This week’s new music releases include future Taylor Swift opener Shawn Mendes, a brash comeback from New York rapper A$AP Rocky and Drake’s finest moment to date made even finer by Lykke Li. Here’s our roundup.
Shawn Mendes
“Kid in Love”
★½
Since becoming a Vine star in 2013, Shawn Mendes has frequently been touted as the next Justin Bieber, but his debut album, “Handwritten,” has much more in common with Ed Sheeran’s acoustic pop. The 16-year-old Canadian fluently speaks the language of adolescent crushes on “Kid in Love,” but there’s a sterility to his sound and delivery that means Mendes’ emotions don’t land with nearly enough force.
A$AP Rocky
“M’$”
★★★
The recent death of his friend and compatriot A$AP Yams has hit A$AP Rocky hard, but on the first taste of his upcoming second album, “At. Long. Last. ASAP,” the Harlem rapper is choosing to concentrate on what he has rather than what he lost. The money brags aren’t exactly original, but Rocky’s swagger, the brilliantly menacing beats and a hook that’s almost as big as his wallet all make “M’$” a dynamic return.
Erik Hassle
“No Words”
★★★
Unless you have an unusually close attachment to Rihanna and Shakira’s “Can’t Remember To Forget You,” you probably won’t know Erik Hassle’s name. But the Swede (who co-penned the forgettable Ri-Shak duet) is about to break out on his own terms with this irresistibly sunny R&B cut, which sounds like “Get Lucky” rewritten by Michael Jackson in his early-’80s prime. One listen is all it takes to know that this is a summer smash waiting to happen.
Tame Impala
“’Cause I’m a Man”
★★★
The big riffs and psychedelic freakouts that have made Tame Impala such a widely adored band in underground circles are nowhere to be heard on their latest single (taken from their forthcoming album, “Currents”). Instead, “’Cause I’m a Man” is a hazy and gorgeous soul ballad that sounds like it was written to accompany the slow-dancing section of a late-’80s high school prom. Hold your date close, because Tame Impala is ensuring that there’s still magic in the air.
Lykke Li
“Hold On, We’re Going Home”
★★★½
Drake famously doesn’t like to do promotional duties, and so Lykke Li seems to have voluntarily taken on the task on his behalf by issuing a celestial cover of Drake’s 2013 hit. With her sparse musical reworking and chilling vocals, the Swede makes an already great song sound utterly divine. Drake might like to let his music do the talking, but it’s actually Lykke Li who’s amplifying his work to new levels.