Songs of the Week: New songs from Olivia Rodrigo, Dolly Parton, Dave Dobbin and more

can’t hold me anymore

by olivia rodrigo

The pop it-girl has followed the path already paved by her self-proclaimed favorites Taylor Swift and Lorde. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ,
The prequel to the film trilogy you couldn’t miss 10 years ago hits theaters this weekend and, like its predecessors, comes with an equally dark, sinister solo. can’t hold me anymore It’s eerie, folky, and speaks to the frequent sets of rebellions fighting for freedom throughout the franchise. Rodrigo’s emotional vocals bring the folkloric theme to a cinematic level high enough for a dystopian action flick. -Alana Rae

kicking daisies

By Yumi Zouma

Christchurch alt-pop band Yumi Zouma have released their third single from their yet-to-be-fully revealed new EP. It’s a lyrically sad but danceable track, perhaps because of its fun, thoughtful tempo. The piano opening riff that picks up each chorus also carries it along. Bandmate Josh Burgess created the song’s lyric video with a comically ancient iPhone 4 in a certain lyrical nod, and as one Instagram follower fan pointed out under the band’s post, “Both the song and the video hit you in the emotions, Whether you’re watching it on a Dell laptop, Samsung Android or Zune. – Alana Rae

wall of eyes

by smile

The second single for the Radiohead off-shoot’s upcoming second album, which may sound a lot like Radiohead with a change of drug. It’s a hazy psychedelic number that builds into quite a sonic kaleidoscope with its ukulele-shaped introduction. Also nice video by Paul Thomas Anders. -Russell Bailey

teen retention

by gut health

Of course, the name of this budding Melbourne art-punk band has appeared on a few listener covers in recent years, pointing to important stories about the digestive system. But while we’d like to joke that we’ve included them here only to gross out casual readers, they’re actually a weird-ass, bizarrely charming delight, helped along by the screaming vocals of singer Athena Uh Oh. Which takes us oldies back to our new wave days. -Russell Bailey

you are not good

By Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow

from Dolly’s new Rock Star The album features 30 tracks of duets and karaoke tag-teams that make Dolly sing as if she’s in the presence of a visiting fairy godmother. Let it be With two surviving Beatles or converting stairway to Heaven into God-fearing Christian gospel-rock with the help of Lizzo. you are not good This proves that the album works best when Parton is trading blows with people closer to her past and musical post codes like she does here on a song known as a Linda Ronstadt hit. just like that What has rock and roll done for you? with stevie nicks ortried to rock and roll meWith Melissa Etheridge. Yes, there are a lot of songs that contain the word “rock”. probably the funniest song everweak heartWith Debbie Harry. This is the best release of this week. Or any week really. -Russell Bailey

don’t bring me down

By Juliana Hatfield

Following her cover album of Olivia Newton John and The Police, 1990s American indie veteran Julianna Hatfield has channeled her magpie instincts into the music she loved as a child, with Electric Light Orchestra’s catalog Has been included in. It walks a fine line between bar-band bash and a bold attempt to replicate Jeff Lynne’s original mega-production. Even more fun, I love that you thought the incomprehensible word Lynn repeatedly punctuated in her chorus line was “Bruce.” It seems Hatfield thinks so too. Bruce, you have been warned. -Russell Bailey

don’t hold your breath

by dave dobbin

Dave Dobbin’s 1993 Lament for the Numb album became popular with many, despite being recorded in LA with producer Mitchell Froome with musicians including the rhythm section of Elvis Costello’s Attractions. However its sentiment was quite bleak – an alternative title might have been The Pessimist after the relatively cheerful 1980s. But now the red-haired stepchild of the Dobbyn catalog is finally getting a vinyl debut. Among its best songs is its final track – Dobyn’s satirical but heartfelt song about the many problems in the world at the time. It concludes with lines where the historical adage changes completely: “The twelve tribes of Israel landed last in Gaza/By the time they reached the West Bank it was Palestine.” -Russell Bailey

lounge lizard

by molly lewis

Decades ago people used to write letters to newspapers asking, “Where have all the whistleblowers gone?” In the first half of the 20th century it was not uncommon to hear people whistling as they walked down the street, but it fell out of vogue. Still the late Roger Whittaker did it, Bryan Ferry did it on John Lennon’s versionjealous manAnd the great but late English music hall artist Ronnie Ronalde (who lived in this country for some time) was famous for his abilities and evocations of birds. And now Molly Lewis, who whistled alongside Dr. Dre, Karen O and Jackson Browne, has revived the art. before her first albumon the lipsAnd following his appearance at The Other Way festival, Lewis – who toured with Neil and Liam Finn in 2018 – released this slinky tune. Try whistling it. -Graham Reed

Telemann (ed. Grebe), Allegro from Trumpet Concerto in D TWV51:D7.

by Graham Ashton Trumpet, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Ian Watson conductor.

In honor of the potaketeke, which has – with some American electoral shenanigans – been crowned New Zealand’s bird of the century, my song of the week comes from Telemann’s Trumpet Concerto in D. This version of Telemann’s score was edited by Carl Grebe. -Richard Bates

Find the Listener’s Song of the Week playlist here spotify,