10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of February 25, 2022
Somehow, yet another week is now behind us, and the last seven days have spoiled us with some spectacular new music releases.
The shortest month of the year is only a few brief days from concluding, and we're going to spend the rest of it blasting our very favorite new tunes of the week. From up-and-coming indie acts like Boyish and Olive Vox to stadium-filling artists including Florence + the Machine and Troye Sivan, everyone was at the top of their game this week. Keep scrolling to discover 10 big things that happened in music the week of February 25, 2022.
1. Boyish Reflects on Lost Friendship and Love in 'Congratulations'
Queer indie duo Boyish has entirely captured our hearts with their dreamy and bittersweet new single "Congratulations." The melodic track reflects one of our greatest fears—revealing your feelings of love to a close friend, only to have both the relationship and the friendship fall apart as a result. "'Congratulations' is about falling for someone who you are close to," the band explained in a press release. "It's the moment when you cross the line between friends and something more and the fear that once you cross that line there's no going back. It's written from the present day after things have fallen apart but reflects back to the moment when you become more than just friends." The music video unfolds in two panels, with guitarist Claire Altendahl's performance on the left, while singer India Shore reflects on the right. It's powerful from start to finish, and a glimpse into their upcoming My Friend Mica EP, out May 6.
2. Olive Vox Stun With Their Self-Titled EP
Texas-based rock band Olive Vox consists of 20-year-old Parker James and his 15-year-old brother, Caden Shea, but based on their bold sound, combining elements psychedelic and grunge elements to create something totally their own, you'd never guess they were so young. Their self-titled debut EP, consisting of five songs, is well worth a listen—but we especially love the Nirvana-channeling song, "Sunflower." "The lyrics are a metaphor of how I struggled in school being dyslexic," Parker explained in a press release.
3. SURAN Addresses the Devil in All of Us With 'Devils in the City'
No matter what kind of music is your favorite, it's hard to resist the appeal of South Korean singer SURAN's angelic tracks. They're the perfect blend of K-pop, R&B and hip-hop, and her latest release, the English-language song "Devils in the City" is one of our favorites yet. "We have to keep in mind that anyone can become a devil in this world," SURAN explained in a press release. "Inspired by real experiences, this song expresses the ambivalence of human beings. I was going through some hard times and as I was recovering and pulling myself together, I was able to write this song."
4. Caroline Romano Drops Her Debut Album, Oddities and Prodigies
Our love for Caroline Romano goes way back, and we're so proud of her for the release of her debut album, Oddities and Prodigies. The genre-spanning album is the perfect showcase of her personal and musical growth and versatility as an artist with tracks that cut straight to the soul. "A lot of this album is about growing up and figuring out who you are," Caroline told Sweety High in an interview. "For so many years, I felt like an oddity. I felt out of place and I hated anything about me that made me different. However, the beautiful thing about growing up is realizing just how many of the best people in life are the weirdest, too. It's one of the most important messages I can pass on."
5. Kat & Alex Turn Up the Romance in 'I Want It All'
Wife-husband duo Kat & Alex are both relationship goals and one of our favorite country acts right at the moment, and their latest single, "I Want It All," puts their powerful love on full display. The strength of their relationship is clear in every aspect of the song and its romantic video, and the combination of their voices together has us swooning. "Our relationship is everything to this music," Kat said of their romance in a press release. "There's so much love that goes into every single song. This wouldn't work if we didn't love each other as much as we do and put God first in all we do."
6. Big Time Rush Are Back at It With Danceable New Single 'Not Giving You Up'
In December, Big Time Rush released their first single together in a whopping eight years, and the boys are back this week with a buttery smooth new dance track called "Not Giving You Up." We love the romantic feel of the track, and its hilarious music video featuring the boys as sleezy romance specialists. The song proves that BTR truly is back and better than they've ever been, and we can't wait until June for their epic North American tour, featuring Dixie D'Amelio. "Not only are we excited to be sharing new music with you this week, but we've been holding onto this secret for over two years and now it's official!" the band revealed in a press release. "We are going back on tour! We can't thank you enough for all of your love and support over all these years and we can't wait to see you at the Forever Tour."
7. Becky Hill Teams Up With Producer Duo Galantis for Anthemic New Song, 'Run'
Fresh off her win of a BRIT Award for Best Dance Act this year, Becky Hill has released the uplifting and anthemic new song with producer duo Galantis, and it's just the thing to blast to put yourself in a great mood. This collab is a match made in heaven, and we can't stop listening. "I'm so excited to release 'Run' with Galantis," Becky revealed in a press release. "I wrote it with my best friend MNEK, whom I've been writing with for 10 years. The magic I felt when we first wrote my single 'Losing' back in 2012, I still feel to this day when writing with him. I feel like every single I release has the potential to better the last one and this is no different, especially with Galantis featuring on the record, too. With their catalogue of hits with the likes of Little Mix and Years & Years, I'm very proud to be a part of another huge collaboration with them. This next phase of my artistry is an extension of me fully coming out as a pop star, but this time with a BRIT Award in hand!"
8. Florence + the Machine Reevaluates Her Identity in 'King'
Florence Welch and her band, Florence + the Machine, are icons at this point, and it felt like it had been way too long since we'd last heard from them. But this week, they answered all of their prayers with the powerful and lovely new song, "King," which reflects on womanhood, the expectations placed on women and their place in the world. "As an artist, I never actually thought about my gender that much," Florence said in a press release. "I just got on with it. I was as good as the men and I just went out there and matched them every time. But now, thinking about being a woman in my 30s and the future, I suddenly feel this tearing of my identity and my desires. That to be a performer, but also to want a family might not be as simple for me as it is for my male counterparts. I had modeled myself almost exclusively on male performers, and for the first time I felt a wall come down between me and my idols as I have to make decisions they did not."
9. Turning Red's Fictional Boy Band 4*Town Gives Us the Surprisingly Great 'Nobody Like U'
We'll have to admit that when we heard that a song was being released by the fictional boy hand 4*Town from the upcoming Disney/Pixar movie Turning Red, we didn't expect much. It only took a few seconds for our expectations to be blown out of the water, with a track evocative of the music of the greatest late '90s boy bands. Further digging revealed the song was written by none other than Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, and that it was performed by Finneas, Jordan Fisher, Topher Ngo, Grayson Villanueva and Josh Levi. We couldn't think of anything greater than getting even more music from this fake boy band.
10. Troye Sivan Drops Two Tracks From His Movie Three Months
With his success as a singer-songwriter, it can be easy to forget that Troye Sivan actually began his career as an actor, and earlier this month, his incredible movie Three Months dropped on Paramount+. The film follows a teenage boy who, just before his high school graduation, discovers he's been exposed to HIV, and the three-month period he spends waiting for his test results. The movie deserves a watch, especially because it also includes two brand new Troye tracks—"Wait" featuring Gordi and "Trouble," featuring Jay Som. Both are stunning and gorgeous in their own ways, much like the movie itself. "Three Months is a movie we made against all odds throughout a global pandemic," Troye said in a press release. "It stars Ellen Burstyn, Lou Gossett Jr., Viveik Kalra, Brianne Tju and me. It's from the producers of Juno and Up in the Air—two of my favorite movies—and is directed and written by my friend and fellow Nice Jewish Boy, Jared Frieder."
Missed our favorite tracks last week? Click HERE to check out our top 10 favorite releases the week of Feb. 18, 2022.