Melody on Music is Pop Heist's regular roundup of new releases from across the spectrum of recorded sound. Here, music critic Melody Esme singles out the most noteworthy drops, from major releases to hidden gems. Consider adding these to your rotation — and if you give them a spin, let us know what you think on Bluesky.
Food House: two house [self-released]
These goofy broads are for sure comparable to former-labelmates 100 gecs. But pointing this out does them a disservice, like comparing The Vibrators to The Clash. Gupi and Fraxiom would never waste their time on something as lame and arbitrary as bids for respectability, even mocking the idea that doing so is a worthwhile endeavor: "I fuckin' love bad music / They say that hyperpop is outta style / They want me to grow up and go acoustic / I said, 'Do you even like music?!'" Frequently, it seems like they operate on the philosophy that words are only worth saying if they're either funny or musical. They mostly accomplish this through stream-of-consciousness rhyming — "bi guy," "Try Guy," "fly high," "Mai Tai," "why why" — or clumsy, hilarious double-meanings ("I am an anthro apologist and I am not an anthropologist," "I love gay people / I won't say shoo to gays but I love shoegaze," etc.). This lands them the grossest album of the year, as this abstract bubblegum poetry leads them to such John Waters–esque images as "Floor is looking a little sticky like jizzy bank" and "Smoke it out your ass like Human Centipede." But all of this also means that the parts where they get real — tracks "nono" and "everybody's eyes," especially — feel earthshaking. "I heard you call Twitter 'X' / I've been trans for longer than that and I still don't get respect" is the sort of blunt commentary you're unlikely to hear from Laura Les; you get there by eschewing artistry for pure, authentic truth. A-
gabby start & Knapsack: Stem [self-released]
Of all the words you'd think would describe an album credited to two different projects from the same artist, clean wouldn't be one of them, right? But with ten solid songs in 30 minutes, all expertly crafted, coherent, and not a gimmick in sight, this is the cleanest hyperpop album of the year. And unfortunately for those of us who primarily love the genre for its out-there, transgressive qualities, it's also the best hyperpop album of the year. Uncharacteristically shy and agreeable for the genre, with the boldest swing a "Viva la Vida" sample on the gorgeous highlight "kiss," this shows that sometimes, when a style is teetering on the edge of shark-jumping, plain old great pop music can be more radical than any risky gambits. Which leads me to wonder: Is this the genre's Milo Goes to College? A
GFOTY: INFLUENZER [Girlfriend]
A lot of really enjoyable stuff here. "CONGRATS.." ("Why are you playing James Blake while you walk down the aisle?"), "Sitcom" ("We're on the telly, you're gonna kiss me"), and "GRWM (eww)" ("Do I enjoy sushi? Like what a fucking question is that? Like, everyone likes fucking sushi") — all incredible. But ... look, I can't explain my hangups to you. You'd have to talk to my therapist. All I know is that "spin song" makes me uncomfortable as a woman, a person with a body, a human being with any kind of sex drive. Whatever. At least if I'm ever uncertain about wanting an orchi again, "Get your big balls out, let's play ping pong" will be there to remind me. B+
