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.
Skrillex: FUCK U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!! <3 [OWSLA/Atlantic]
Dismissing Sonny Moore in 2011 was wrong, but fine — like rage comics and drinking Four Loko, "drop the bass" jokes are just something people did, even though they all sucked. In 2025, though, mocking Skrillex dates you, both in a wrong side of history and a hasn't changed at all since the early 2010s kind of way. He's able to get away with an album full of self-deprecating metajokes because of how much his negative public perception feels wholly of its time and place. Now we have 100 gecs and the kind of noise-EDM Moore typified is so respected it's unrecognizable as something to scorn. Working with the gecs themselves a few years ago showed an awareness of how the tides had shifted, and with this album — released on April Fool's Day — he pushes his overstimulating aesthetic into pure chaos. These 34 tracks in 46 minutes are mostly snippets — some of them all buildup, others all drop, and all combined a better work than the sum of its parts (and the parts are fantastic, anyway). From the name of the album to a song title like "MOSQUITOTOUILLE" to a 30-second song based around the phrase "I'm the drummer, don't panic," you're unlikely to find a funnier album in 2025. And though it goes by so fast you may not notice, he does switch things up — if it were four times as long, "G2G" could be a DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ song. A
Sleigh Bells: Bunky Becky Birthday Boy [Mom + Pop]
"I only fall in love with the flaws/The things that you're ashamed of," Alexis Krauss sings, a line that sums this band up perfectly. Their mixture of grit and sweetness is the equivalent of being the edgiest kid in the candy store; of being so head over heels that the blood rushes to your brain and you pass out. According to consensus, they peaked with their debut. I've always been more of a Bitter Rivals/Jessica Rabbit kind of girl. Now, you can add this one to that list, a barrage of synthesized double-kicks and clashing guitars that only intensify the sugar rush. A "pop metal dream"? That's one way of putting it. Play the Skrillex album and this one back to back and you'll hear a Speakerboxxx/The Love Below for t-girls on Adderall. A-
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