Welcome to Pop Pulse, your one-stop check-in on everything happening in the music industry without having to scroll endlessly or risk missing the big stories.

In case you’re new here, every Tuesday, I run through the top headlines shaping the week so far, the most exciting upcoming releases, and a spotlight on my own content, from short-form posts to the latest episode of SoundTracked. Think of Pop Pulse as your weekly check-in with a music-obsessed friend who’s already done the homework for you.

Subscribe now

If you are not already a paid subscriber, here is what you are missing:

• My full library of uncut, full-length reactions to music videos, albums, and new singles

• This weekly newsletter (shoutout Pop Pulse!)

• Archive access to my written album reviews

• Early access to artist interviews, and more.

All of it for just $5/month. I do this completely independently, and every paid sub makes it possible to keep going. If you have been thinking about it, now is a great time to join!

Miley Cyrus Is Back With Her New Album Bass Persuades

Miley Cyrus is officially entering a new era. After mysterious billboards started popping up last week, she revamped her website, changed most of her social handles from @MileyCyrus to simply @Miley and announced her tenth studio album, Bass Persuades, arriving September 18 through Atlantic Records.

What surprises me most is that we’re already getting another Miley album. Bass Persuades comes just 16 months after Something Beautiful, which was my favorite album of 2025, and Miley usually leaves at least a few years between projects. Since then, we’ve also gotten the Something Beautiful deluxe, her song for Avatar: Fire and Ash and the Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special earlier this year.

This will also be Miley’s first album since leaving Columbia Records and signing with Atlantic earlier this year. Bass Persuades is just 10 tracks (one of which is a remix) and features two collaborations, including Model/Actriz, whom Miley named as one of her favorite bands during the Something Beautiful press tour, and Andrew Wyatt, who previously worked with her on SHE IS COMING.

Based on everything we’ve seen so far, I don’t think Miley is using the new label or new era to swing back toward something safer or more commercially obvious. If anything, it looks like she’s continuing further down the experimental lane she committed to with Something Beautiful, but has really been exploring as far back as Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz. That’s exactly what I want from Miley at this point. She’s already proven she can make massive pop hits. I’d much rather watch her make whatever the hell she wants to make and become the artist she’s always been capable of being.

Even more exciting, Miley is finally returning to the stage! She’ll perform two nights at the Hollywood Bowl in October, marking her first headline concerts in years. I’m really hoping these shows lead to more dates because Miley is one of those artists who is somehow infinitely better live than she is on a studio recording. She’s a naturally born performer and entertainer, and after years of barely getting to see her perform live, I need to see this era in person.

The Charts: Ella Langley Just Made Hot 100 History

ENHYPEN debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week with THE SIN : BLISS and 101,000 units, followed by The Ultimate Dolly Parton at No. 2 with 73,000 following Dolly’s passing last week. Ella Langley’s Dandelion comes in at No. 3 with just under 70,000 units, Olivia Rodrigo’s You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love is at No. 4 and Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem rounds out the top five. Last week’s No. 1, KATSEYE’s WILD, falls to No. 6.

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Welcome to Now Spinning, a weekly newsletter where I share what’s a must listen in music right now. This week’s edition is going to be a little more abridged than usual because, to be completely honest, it was a pretty lackluster New Music Friday. There isn’t really anything I’m running home to tell you that you NEED to hear, but there are still a few songs worth highlighting.

Every week, you’ll get my top picks from New Music Friday plus a few extras, from playlist links and industry news to TikToks you might’ve missed and the latest from my interview series, SoundTracked. This is meant to feel like a pop-obsessed group chat meets a digital record store wall.

Subscribe now

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining the paid tier on Substack. For $5/month, you’ll get the Pop Pulse newsletter, my written album reviews, full-length unedited reactions you won’t see anywhere else, early access to artist interviews and reaction videos, and more bonus content. Beyond that, subscribing directly supports me as a full-time content creator. This is how I’m able to keep making reviews, reactions, and news videos for you every week, so every subscription makes a difference.

New Music Friday Highlights

Olivia Rodrigo’s “serena joy”

Olivia Rodrigo released “serena joy” this week, a song originally recorded during the sessions for you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love that ultimately didn’t make the album. After hearing it, I think that was probably the right call. The album follows such a specific narrative arc around a relationship that this would’ve felt completely out of place within it, but as a standalone release ahead of this weekend’s Daisy Chain Fields festival, I think this works.

The song itself is good, even if I don’t necessarily think it’ll become one of those Olivia songs I’m still returning to years from now. What’s more impressive to me is how she continues to use her platform as Daisy Chain Fields already raised $10 million for nonprofit organizations supporting women and girls. At Olivia’s level, speaking up is one thing, but actually building something this massive around those beliefs makes the message hit a lot harder.

Watch the full reaction here!

Alex Warren’s “Emerald Eyes”

As soon as I heard “Emerald Eyes,” my immediate thought was that this song would’ve been MASSIVE five years ago. It feels very specifically pulled from that post-Future Nostalgia era when everyone was suddenly making disco and funk-adjacent pop music. It doesn’t necessarily feel particularly current to 2026, but it might also be one of the hookiest songs I’ve ever heard from Alex Warren.

The bridge really impressed me, and while listening, I thought to myself that Nile Rodgers would have a field day with this song. Then, I looked at the credits and realized he actually plays electric guitar on it, so that explains basically everything. Alex’s vocals still don’t really do it for me because he perpetually sounds like he has a frog stuck in his throat, but “Emerald Eyes” is easily one of the more exciting songs I’ve heard from him and an immediate standout from his new album WILDCHILD.

Dominic Fike’s “Wallflower”

Dominic Fike is coming off the completely unexpected resurgence of “Babydoll,” an eight-year-old song suddenly finding a massive new audience, and “Wallflower” feels like the first indication of where he goes from here. It’s the first taste of his third album, How To Quit Smoking, out October 9.

There’s definitely still that rocky, bad-boy kind of pop sound that I associate with Dominic, but “Wallflower” feels more overtly pop than a lot of his other music I’ve heard. The structure is a little tighter, the melody is more immediate, and it feels like he’s leaning into what made “Babydoll” connect with so many people without just trying to recreate it. It’s a strong enough first taste that I’m curious to hear where the rest of the album goes.

Jonas Brothers’ “Listen When Sad”

The Jonas Brothers debuted “Listen When Sad” during the first night of their three-show Madison Square Garden run last week, and now the studio version is officially out. At this point, these boys work so prolifically that I sometimes wish they would slow down a little because the quality isn’t always there, but I actually really enjoyed this one.

They’ve specifically gone back to the sound of their earliest records here, even reuniting with John Fields, who produced their self-titled album and A Little Bit Longer, for the first time since 2009. JP Saxe also helped co-write it, and I think the return to those emo, alternative, and early-2000s pop-rock influences really works for them. It’s not going to revolutionize what you think about the Jonas Brothers, but it reminds me why that original sound connected so strongly in the first place, and I can absolutely see myself returning to this one from time to time.

You can find the new highlights from New Music Friday on my Life On Mars playlist on Spotify!

This week’s Pop Pulse

Every week, I also write Pop Pulse, a second newsletter exclusive to paid subscribers, which serves as a rundown of what’s happening in the music industry. It’s where I cover new music announcements, release rumors, artist news, and so much more. Think of it as your pop music and culture ICYMI briefing, with the stories that don’t always make it to TikTok or Instagram.

Subscribe now to learn more about:

• Dolly Parton, Country Music Legend, Dies at 80

• KATSEYE Scores Its First #1 Album as “Choosin’ Texas” Ties Hot 100 History

• Olivia Rodrigo Turns Political on Surprise Single “Serena Joy”

ICYMI on @itsalexmars

• My latest SoundTracked interview is with Lukas Graham, the artist behind the massive hit, “7 Years” from 2015. He just released a new album that’s worth checking out, and hear why Dr. Dre’s 2001 album is the music that changed his life.

• I reacted to and reviewed Olivia Rodrigo’s new song “serena joy.” Go check out the full reaction, exclusively for paid subscribers!

• It’s been a decade since Britney Spears’ last album, Glory, came out. In honor of this big milestone, I revisited the record and shared my thoughts on Britney’s final body of work (for now).

That’s it for now! Let me know your favorite track of the week in the comments. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, share it with a friend or drop it in your group chat.

And as a thank you for making it to the end of this week’s newsletter, here’s an invite to join the Life On Mars Discord.

See you next Friday!
-Alex

The album follows such a clear narrative arc, charting this relationship from its earliest moments through its complete unraveling, and this just w…

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Seeing them side by side, you immediately hear how different their voices are: Miley’s tone so deep while Dolly has that unmistakable brightness. There’s something so sweet about watching Miley’s face as Dolly sings her song, like she can’t quite believe THE Dolly Parton is up there singing “Wrecking Ball” with her.

The transition into “I Will Always Love You” is what gets me. Hearing Dolly sing it now, knowing she’s gone, gives those words an entirely different meaning. Dolly was always such an incredible storyteller, and you can hear it in every second of this performance. I’m so glad Miley has a moment like this to look back on, and I’m happy the rest of us have it too. This one hurt to watch, but what an incredible reminder of the voice, songwriter and person we lost.

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Welcome to Pop Pulse, your one-stop check-in on everything happening in the music industry without having to scroll endlessly or risk missing the big stories. And today’s a big one: the 50th edition of the newsletter, so thank you for reading!

In case you’re new here, every Tuesday, I run through the top headlines shaping the week so far, the most exciting upcoming releases, and a spotlight on my own content, from short-form posts to the latest episode of SoundTracked. Think of Pop Pulse as your weekly check-in with a music-obsessed friend who’s already done the homework for you.

Subscribe now

If you are not already a paid subscriber, here is what you are missing: my full library of uncut, full-length reactions to music videos, albums, and new singles, this weekly newsletter, archive access to my written album reviews, early access to artist interviews, and more. All of it for $5 a month. I do this completely independently, and every paid sub makes it possible to keep going. If you have been thinking about it, now is a great time to join!

Dolly Parton, Country Music Legend, Dies at 80

Dolly Parton has sadly passed away at 80. Her nephew Bryan Seaver announced the news in a video posted to Dolly’s official social media accounts on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.

It’s hard to even put her legacy into words. She was a musical legend, one of the defining country crossover artists of all time, a brilliant songwriter, a philanthropist, and an incredible human being always beaming with joy. This is absolutely devastating news and a real loss for music.

See the family’s full announcement below.

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Welcome to Now Spinning, a weekly newsletter where I share what’s a must listen in music right now. Even more special, this is the 50th edition (!!) – thanks for reading each week, and please let me know in the comments what you’re enjoying from this week’s NMF or what you like about this newsletter, what you want to see more of, etc.

Every week, you’ll get my top picks from New Music Friday plus a few extras, from playlist links and industry news to TikToks you might’ve missed and the latest from my interview series, SoundTracked. This is meant to feel like a pop-obsessed group chat meets a digital record store wall.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining the paid tier on Substack. For $5/month, you’ll get the Pop Pulse newsletter, my written album reviews, full-length unedited reactions you won’t see anywhere else, early access to artist interviews and reaction videos, and more bonus content. Beyond that, subscribing directly supports me as a full-time content creator. This is how I’m able to keep making reviews, reactions, and news videos for you every week, so every subscription makes a difference.

Subscribe now

New Music Friday Highlights

Stella Lefty’s “Summer You Were Mine”

Stella Lefty released her debut album Long Way Home today, and while I wasn’t necessarily planning on listening to the whole thing, “Summer You Were Mine” might have convinced me otherwise. There’s a very specific early Taylor Swift influence running through this, particularly her country days with a little folklore mixed in. The songwriting is incredibly visual and descriptive, wrapped in this early 2000s country-pop and folk-pop sound that reminds me of something Sheryl Crow might have released 20 years ago.

I’m still not completely sold on Stella’s voice, especially at a time when artists like Olivia Dean, Sienna Spiro, and RAYE are making vocals feel like such an essential part of the pop equation. Stella isn’t that kind of vocalist, but she doesn’t necessarily need to be when the songwriting is strong. As early 2000s aesthetics continue cycling back into fashion and culture, I’m ready for that era of country-pop to have its musical resurgence too. Between the massive success of “Boston” and what she’s doing here, Stella continues to walk that line between country, folk, and pop really well.

Cleo Sol’s “Gentlewoman”

I’ve never gone particularly deep into Cleo Sol’s catalog outside of songs like “When I’m in Your Arms” and “Life Will Be,” but her new song “Gentlewoman” immediately made me want to change that. This is low-key, breezy jazz-soul performance, and it’s an immediate addition to my Red Velvet playlist.

I also love the way Cleo plays with these traditionally gendered ideas of strength and tenderness, flipping “gentleman” into “gentlewoman” as she sings about wanting to be a source of comfort for someone fighting their own battles. There’s something incredibly warm about the sentiment without it ever becoming overly sentimental, and her voice sells every second of it.

Remi Wolf’s “Bottle”

My Remi Wolf knowledge mostly begins and ends with “Soup,” which I maintain has one of the catchiest melodies of the last few years, but “Bottle” feels like a really exciting evolution of everything I already like about her music. The guitar line immediately hooked me, but it’s the self-deprecating songwriting that makes the song work. She’s spiraling, bitching, pouting, calling herself an idiot, missing someone she doesn’t want to miss, and basically narrating her inability to get her shit together in real time.

That messiness makes the whole thing incredibly visual. Remi writes like she’s dropping you directly into her head while it’s bouncing between a dozen different thoughts, but the song itself never loses control with her. There’s something really compelling about that contrast, especially against production this catchy and guitar-driven.

Balu Brigada’s “BedHead”

“Backseat” is one of my favorite songs of the last few years, and “BedHead” might finally be the song that gets me to listen to an entire BB project. When Harry Styles’ Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. first rolled out, fans who heard “Aperture” early kept comparing it to “Backseat.” I sort of heard it, but “Bedhead” is actually much closer to what I wish Harry delivered after hearing how heavily he went into a rockier direction than classic disco.

“BedHead” is built around a killer bass line and funk-inspired production while the lyrics explore that strangely vulnerable feeling of waking up next to someone and letting them see the least polished version of you. It’s a relatable concept, and paired with production this slick, it works. Between “Backseat,” “Sideways,” and now “Bedhead,” Balu Brigada has been too consistent for me to not listen to Portal.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Motivation”

We officially have our fourth taste of Carly Rae Jepsen’s upcoming double album Day and Night, out September 18, and “Motivation” gives us another look at the Night side of the record. Carly has said that half leans more heavily into synths, and you can absolutely hear that here. “Motivation” feels less like a traditional radio-ready dance-pop song like “Don’t Leave Me on the Dance Floor” and more like something specifically engineered to go off in a nightclub.

On first listen, it’s probably my least favorite of the four singles, although I feel like I’ve said that every time she’s released another one because nothing has come close to “On Wires” for me. That’s still one of my favorite songs of the entire year while “After All” has grown on me tremendously. “Motivation” does contribute to making this one of Carly’s most texturally diverse albums, maybe even her most diverse, and that’s exactly what has me so excited for Sept. 18.

You can find the new highlights from New Music Friday on my Life On Mars playlist on Spotify!

This week’s Pop Pulse

Every week, I also write Pop Pulse, a second newsletter exclusive to paid subscribers, which serves as a rundown of what’s happening in the music industry. It’s where I cover new music announcements, release rumors, artist news, and so much more. Think of it as your pop music and culture ICYMI briefing, with the stories that don’t always make it to TikTok or Instagram.

Subscribe now to learn more about:

• Stray Kids Make Billboard History (Again) with KATSEYE Coming for #1

• Madonna Reclaims Her VMA Throne, Leading All Nominations

• The Jonas Brothers Are Burning Up All Over Again

• Ariana and Cynthia Give Us Our Wicked Fix

• Ellie Goulding Sues Her Management and Takes on Live Nation

ICYMI on @vinylbymars

@itsalexmarsIt was the end of an era, but the start of an age! Introducing @itsalexmars 💙 Read my full reflection on the evolution of @vinylbymars and where things are heading in this new era on my Sub$tack :) Love you guys, thank you for the support always 🫶

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• I made a HUGE announcement yesterday that I’ve officially rebranded from @vinylbymars to @itsalexmars. Check out my explainer video above, or read more about the reasons why in my latest On The Record piece.

• Dua Lipa’s “Training Season” is having a viral moment almost two years after it first dropped, and it’s making me think about how pop music fans need to stop declaring songs a flop so quickly… what do you think?

• I saw Olivia Dean’s The Art of Loving Live on Monday night and gave the concert a glowing review. Check it out here!

That’s it for now! Let me know your favorite track of the week in the comments. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, share it with a friend or drop it in your group chat.

And as a thank you for making it to the end of this week’s newsletter, here’s an invite to join the Life On Mars Discord.

See you next Friday!
-Alex

A little over five years ago, I created a TikTok account called @vinylbymars. Today, I’m changing the username to @itsalexmars.

If you’ve followed me for the last couple of years, this probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Despite the username sticking around, this hasn’t really been a vinyl account for a bit. What started with me silently and anonymously unboxing records on the floor of my childhood home has grown into music reactions, album reviews, artist interviews, industry coverage, red carpets, newsletters, and increasingly, parts of my life that have absolutely nothing to do with music at all. It’s all a reflection of who I am today, and I’m more excited than ever to share this with you.

So after debating the change for longer than I’d care to admit, I’m officially changing @vinylbymars to @itsalexmars.

@itsalexmars1. “evermore” - Taylor Swift #fyp #foryoupage #taylor #taylorswift #swifttok #vinyl #vinyltag #vinylrecords #evermore #recordoftheday #HoldMyMilk

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When I started the account in May 2021, Vinyl by Mars made perfect sense. I didn’t need to share my first name with the public, and I started collecting records as a means of decorating my first solo apartment and fell down the #VinylTok rabbit hole. I’ve always enjoyed social media, video making, editing, etc., and I wanted a place to share a hobby that had quickly become an obsession. More importantly, the name allowed me to hide behind the content.

For the first year, I never once showed my face and rarely used my actual voice because I was terrified that someone I knew from my personal life would find the account and judge me for putting myself out there, my music taste, whatever. Weirdly, the concept of sharing my opinions and collection with complete strangers scared me less than sharing them with those who know me IRL.

A year later, I had around 5,000 followers and felt like I hit a wall. The creators I watched turn social media into successful careers weren’t just creating content about anything; they became the reason people followed. I could only film so many record flips and transitions before the format ran dry, but even more so, vinyl was never my only interest. Music generally was.

@itsalexmarsChoosing the BEST song, WORST song, and my FAVORITE song on an album, starting with my picks from “Harry’s House” 💌 #harryshouse #bestsong #worstsong #favoritesong #harrystyles #harrytok #albumreview #asitwas #latenighttalking #vinyl #vinyltok #musictok #recordcollection #vinylrecords #recordcollector #vinyltiktok #vinylcollector #vinylcollection #vinylrecordcollection #vinyltips #playedonvinyl #recordsetup

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Showing my face for the first time opened the door to talking about that interest in a much broader way. Vinyl reviews turned into Best, Worst, Fav, which turned into reactions and music news, which eventually became the backbone of what I do today. Five years later, I’m reviewing albums, reacting to music videos, interviewing artists about the songs that changed their lives, covering concerts and award shows, writing about pop music twice a week, every week, here, and somehow doing all of this as my full-time job.

The content evolved, but the username never did.

And for a long time, it didn’t bother me. Vinyl by Mars was recognizable: people knew what to search, and changing a username attached to years of work felt unnecessarily risky. It became my identity to the point that people genuinely believed my first name was Mars. Tell me: have you ever met someone named Mars?

But over the last year and change of doing content full-time, I realized how little the name actually described what I do. I introduce myself to someone at an event as “Vinyl by Mars” before explaining that, no, I don’t really make so much vinyl content anymore. The disconnect became harder to ignore as the world around the account continued getting bigger.

I started sharing more of my personal life, whether that’s travel, style, fitness, my apartment, or whatever else I happen to be interested in that day. Five years ago, the thought of sharing any of that publicly would’ve absolutely terrified me. Now, some of my favorite conversations with you happen when I post something that has nothing to do with a new album or whatever is happening in pop music that week.

That’s ultimately why @itsalexmars makes more sense to me. It definitely doesn’t mean I’m moving away from music because that couldn’t be further from reality. It also doesn’t mean vinyl is disappearing. Music is and will always be the center of what I do, but I also don’t want a username I chose on Day 1, rooted in my own fears and anxieties, to dictate what I’m allowed to create today and beyond.

I wrote about this a little in my five-year anniversary piece back in May: I’ve been wrong basically every time I’ve tried to predict what the next version of this career would look like. Four years ago, I would’ve told you vinyl content was the end-all-be-all. Three years ago, I probably would’ve said Best, Worst, Fav. A year ago, I hadn’t even created SoundTracked yet. I have no idea what I’ll be doing five years from now, and I think that’s part of the fun.

The irony isn’t lost on me that the account started with me doing everything possible to hide who I was, and five years later I’m changing the entire thing to my name.

Everything else is staying the same. The reactions, reviews, interviews, SoundTracked, vinyl, Substack, and everything else we’ve built over the last five years aren’t going anywhere. I’m just giving myself a little more room for whatever comes next.

So, hi. I’m Alex Mars, and you can now find me at @itsalexmars on all social media platforms. Let’s do the damn thing!

-Alex

Welcome to Pop Pulse, your one-stop check-in on everything happening in the music industry without having to scroll endlessly or risk missing the big stories. And today’s a big one: the 50th edition of the newsletter, so thank you for reading!

In case you’re new here, every Tuesday, I run through the top headlines shaping the week so far, the most exciting upcoming releases, and a spotlight on my own content, from short-form posts to the latest episode of SoundTracked. Think of Pop Pulse as your weekly check-in with a music-obsessed friend who’s already done the homework for you.

If you are not already a paid subscriber, here is what you are missing: my full library of uncut, full-length reactions to music videos, albums, and new singles, this weekly newsletter, archive access to my written album reviews, early access to artist interviews, and more. All of it for $5 a month. I do this completely independently, and every paid sub makes it possible to keep going. If you have been thinking about it, now is a great time to join!

Stray Kids Make Billboard History (Again) with KATSEYE Coming for #1

This & That debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 369,000 equivalent album units, the group’s biggest week ever, and 357,000 of that came from pure album sales. Only 11,000 units came from streaming, which is about 12 million streams for the whole week, which is shocking to me given streaming makes up the majority of music consumption these days. But with 17 different CD and vinyl variants on the market, of course the units skew that hard toward physical.

It’s their ninth #1, tying the Rolling Stones for second most among groups ever behind only the Beatles’ 19, and it extends their own record for most #1s by a group this century. I still haven’t heard a single Stray Kids song and I don’t think that matters even a little bit to how dominant this run is.

Elsewhere, Ariana Grande’s petal falls to #2 with 82,000 units, Olivia Rodrigo’s you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love holds at #3, Ella Langley’s Dandelion sits at #4, Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem is #5, and Noah Kahan’s The Great Divide rounds out #6.

On the Hot 100, Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” just notched an 18th week at #1, one week from tying “Old Town Road” and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” for the longest non-holiday reign ever, with only Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” ahead of that at 22 weeks. Country also owns the top four of the Hot 100 outright right now.

Looking ahead, KATSEYE’s Wild EP is projected for a 150,000 to 165,000 unit #1 debut this week, and Phoebe Bridgers’ new album Lost Weekend is tracking for 110,000 to 120,000, with a boost incoming after Taylor Swift posted about it on her story.

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Back in March 2020, right when the world shut down, Ariana recorded herself for a Disney concert special. She recorded the lead vocal and every single harmony, then stitched it all together with choreography on top of it.

And after watching KATSEYE perform the same…

Read more

Welcome to Now Spinning, a weekly newsletter where I share what’s a must listen in music right now. Every week, you’ll get my top picks from New Music Friday plus a few extras, from playlist links and industry news to TikToks you might’ve missed and the latest from my interview series, SoundTracked. This is meant to feel like a pop-obsessed group chat meets a digital record store wall.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining the paid tier on Substack. For $5/month, you’ll get the Pop Pulse newsletter, my written album reviews, full-length unedited reactions you won’t see anywhere else, early access to artist interviews and reaction videos, and more bonus content. Beyond that, subscribing directly supports me as a full-time content creator. This is how I’m able to keep making reviews, reactions, and news videos for you every week, so every subscription makes a difference.

New Music Friday Highlights

Phoebe Bridgers’ “Kill Me”

Phoebe Bridgers is finally back with Lost Weekend, her first album since 2020’s Punisher. I haven’t made it through the whole project yet (that’s a job for this week), but “Kill Me,” the third track, was the one that sent chills up my spine almost immediately. Honestly, I’ve never been the biggest Phoebe fan: I’m super picky about vocal tone, and her airy, ghost-like voice has never been one that I crave. But it fits this production so beautifully that I can’t wait to hear where the rest of the album goes.

The song opens quiet and acoustic, almost hazy, before completely mutating into something jarring and industrial by the end. It’s constantly glitching between organic and inorganic instrumentation, which mirrors the song’s whole thesis: a kind of yin and yang between life and death playing out in real time.

Troye Sivan’s “She’s the Best”

Troye Sivan’s back with “She’s the Best,” the title track off his upcoming fourth studio album, out October 9. He didn’t tease this one at all going in, so I had no expectations heading into my first listen, but I really enjoyed Something to Give Each Other, so I was excited.

The delivery here threw me instantly: he’s basically droning in this flat, monotone spoken cadence that I’ve never heard from him before. It’s a bold choice, and it almost takes a total backseat to the production, which is doing most of the heavy lifting. The whole thing feels like it nods to the Charli xcx playbook, specifically “Card Declined” in how Troye’s delivery comes through. The chorus flips it into something dreamier, contrasting the haunted verses, and I’ll always respect an artist taking a real creative swing over playing it safe.

Watch the full music video reaction here, only on Substack.

Ayra Starr’s “Heaven Baby” (feat. ZAYN)

Off Ayra Starr’s new 16-track album Starrgirl, “Heaven Baby” pairs her with ZAYN for a piano-driven duet, and it doesn’t do anything for me. It sounds borderline AI generated: banal lyricism, a total nothingburger of a song. I didn’t even clock that it was ZAYN’s voice at first.

KATSEYE’s “Hootie Frutti”

KATSEYE dropped their third EP Wild, and “Hootie Frutti” is proof they’ve completely run out of new ideas. It’s essentially a carbon copy of “Pinky Up,” which was already a carbon copy of “Gnarly.” There’s a total lack of artistic identity happening here. It’s jarring for the sake of being jarring, leaning on the more manageable, radio-friendly version of what K-pop-adjacent groups have introduced without doing anything interesting with it. With members Manon and Sophia on hiatus, it just feels like the whole KATSEYE machine is buckling under its own calculated formula. Everyone involved might be better off letting this experiment take its final bow.

You can find the new highlights from New Music Friday on my Life On Mars playlist on Spotify!

This week’s Pop Pulse

Every week, I also write Pop Pulse, a second newsletter exclusive to paid subscribers, which serves as a rundown of what’s happening in the music industry. It’s where I cover new music announcements, release rumors, artist news, and so much more. Think of it as your pop music and culture ICYMI briefing, with the stories that don’t always make it to TikTok or Instagram.

Subscribe now to learn more about:

• Ariana Grande Blooms Into Her Seventh #1 Album

• Spotify Rolls Out AI Persona Badges Starting Mid-September

• Tame Impala’s “Loser” Swings Into the Grammy Conversation

• Taylor Swift Heads to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

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ICYMI on @vinylbymars

@vinylbymarsGot to check out the Olivia Dean Loving in NYC pop up at Madison Square Garden while Olivia plays four sold out nights here! There’s NYC exclusive merchandise and signed copies of “The Art of Loving” on vinyl! @Olivia Dean #oliviadean #theartofloving #livemusic #nyc #popmusic

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• Olivia Dean is performing four sold out nights at Madison Square Garden, so I got to check out her pop up shop at UMusic NY.

• Justice for Camila Cabello’s C,XOXO? The Internet has been obsessing over this all week long, so hear my take on the good and the bad of Camila’s most shocking album yet.

• Is Tate McRae copying Britney Spears (again), or is it homage that may hit too close to home? After her Lollapalooza performance visuals, I’m taking a look at Tate and Britney’s history.

That’s it for now! Let me know your favorite track of the week in the comments. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, share it with a friend or drop it in your group chat.

And as a thank you for making it to the end of this week’s newsletter, here’s an invite to join the Life On Mars Discord.

See you next Friday!
-Alex

The delivery threw me at first. It’s flatter and more monotone than anything Troye’s done, forcing the production to do most of the heavy lifting while he remains calm, cool, and collected. Also detached. Once that clicked for me, it stopped feel…

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Two years ago, Camila Cabello put out the strangest album of her career and the internet mostly shrugged, or worse, mocked it. This week, that’s beginning to change. The Fader published a piece about giving C,XOXO a second chance, and within days, the album seems to be having a full-blown moment: a 475% spike in Spotify streams, Spotify itself re-adding “B.O.A.T.” to a major playlist, TikTok defenses stacking up by the day. A corner of the internet decided long ago that C,XOXO was criminally underrated, and their time in the sun is finally here.

Now, I’ve been on this album’s side since it came out. I still am, but I don’t think either version of this story, the original pile-on or the current victory lap, accurately evaluates what this record is. So let’s talk about it properly.

I’ve followed Camila closely since her X Factor days, through Fifth Harmony, through every solo era, so I’m not a recent convert. Her self-titled debut was one of my favorite albums of 2018, but Romance never worked for me. It felt like her doubling down on what had already succeeded rather than growing: “My Oh My” is basically a “Havana” remake, the product of an artist still stuck finding her identity through what I’d call the Taylor Swift School of Songwriting. Familia pivoted to a Latin-focused sound honoring her Cuban roots, and while the one hit, “Bam Bam” with Ed Sheeran, was generic, deep cuts like “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Hasta Los Dientes” showed more of the artistry her biggest singles never quite captured.

So when C,XOXO came out, I understood it as the next chapter of an artist who has spent her whole solo career trying to figure out who she actually is.

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Here is my full reaction to the song that's setting up Worst Man in America. Hope you enjoy :)

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Welcome to Pop Pulse, your one-stop check-in on everything happening in the music industry without having to scroll endlessly or risk missing the big stories.

Every Tuesday, I run through the top headlines shaping the week so far, the most exciting upcoming releases, and a spotlight on my own content, from short-form posts to the latest episode of SoundTracked. Think of Pop Pulse as your weekly check-in with a music-obsessed friend who’s already done the homework for you.

Subscribe now

If you are not already a paid subscriber, here is what you are missing: my full library of uncut, full-length reactions to music videos, albums, and new singles, this weekly newsletter, archive access to my written album reviews, early access to artist interviews, and more. All of it for $5 a month. I do this completely independently, and every paid sub makes it possible to keep going. If you have been thinking about it, now is a great time to join!

Ariana Grande Blooms Into Her Seventh #1 Album

Petal debuts atop the Billboard 200 with about 295,000 equivalent album units, Ariana’s best opening week of the decade and a real jump from Eternal Sunshine’s 227,000 in 2024. It also clears both Sweetener and Positions. Only Thank U, Next opened bigger, with 360,000 units back in 2019, which honestly says more about how singles driven her career has always been than anything else. For an artist this massive, 360K as her career high is kind of wild, but she’s never really been an albums first pop star.

All 12 songs from Petal charted in the Hot 100’s top 40 this week. “Hate That I Made You Love Me” jumps back to #2 from #8, and the title track debuts at #4, her 24th top ten hit, while closer “Nowhere, Nobody” brings up the rear at #39. She’s now got 110 career Hot 100 entries, making her only the fourth woman ever past the century mark behind Taylor Swift (277), Nicki Minaj (149), and Beyoncé (107). Great week for Ariana, mixed reception for the album itself, and with a hiatus already on the calendar after the Eternal Sunshine Tour wraps, I don’t expect much push behind this one past its first few weeks.

Watch the full album reaction, exclusively on Substack.

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Welcome to Now Spinning, a weekly newsletter where I share what’s a must listen in music right now. Every week, you’ll get my top picks from New Music Friday plus a few extras, from playlist links and industry news to TikToks you might’ve missed and the latest from my interview series, SoundTracked. This is meant to feel like a pop-obsessed group chat meets a digital record store wall.

On a personal note, tomorrow is my birthday! It’s a big one, and I’m trying hard to not entirely freak out about it, so getting to sit down and listen to some of today’s new music releases helped a lot. I’m going to try and take the weekend off to enjoy, but if anything breaking happens, you know I’ll be there.

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, consider joining the paid tier on Substack. For $5/month, you’ll get the Pop Pulse newsletter, my written album reviews, full-length unedited reactions you won’t see anywhere else, early access to artist interviews and reaction videos, and more bonus content. Beyond that, subscribing directly supports me as a full-time content creator. This is how I’m able to keep making reviews, reactions, and news videos for you every week, so every subscription makes a difference.

New Music Friday Highlights

Karol G’s “Still” (feat. Bruno Mars)

Karol G’s first-ever fully English vocal performance, and she picked the perfect partner for it. “Still” is a ballad built on ‘80s nostalgia, synth heavy and glossy, with the two of them trading lines back and forth before locking into harmony. She sounds great here, and their voices actually blend in a way that feels intentional rather than like a stunt-casted feature.

The song lives on her brand new album No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto, and thematically it is about loving someone unconditionally even after the relationship has ended. It’s an unexpected pairing on paper, but after Bruno’s Spanish-language version of “Risk It All” performed as well as it did, this makes sense to me, especially teaming up with an artist as fluent in both worlds as Karol G.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Don’t Leave Me on the Dance Floor”

This is the third single off CRJ’s upcoming double album Day and Night. This one is squarely in the lane she perfectly carved out on 2015’s Emotion: poppy, disco-infused, a chorus built to be chanted back at her live. If I’m being honest, I prefer the verses and production to the chorus this time around.

With Carly Rae, it’s never just sentiment, you also get the technical chops to back it up, and that holds true here. The production sounds fresh and she sounds great vocally. My favorite of the singles so far is still “On Wires,” but “Don’t Leave Me on the Dance Floor” is a strong addition, and I’m even more excited for the double album now.

Ravyn Lenae’s “In & Out”

My first instinct seeing this title was the burger chain. Completely wrong assumption. This is a song about the frustration of love, and vocally it might be the standout of the week. I haven’t made it through all of Blue Island yet (that’s a weekend project), but this single alone tells me everything I need to know about where her voice is at right now.

She twists her vocals into so many different lanes and registers on this track that it sounds like two or three different singers trading off. There’s an incredible amount of melody packed in here, and at one point she stretches the word “please” into something close to eight syllables on the main hook. That’s the thing that makes Ravyn Lenae stand out to me: her ability to bend her voice into whatever shape a song actually needs, and “In & Out” shows that off better than almost anything else she’s released.

You can find the new highlights from New Music Friday on my Life On Mars playlist on Spotify!

This week’s Pop Pulse

Every week, I also write Pop Pulse, a second newsletter exclusive to paid subscribers, which serves as a rundown of what’s happening in the music industry. It’s where I cover new music announcements, release rumors, artist news, and so much more. Think of it as your pop music and culture ICYMI briefing, with the stories that don’t always make it to TikTok or Instagram.

Subscribe now to learn more about:

• Ariana Grande Announces A Hiatus After The Eternal Sunshine Tour Wraps

• BTS Pulls Arirang From Next Year’s Grammys

• Lollapalooza Wraps In Chicago

• Sam Fender And Olivia Dean Make UK Chart History

Subscribe now

ICYMI on @vinylbymars

@vinylbymarsTame Impala has another viral single with “Loser” because of its inclusion on the Spider-Man: Brand New Day soundtrack. It’s reaching new peaks on the Spotify charts every day, and now with Dracula, Loser, and Grammy-winning song “End of Summer,” I think “Deadbeat” has a shot at Album of the Year now. @Tame Impala @Spider-Man Movie #tameimpala #loser #spiderman #popmusic #popculture

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• Tame Impala’s “Loser” is going viral thanks to being featured on the Spider-Man: Brand New Day soundtrack. I wrote a special On the Record post about what this means for Tame Impala’s new album Deadbeat and its AOTY odds at the upcoming 2027 Grammys.

• I saw Charli xcx perform at Lollapalooza, and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Check out my recap of Charli’s first festival show with Music, Fashion, Film.

• I’m still obsessing over Ariana Grande’s “oh well” a week later, watch my reaction to that song here and the full album reaction, exclusively on Substack.

That’s it for now! Let me know your favorite track of the week in the comments. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, share it with a friend or drop it in your group chat.

And as a thank you for making it to the end of this week’s newsletter, here’s an invite to join the Life On Mars Discord.

See you next Friday!
-Alex

Tame Impala’s “Loser” is having its moment in the sun. The song appears during one of the quieter scenes in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, when Peter Parker runs into Ned at a party and realizes his old best friend does not remember him. It is an intimate, sad beat in a big, loud movie, but it works because the song is doing exactly what it always did on record: sitting in that discomfort instead of running from it.

Since the Brand New Day hit theaters, “Loser” has been climbing the charts. It just entered the top 20 on the Global Spotify chart at a new peak of #17 and jumped to #7 in the US. And with the film only being out in theaters for a week, we’re only at the beginning of the second coming of “Loser.”

This is not the first time a Deadbeat single has found new life outside the album cycle. “Dracula” slowly and steadily became one of Tame Impala’s biggest hits of all time, largely due to the remix with JENNIE and a viral TikTok trend built around the “Mr. Charisma” line. And remember, it’s not even Halloween season yet.

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Welcome to Pop Pulse, your one-stop check-in on everything happening in the music industry without having to scroll endlessly or risk missing the big stories.

Every Tuesday, I run through the top headlines shaping the week so far, the most exciting upcoming releases, and a spotlight on my own content, from short-form posts to the latest episode of SoundTracked. Think of Pop Pulse as your weekly check-in with a music-obsessed friend who’s already done the homework for you.

Subscribe now

If you are not already a paid subscriber, here is what you are missing: my full library of uncut, full-length reactions to music videos, albums, and new singles, this weekly newsletter, archive access to my written album reviews, early access to artist interviews, and more. All of it for $5 a month. I do this completely independently, and every paid sub makes it possible to keep going. If you have been thinking about it, now is a great time to join!

Chart Rewind & Fast Forward

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” scores a 16th week at #1 this week, tying Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night,” “Despacito,” and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” for the fourth longest-running #1 in Hot 100 history. Only “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and “Old Town Road” (both at 19 weeks) and Mariah’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (22 weeks) sit above it now, and I fully expect this song to blow past the 19 week mark this summer, though 22 is a stretch.

The bigger headline honestly might be that for the first time ever, the entire top five is country: Langley at #1, Wallen’s new one “Been by Now” at #2, Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” at #3, the Wallen/Langley duet “I Can’t Love You Anymore” at #4, and Stella Lefty’s “Boston” at #5. Rounding out the top ten: Tame Impala and JENNIE’s “Dracula” at #6, Olivia Dean’s “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” at #7, Ariana Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me” at #8, and Dean’s “Man I Need” at #10.

Looking ahead, the biggest debut of the week is Ariana Grande’s new album Petal, projected for 291,000 first-week units. That would put her within striking distance of 300,000 and mark her seventh #1 album on the Billboard 200. Expect “Hate That I Made You Love Me” to rebound up the Hot 100 too now that the album’s actually out. Nothing seems to be standing in the way of “Choosin’ Texas” steamrolling the charts all summer long, so buckle up.

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This is Ariana’s darkest, grimiest production landscape yet, a full swing away from the glossy sheen of Eternal Sunshine and a rare, vocally restrained performance from an artist built on dynamic vocals.

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“petal,” “like i do,” and “warning signs” are clear standouts…

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Welcome to Pop Pulse, your one-stop check-in on everything happening in the music industry without having to scroll endlessly or risk missing the big stories.

Every Tuesday, I run through the top headlines shaping the week so far, the most exciting upcoming releases, and a spotlight on my own content, from short-form posts to the latest episode of SoundTracked. Think of Pop Pulse as your weekly check-in with a music-obsessed friend who’s already done the homework for you.

Subscribe now

If you are not already a paid subscriber, here is what you are missing: my full library of uncut, full-length reactions to music videos, albums, and new singles, this weekly newsletter, archive access to my written album reviews, early access to artist interviews, and more. All of it for $5 a month. I do this completely independently, and every paid sub makes it possible to keep going. If you have been thinking about it, now is a great time to join!

Top Music News of the Week

Miley Cyrus Signs With Atlantic Records, Starts Chapter 10

As guest editor of Wonderland Magazine, Miley Cyrus confirmed she’s signed with Atlantic Records after two albums on Columbia, Endless Summer Vacation and Something Beautiful, which came out in 2025 and was my pick for favorite album of last year. In the interview, she described her tenth album as a love story tied to her relationship with Maxx Morando, calling it “layered” rather than one-dimensional, and reports indicate past collaborators Kid Harpoon, Maxx Morando, and Michael Pollack are back in the studio with her, with a lead single reportedly coming as soon as this fall and the full album in early 2027.

Honestly, this move checks out. Miley spent years at RCA before Columbia, and Columbia never quite felt like the right home for her, especially given how messy the Something Beautiful rollout ended up being with its marketing and release. As she steps into a new chapter defined by settling down, it tracks that she’d also want a fresh label relationship to match, and I’m genuinely curious whether this era pulls back toward the pop of Endless Summer Vacation or pushes further into the experimental territory she’s been teasing since last year.

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I don’t know if “done” is per say the right word, but my expectations have dropped so far below ground level, that I think I am done thinking of them in the same way I approach the pop music I discuss at large across social media. They’ve consistently proven to me that there is no identity, no artistic vision for this…

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