SINGAPORE – In this weekly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about now.

Stream This Song: Mirror – We All Are

The Hong Kong boy band’s new ballad We All Are is perhaps a sombre reflection on the shocking accident that happened onstage during one of their concerts in July, when a large video screen fell from the ceiling of the Hong Kong Coliseum and injured two dancers.

Since then, it has been reported that one of the dancers, Lee Kai Yin, is likely to be paralysed from the neck down, and rumours even surfaced that the group might be disbanded.

However, Mirror’s first Cantopop release in more than two months suggests sincere regret over the incident, but also a desire to move forward.

Its moving lyrics, composed by the band’s 12 members, focus on facing pain and looking forward to the future. One line goes: “I still remember fighting for the dream in my heart/I also believe that water can flow for a long time.”

The timing could not be more right. The song’s subdued style comes across as heartfelt, while hopeful for better days ahead. – Benson Ang

Ace Album: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool It Down

After almost a decade of near silence, New York art-rock outfit Yeah Yeah Yeahs are finally back with new music.

Cool It Down is the fifth album from the trio fronted by half-Korean singer Karen O, whose dynamic and charismatic presence is still an integral part of the band’s sound.

They have toned down somewhat on the wild abandon that marked their songs and live performances from the early 2000s. The new tunes sound more mature, driven by a more contemplative tone as O takes on issues such as the climate crisis (Spitting Off The Edge Of The World) and motherhood (Mars).

But make no mistake, there are dancefloor-ready beats aplenty, most of them layered with lush instrumentation courtesy of guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase.

Songs such as Fleez are propelled by killer bass lines while the heavy synthesisers on tracks such as Lovebomb and Wolf lift the album to a euphoric high.

Must-See MV: Kid Cudi - Entergalactic

American rapper, singer and songwriter Kid Cudi did not just make music videos for his latest and eighth album Entergalactic – he made a whole animated film.

Now showing on Netflix, he portrays street artist Jabari who finds love in the R21-rated, 92-minute romantic drama.

The plot is generic, but the visual style is gorgeous and very similar to the Oscar-winning 2018 animated film Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. 

Cudi’s ethereal brand of alternative R&B and hip-hop fits really well with the vibrant, kinetic scenes, whether it is Jabari navigating the New York streets on a bicycle or living it up with his friends at a psychedelic party.

Entergalactic also boasts a starry cast that includes Timothee Chalamet, Macaulay Culkin and Vanessa Hudgens, as well as fellow hip-hop artistes Jaden Smith and Ty Dolla Sign.

Like with Cudi, the looks of all the characters are based on the real-life cast.

Chart Champ: Sam Smith – Unholy

British singer Sam Smith conquers the charts yet again with Unholy, a duet with German singer Kim Petras.

It is Smith’s eighth single to hit No. 1 on the British charts, and topped the charts in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. It is currently No. 2 on the US Billboard charts and in the Top 3 of the Apple Music and Spotify charts in Singapore.

The dramatic and saucy dance-pop song punctuated with grand choral singing and Smith’s soaring pipes is from the singer’s upcoming fourth album.

The tune is also quite a departure from the lovelorn ballads from Smith’s back catalogue.

Unholy has also sparked a TikTok trend, where casually dressed fans go through a sudden, glamorous makeover halfway through the video, as the song plays as a soundtrack.

Singapore Scene: Shye – idk it’s complicated

You might recognise the 20-year-old as one of the singers behind the 2021 National Day Parade theme song The Road Ahead, but home-grown singer-songwriter and producer Shye has also cemented her standing as one of the local scene’s most productive artistes.

idk it’s complicated is her third long-form release in as many years.

There is a new vibrancy to her trademark brand of bedroom pop, with fuzzy guitars and buoyant rhythms taking precedence over lo-fi aesthetics.

Songs such as phonecase and legally illegal, and their constantly morphing drum beats, are brilliant and catchy, and you cannot help but be charmed by her sanguine melodies.

Shye, who sold out the album’s launch show at Aliwal Arts Centre on Oct 8, is also making a foray into the regional scene with a set at Taiwan’s Asia Rolling Music Festival on Oct 28.