Post-summertime madness: Previously in pop music

MANILA, Philippines - Yes, we, too, have been quite overwhelmed by the sudden downpour of releases this mid-July.  Allow us to make your rainy days and weekdays more bearable with these brand-new additions to your playlist.

Lana Del Rey drops a bitter ‘Honeymoon’

And judging by the lyrics alone, she seems to have ditched her hypothetical one as well. LDR leaked the title track of her third album on July 14, when everyone was tucked in bed. She didn’t exactly pull off a Beyoncé, though. After all, nobody likes a sad girl — perhaps except for the 40,000 netizens (one of whom was yours truly, of course) who clicked the thumbs up button on her lyric video soon after it was released.

Taking her late-‘60s aesthetic into consideration, one still finds it hard to take Lana Del Rey seriously. In between her near-kilometric drawl and the marching drums is a smirk directed at the listener. That being said, we take comfort in the assumption that she hasn’t lost her sense of irony, two albums into her pop music career.

Side note: props to her for not using the phrases “beauty queen,” “daddy” and “take your body downtown” in her least catchy single.

CHVRCHES leaves a trace and so much more

You didn’t hear it from us, but the Scottish synthpop trio is slated to release a second album this September. It seemed like they were very well aware that everybody enjoyed “The Bones of What You Believe” so much that they’ve decided to give us a sequel, plus a sneak peek to boot.

Leave a Trace, their most gripping anthem yet, shows no sign of departure from the previous album. If anything, it is a refined embodiment of everything they’ve created. In what Lauren Mayberry describes as a “middle finger mic-drop” lies unadulterated angst wrapped in their signature ‘80s synth riffs. It must’ve been quite a cathartic episode for the group. At least almost as cathartic as it was for everybody who has already listened to the track. The verses seethe with indignation so palpable, one can only try to fight it and fail — but not without dancing.

Carly Rae Jepsen releases ‘Run Away With Me’ music video

Jepsies of the world unite and hit the thumbs-up button. Carly Rae Jepsen has officially claimed her spot in the pop music arena, and rightfully so. The first track off the thirsty songstress’s third album “E•MO•TION” encapsulates the youthful optimism of a fresh graduate hitting the shower on the first Monday of his/her job. For the world-weary yuppie, the track’s horn intro can only herald the start of a temporary rebellion against the cubicle partitions.

The video, however, leaves much to be desired. Her Instagram-tinted travelogue supercut could have been the most appealing footage uploaded with the hashtag #Wanderlust, but it actually looks nothing more than a lo-fi montage of Murad Osmann’s Follow Me series, as a friend pointed out. Given Carly Rae’s caliber as an artist, I personally feel that more attention should have been given to the production of the video. She would have done the song greater justice by avoiding such a literal interpretation.

We’d still gladly take her hand, nonetheless. To set things straight, she will never be Taylor Swift (who as of press time has been spewing bad blood all over our Twitter feeds), but isn’t that a good thing?

Vice Ganda jumps onto the pabebe bandwagon, films latest music video

We have to hand it to Vice, he does know how to dish out an instant chart-topper. The madlang people’s favorite comedian, noontime and talk show host, and concert king has just finished shooting the video for ‘Wag Kang Pabebe. Think: Vice Ganda engulfed in a mass of plush dolls, reclining atop a giant mamon, and prancing amid green screen graphics while stars of the viral Pabebe Girls video make a cameo appearance in what must be a sequel to (and hopefully the end of) the online trend.

The hit itself is almost impossible to avoid, much like a pernicious epidemic. It’s what you get when 2008’s urban beats survive within the system long enough to mutate and interact with a host of viral memes. Come to think of it, the neo-novelty singer seems to be a mad scientist in disguise, and until someone stops him from discovering a new trend or even a hyped-up catchphrase to cash in on, there will be no hope for a cure. “Tama na ‘yan; tigilan mo na ‘yan,” we plead as a people.

Thankfully, “Phil Pop 2015” has come to the rescue. Thyro Alfaro, Yumi Lacsamana, and Jeric Medina’s entry shows promise, albeit as a palliative treatment. Listen to Triangulo on loop if you still have a sense of self-preservation. Musikaw by James Reid and Pio works just as well.