Life Listens: New music from Pink, Paramore, Linkin Park, BSS, Chok Kerong and Vanessa Fernandez

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

Stream This Song: Pink – Trustfall

If American pop star Pink’s new song Trustfall sounds vaguely familiar, that is because it is driven by the trendy, 1980s synthpop sound that has served acts such as The Weeknd well.

Co-produced by electronic musician Fred and Snow PatroI’s Johnny McDaid, it is the kind of music that can work in a club, festival or concert.

Take away the backing music, and Trustfall sounds decidedly Pink.

The title track of her latest and ninth album, it features her trademark vigorous vocals and an arrangement that builds up to a euphoric chorus.

The lyrics encourage the listener to take a leap of faith with vague assurances that love will be there to catch us. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Ace Album: Paramore – This Is Why

If the wild success of the When We Were Young festival in Las Vegas in October 2022 was a strong signal that early 2000s emo is back, then a new album by Paramore all but confirms it.

This Is Why is the American trio’s first new music since 2017. Their hiatus after the previous album After Laughter turned into an extended break when the pandemic kicked in.

Unlike that album’s new wave and synthpop bent, guitars are big and prominent again here.

But this is not a throwback to the pop-punk Paramore of yore as the new tracks showcase a lot more dynamism.

The trio of singer Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro delve into post-punk grooves while also dabbling in reverb-laden dreampop.

Williams explores issues such as post-pandemic anxiety in songs like the title track and The News, but she also pours her heart out in the tender Liar, which is said to be about the recently confirmed romance between her and York. – Eddino Abdul Hadi

Must-See MV: Linkin Park – Lost

American rockers Linkin Park’s new track, Lost, is a previously unreleased song recorded two decades ago.

The music video for it, which comes nearly six years after the

death of frontman Chester Bennington,

is both current and retro.

The animation style is a nod to the multiple anime music videos that fans have created for the band in the past, strung together with modern artificial intelligence (AI) alchemy.

According to Linkin Park’s other frontman Mike Shinoda, AI was used to merge original art by artists pplpleasr and Maciej Kuciara, as well as past footage of the group performing while Bennington was still alive.

Included in Meteora 20th Anniversary Edition, a reissue of the band’s 2003 sophomore album, Lost is very similar to the Linkin Park hits of the era.

Set against shimmering synths, crunchy guitars and driving rhythms, Bennington’s singing style swings from melodic vulnerability to forceful urgency, a reminder that his suicide was one of modern rock’s biggest losses. – Eddino Abdul Hadi 

Chart Champ: BSS - Second Wind

Seungkwan, DK and Hoshi of K-pop boy band Seventeen make their second appearance as the sub-unit BSS since their formation in 2018.

BSS stands for BooSeokSoon, an acronym of the members’ real names Boo Seung-kwan, Lee Seok-min (DK) and Kwon Soon-young (Hoshi).

Their new release Second Wind and its lead single Fighting topped charts in South Korea, nabbing the No. 1 spot on Circle Chart’s physical album and digital download rankings.

Fighting, which features prominent female rapper Lee Young-ji, also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 charts. According to South Korea’s music chart Hanteo, Second Wind sold more than 478,600 copies on the first day of its release.

Fighting is a fun and infectious song to add to Seventeen’s body of work. It is meant to be a boost of energy to listeners, since “fighting” is used as a term in South Korea to cheer people on.

Lee’s rap is a nice jolt of attitude that sets itself apart from the boisterous chorus. For something laid-back, check out the soothing guitar ballad 7pm, which features Norwegian singer-songwriter Peder Elias. – Jan Lee

Singapore Scene: Chok Kerong and Vanessa Fernandez – Spiral.

Last Friday, Singaporean musicians and composers Chok Kerong and Vanessa Fernandez staged a concert at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade to launch their collaborative album Spiral.

It turns out that the two hip-hop and funk-inflected pre-album singles, Cry and Don’t You Walk Away, scratched only the surface of the myriad sounds found in the full nine-track release.

Both performers bring their wealth of experience to the table. Chok has two decades of experience as a musician, composer and producer whose works traverse jazz, classical, pop and more. Fernandez, too, has been active for just as long in the R&B, hip-hop and electronic music scene as a singer and songwriter.

A song like Meditation, for example, features her vocal range over Chok’s adroit musicianship and arrangements.

Underwater is a lush piano ballad that sounds both classy and contemporary, while When You Do is a layered track with shades of bossa nova.

Spiral is the type of album that takes a few listens for one to fully appreciate its intricate compositions, and is a triumph of both artistes’ musicality. – Eddino Abdul Hadi