#HitsOfTomorrow – A Weekly Rundown of the Should-be Hits
This week’s list features The Yeah Yeah Yeahs returning after a while and new tracks by U.K. rock band Editors, among others
We are nearly midway through the month of August and Megan Thee Stallion follows her “Savage Remix” collab partner Beyoncé’s footsteps with her own album Traumazine, a bold and ambitious ode to haters. While the album is likely to generate numerous hits, a female rap icon has returned to try and reclaim her throne – Nicki Minaj has released “Super Freaky Girl,” sampling Rick James’ classic “Super Freak.” While Minaj is nowhere near the height of her fame, the single is a solid effort much in the way her “Anaconda” sampling Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” revived her career then. While the female MCs are definitely duking it out, it’s likely they’ll still impact the charts without much push. Here at Hits Of Tomorrow, it’s about giving those should-be hits a little extra push and this week, there’s no shortage of great new releases.
“Mutual Friend” – Jessie Reyez
Criminally underrated, Jessie Reyez has yet to see the success many of her contemporaries have seen over the past few years. But that doesn’t mean she’s stopped trying. “Mutual Friend” is the perfect single for the moment right now. It fits Top 40 but has this extra edge that has always made Reyez stand out from the pack and the single shines because of its dark lyrical material and the singer’s standout vocals. If there is justice, it will break big on the charts. A deserving hit!
“Keeping Tabs” – NIKI
Indonesia is quickly becoming the next South Korea! Well, at least NIKI is proving that. With the release of her album Nicole, she looks back at her younger self and actually remakes and reinterprets her songs from the past. “Keeping Tabs” shines brightest and will hopefully get pushed as a single not just in the Asian market but across the globe as the track has just the right formula to make it a breakthrough hit on radio and on streaming. Hopefully a proper music video will follow because there is no denying that NIKI is a star.
“Spaceman” –MØ
Always a bit off center, MØ returns with a collection of B-sides after dropping her third studio album “Motordrome” sometime back. The collection includes the single “Spaceman,” a standout track from the set that thankfully seems to be rightfully getting a push by the artist with a music video that finds her as the leader of a new planet. The song is quirky, catchy and everything we expect from the Danish artist but seldom get to hear on playlists and radio.
“Burning” – Yeah YeahYeahs
The hype continues to build for the Yeah YeahYeahs’ first album in nine years. “Burning,” the latest release from the upcoming Cool It Down album is produced by Andrew Wyatt and is quite possibly the most pop sounding record of the band… like ever. Inspired by The Four Seasons’ “Beggin’” (recently turned into a smash cover by Maneskin), the single is a perfect introduction to the band to a whole new generation/audience, meanwhile making long-term fans of Karen O and company more than happy to get back and moving.
“Kiss (Edit)” – Editors
U.K. rock band Editors have also continued to preview their upcoming album EBM over the past several months, with “Kiss” being their latest single. The track is most definitely their best till date in this era and the song, if promoted correctly, should become not just a signature track for the band but a hit single too. Edited from the original nearly seven-and-a-half minute version, the shortened mix is perfect for those late summer playlists and will fit in nicely between OneRepublic and Beyoncé on Top 40 radio right now.
“Heart On Fire” – Rozes
Speaking of OneRepublic, I’m sure many are wondering how they managed the bigger single from Top Gun: Maverick over Lady Gaga’s ballad “Hold My Hand.” Well, the truth is, their single “I Ain’t Worried” is a far superior song and has become another hit for the band. Why exactly am I talking about this while technically reporting on Rozes’ latest single “Heart On Fire”? Well, because this single is what “Hold My Hand” should have been. The fact that Rozes continues to fall under the radar is beyond my comprehension as the songwriter knows how to make a hit tune. The soundtrack producers would have been better served taking this cinematic ballad as the theme song for the smash film. Radio that still occasionally likes to feature that slow-burn classic ballad need not look any further! Meanwhile, big congratulations to the singer who released the track to coincide with her nuptials!
Even More Hits!
US – Shallou, ayokay
DO YOU MIND – Kojo Funds
BLUSH! – nicolehan
SHERYL CROW – courtship.
Listen To #HITSOFTOMORROW Playlist on Spotify!