It’s a pop music showdown for the girls and the gays this week. With heavyweights returning in full force and fresh faces stepping up to take their swing, the ring is set for some serious hits. It begs the question we’re all dying to know… who’s ready to claim the crown?
Place your bets in this week’s edition of “Bop After Bop”…
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“Disease” by Lady Gaga
Welcome back, Lady Gaga. We’ve been on the mend with Gaga this year—from a Bruno Mars collab, her jazz album Harlequin, to the unfortunate fluke of Joker: Folie à Deux—but she’s finally returned with the antidote we’ve been needing: her new single, “Disease.” A true return to form, the song is a brooding banger that dives deep into the dense electroclash pop that defined The Fame Monster era. This time, she blends her best dark-pop moments, with echoes of Heavy Metal Lover, Government Hooker, and Bloody Mary, while giving a dose of heavy-metal “wolf cry” vocals. Perfect for spooky season, “Disease” is quite the scare at first. Fans have wanted Gaga to go “back to her roots” for a while now, and most of us thought she’d never quite take it there again, but “Disease” proves that her knack for gothic, electro-pop maximalism is something that can never be cured.
“I LIKE U” by GIMI
GIMI’s “I LIKE U” is a hyperpop bop that captures a the feeling of a post-summer crush. With bass-heavy beats and a chopped, cyber-tinged vocal hook, GIMI brings a playful edge to the song with his cheeky, suggestive cadence, making this track a standout preview of his debut album coming in 2025. It’s cute, cautious, and makes us say “gimme more!”
“Aquamarine” by Addison Rae
“The world is my oyster / Baby, come touch the pearl” pop siren Addison Rae chimes on “Aquamarine”, a shimmering and shockingly avant-garde offering that sets the scene for a pupil of pop. This is to say that this former TikTok star has studied the likes of Britney and Madonna by way of a Charli xcx mentorship to now be able to deliver a potent, pulse-racing pop song that defines her artistry. Riding waves of sonic reinvention and understated visuals, this ethereal release pushes and pulls listeners into a trance, becoming a “Birth of Venus” moment for Rae’s wade into pop’s rocky waters.
“PRIVADO” by La Cruz featuring Villano Antillano
It’s reggayton royalty as La Cruz teams up with Villano Antillano for “PRIVADO”, a slick, enticing banger straight off La Cruz’s EL NENE, VOL. 1 EP, out today. This Venezuelan-Puerto Rican duo brings undeniable heat with unapologetically queer energy, packed with killer choreography, a hypnotic beat and this duo’s electric chemistry, La Cruz continues to prove he is rewriting reggaeton’s playbook.
“Panic Attack” by Halsey
After flooding social media with her impersonations of pop’s past, Halsey peels back the curtain on The Great Impersonator, a raw, riveting chronicle of survival. Unpacking her battles with lupus, leukemia, and new motherhood, Halsey turns turmoil into poetry across 18 tracks. “Panic Attack” is a guitar-driven Stevie Nicks inspired number that plays out like an antihistamine for the heart. Halsey’s lyricism cuts deep this go around, with each track carrying echoes of her musical heroes that paints a dissonant self-portrait, stitched together with contradictions only Halsey could make feel whole.
“Conocerla” by Reyna Tropical
Reyna Tropical’s new track “Conocerla” radiates a warm, mesmerizing blend of self-discovery and queer resilience. Directed by Devyn Galindo with designs by Willy Chavarria, the music video captures the complex dance of identity, pleasure, and healing as queer Latinx people navigate ancestral histories. Set to an intoxicating rhythm and drenched in soft, sensual visuals, “Conocerla” portrays a reclamation of self, inviting listeners into a world where cultural and personal reclamations meet in a celebration of the beauty in the “in between.”
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