Happy International Women’s Day eve! In line with the station’s Women Who Rock programming initiative, we the interns have dedicated this week’s Intern Picks to our favorite women in music. Of course, this is only scratching the surface of the awesome music women have dropped recently. That said, here are some of our absolute favorites at the moment. Without further ado, let’s hear it for the ladies with this week’s Intern Picks!
Ayden’s Pick: Japanese Breakfast – Be Sweet
Michelle Zauner (aka Japanese Breakfast) rocks. Her recently announced third album Jubilee comes out June 4th via Dead Oceans, just a few weeks after her memoir Crying in H Mart, and it’s one I’ll be waiting impatiently for. On the aptly titled project, Zauner is ready to embrace joy. In stark contrast to the atmospheric grief that characterized her earlier discography, lead single “Be Sweet” radiates color and optimism without sacrificing J Brekkie’s signature polish. And the accompanying X-Files themed music video, which features Missy of Mannequin Pussy, is all campy fun. It arrives at a moment when we’ve arguably never needed a dose of nostalgic levity more. It’s pure fun.
Lindsay’s Pick: Taylor Swift — Love Story (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift truly is one of the most influential women in the music industry. “Love Story”, which was originally released in 2008 was Swift’s best-selling single at the time. It is no news that Swift has been rerecording her previous 6 albums in order to have ownership of her work. “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” is the first single she has released from this process. It is very nostalgic to listen to the song that was originally put out 13 years ago while being able to hear the changes and improvement in Swift’s vocals over time. Swift’s re-recording of the Fearless album is set to be released in April this year. The world is buzzing as she has announced that she will also be releasing a few bonus tracks and outtakes of songs that she wrote during that same era.
Taylor’s Pick: Hayley Williams – Asystole
FLOWERS for VASES / descansos is my favorite album of 2021 so far, by a pretty long shot. And no track on that record encapsulates its plaintive nature better than “Asystole.” It’s a quiet, reflective song you might first expect from artists like Regina Spektor or The Civil Wars before the larger-than-life Paramore frontwoman. Which isn’t to say she lost all the things that made us love her in the first place: her vocal is still beyond stunning without being overly showy. Her lyrics, too, feel like exactly the type of quotable, earnest melodrama we expect from someone who got her start in the pop-punk sphere. Built on the central comparison of a failing relationship to cardiac arrest (“asystole” refers to a total flatline), this feels like the natural progression of our favorite emo queen all grown up. It’s stunning.
