly already being gone. “Medicine” is that unsatisfactory moment just after being fulfilled, only to find you want more.
Maia Zoe – Game
“Game” has sultry, soft vocals and a gentle saxophone with plenty of game. To the smooth rhythm of the drums, Maia Zoe raps and creates the image of a strong, ideal woman before singing the chorus about how all eyes are on her.
SHVRDZ – One Life (feat. Aerborn)
At a rapid rate, synthetic notes fly at the opening of the song, then Aerborn’s vocals create a soothing contrast to the rapid sounds of synthesizer and drums. If you’re a fan of the trap subgenere, you’re in for a treat. If you’re into dubstep, you’ll be left waiting for the bass to drop.
Alexandra Fresquez – Deep End
Sub-basses boom in the background, and a synthesizer flows along to harmonize with Alexandra Fresquez’s voice. Fresquez almost needs to fight for space to be heard, but she wins every time with her vigorously combative vocals, all the while singing about how crazy it feels to be diving off the deep end with you.
LO x NOVAA – Go There
https://soundcloud.com/novaanovaa/lo-x-novaa-go-there
For a song about realizing your love has been lying to you, “Go There” is surprisingly peppy and upbeat musically. LO x NOVAA “don’t want to go there” in the argument, but the track definitely makes me want to ‘go there’ – even if I don’t know where ‘there’ is…
Beija Flo – One of Those Things
Starting with an acoustic piano that leads to gentle vocals that calls to a weary soul, “One of Those Things” gradually builds to a dissonance as Beija Flo sings about coming to terms with a changed relationship. This song is not for a heart unprepared to cry over loss.
FJØRA – Shallow
“Shallow” uses its electronic pop sound to call the listener to take a risk and give the deep end a try. FJØRA’s breathy vocals maintain a high energy throughout the track that will pull you in. You’re not staying in the shallow end for long with this track.
OhEm – Best Friend’s Girl
Tired of same-old, same-old pop? OhEm’s song about getting with her ex’s best friend combines stop-and-go, lurching synth with sweet, smooth vocals, creating a unique sound outside the mainstream.
Ava Raiin – Steady
Starting with a simple synth background, Ava Raiin’s soothing vocals slowly enter, singing about relying on her partner. Anyone would be jealous of how much support she has after listening to this song.
Shannon Saunders – Still
When you feel ready to react to someone, ready to lash out in anger, do you ever stop to just breathe and be still? With a synth in the background, Shannon Saunders in “Still” sings about taking a step back and being still when her emotions get the better of her; when her mind starts playing games, she’ll “put the cards away.”
Anca Pop – Ederlezi (feat. Goran Bregovic)
A contemporary spin on a Romani folk song in celebration of spring returning, Anca Pop’s “Ederlezi” is about how she would give all of Heaven for one more day with her love and will always be with them even in the afterlife.
Camp Candle – Run
Fluid electric guitar starts “Run” to be quickly followed with sub-bass, hauntingly echoed vocals and a drumline that all combine in a genre-defying track. The vocals themselves are less a focus of the track and more another instrument that blends in with the others, to be experienced in unison.
Partner – Ambassador to Ecstasy
“Ambassador to Ecstasy” layers angst-ridden guitars with a pummeling rock beat and sharp vocals for the ultimate rock chick experience.