10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of July 30, 2021
With all of the phenomenal music our favorite artists put out over the last seven days, you'd think they were trying to make it impossible to narrow it down to our favorite 10 releases.
This week we were blessed with new releases from Jasmine Thompson, Maria Becerra, PRETTYMUCH and more—and that's not to mention a whole new album of Billie Eilish tracks to obsessed over for the next several months.
Ready to hear our faves? Keep scrolling for our 10 favorite things that happened in music the week of July 30, 2021.
1. Bailey Baum Releases Her Debut EP, Over It
Singer-songwriter Bailey Baum definitely deserves your attention this year, and her debut EP, Over It, is the perfect encapsulation of her musical talents. The collection of songs explore heartbreak, including the enchanting single "Bad for Me," before reflecting on the ability to pick up the pieces and move on. "I want the EP to help people feel empowered to get 'over it,' while also acknowledging how important it is to let yourself feel everything deeply," Bailey explained in a press release. "No emotion or thought you have is invalid, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel of heartbreak. We all deserve to find happiness and peace and fulfillment and that all starts within yourself. I'm still learning and growing from my experiences, this EP is all about that process."
2. AVIV and Octavio the Dweeb Join Forces for the Smooth and Dreamy Single 'Black Coffee'
There are some friendships that you believe will last forever, only to drift apart when you least expect it. AVIV and Octavio the Dweeb's new collab, "Black Coffee," is about that strange emotion, captured beautifully in a warm, raw and real track tinged with nostalgia. This song makes us so excited to see where AVIV's career goes next—and at just 15 years of age, we think she's got some incredible hits ahead of her. "With COVID, a lot of my friendships and my friends' romantic relationships just came to a full stop," AVIV noted in a press release. "People drifted. When you pour out your cup of black coffee, there are all of these grains in the bottom that stay there. Those grains are all of the things that could've been pursued, but the cup was already poured out. That's the deeper meaning."
3. JORDY Accepts Himself and the Love He Can Give in'Till It Hurts'
L.A.-based singer-songwriter JORDY has jumped onto our radars in a big way with his new single, "Till It Hurts." With a rousing pop beat and the way the music builds up into an epic anthem, it's a powerful song about self-acceptance, and allowing yourself to recognize the capacity you have to love someone. "I think we all feel like we're hard to love sometimes," JORDY revealed in a press released. "Whether it's our anxieties or bad habits or baggage from past relationships, there are moments where we all ask ourselves if we're even worthy of love in the first place. But I think a lot of us that struggle with those feelings are ones who have an incredible amount of love to give … It's me owning all of my flaws and insecurities while also recognizing my capacity and ability to love someone else unconditionally. Even if it hurts."
4. Ryan Caraveo Releases the Pop-Punk Influenced Album Northend Sweetheart
Seattle-based artist Ryan Caraveo may not consider himself to be a "superstar," but we still think he deserves a lot of credit for the incredible tracks he's been releasing lately, culminating in the release of new album Northend Sweetheart, out today. It features 14 stunning tracks, including the single "Superstar," consisting of honest songs about his own personal experiences, including how he feels about confronting fame. The album never sticks to just one genre as he seamlessly melds alternative sounds with pop, hip-hop and pop-punk. "Northend Sweetheart is about having a warm heart stuck in a gloomy desolate place," Ryan told Sweety High. "It's about trying to fall in love without even comprehending I didn't love myself. It's about feeling like I'm being watched and guided carefully by the universe or angels or something that I'm just not sure of. It's saying the things that I couldn't figure out how to say out loud and it's reminiscing on previous lives that I have lived. It is the place that I am so proud to have come from."
5. Tenille Townes Empowers Us to Live for Ourselves With 'Girl Who Didn't Care'
Tenille Townes is a master of her craft, spinning gorgeous country narratives with powerful messages, and her latest release, "Girl Who Didn't Care," may just be our favorite. It's a song about recapturing your youthful spirit and don't-care attitude, and it's a girl power anthem that's about to catch on in a big way. "I've been walking a lot this past year at home around my neighborhood, and have marveled at the sidewalk chalk art and the sound of kids playing in their backyards, and something about taking in that spirit made me reminisce and think about where our courage comes from," Tenille said in an interview with Sweety High. "From that younger version of ourselves, who wasn't afraid of what anybody else might say or think, or how far away a crazy dream might be. I've been on a journey lately to find more of that courage again in my life, and this song has been such a big part of that."
6. Kiana V Drops Her Dream-Like Sophomore EP Dazed
Filipino singer-songwriter Kiana V has one of the most melodious voices in the game today, and her new EP, Dazed, puts all of her talents on show over the course of its five ethereal tracks. Her music is like a dream, and Dazed couldn't be a more apt title for the way it makes us feel. "This song is a moment of quiet introspection," Kiana said of the EP's title track in a press release. "A personal exchange between negative and positive self-talk in an attempt to find inner healing." That's a message we can get behind.
7. Jasmine Thompson Captures the Bittersweetness of Moving On in 'Happy for You'
Breaking up is hard to do—but fully moving on from that relationship afterward might be even harder. Singer-songwriter Jasmine Thompson knows this well, and her latest single, "Happy for You" manages to capture that keen sense of brokenheartedness in both its touching lyrics and its gentle, sad sound. "'Happy For You' is about learning to let someone go," Jasmine said in an interview with Sweety High, "and you can see that they are happy with someone else. It's inspired by those moments when you realise you're fighting a losing battle.
8. PRETTYMUCH Debuts Romantic New Single, 'Trust'
PRETTYMUCH has pretty much established themselves as the anti-boyband, and we are all for it. We love the R&B edge to their tracks, and the fact that there's a maturity to the confidence in their lyrics, and their latest single "Trust" is the epitome of that. It's a song about having faith in the person you love, and knowing that if you give someone trust, you'll get it in return. "While I was waiting for the other producers to show up at the studio, I was on FaceTime with my girlfriend, Maggie Lindemann, and she was showing off her fit that she wanted to wear out that night," the band's Brandon Arreaga revealed in an interview with Sweety High. In all honesty, I was giving her a hard time for wearing something so revealing without me around, but then I immediately felt bad about it. So I dedicated the rest of the day to writing about how I really felt. I wanted to make a song that encourages our fans to express themselves fully and to send a message to people everywhere that feeling confident in a relationship isn't about being in 'control,' but about being supportive of one another."
9. Maria Becerra Exposes Her Greatest 'Weakness' in 'Mi Debilidad'
Have you ever felt so entirely obsessed with someone that they wound up consuming your whole life? It happens to the best of us, and Argentinean sensation Maria Becerra exposes the notion as her greatest weakness in her sultry new single, "Mi Debilidad." "'Mi Debilidad' is a song that represents the weakness you can have for a person, the dependency when you're so in love that the person becomes your purpose," Maria explained in a press release. "It's to the point that your emotions and feelings are dependent on a person. That person that can change your world or your day with something they say, their smile, or their attitude. They impact you in a very strong way. It's about when you really miss someone. You only want to be with that person. That person becomes your necessity. It's a toxic feeling. It's also an empty feeling. That happened to me and it wasn't good. I didn't know how to overcome it, but I'm going to do it."
10. Billie Eilish Drops Highly Anticipated Sophomore Album Happier Than Ever
Just look at the album cover for Billie Eilish's new album Happier Than Ever and you'll know exactly what you're in for. The sunny title, contrasted by the tear streaking down Billie's cheek, is the perfect distillation of the complexity and contradictory nature of the tracks within. Featuring singles including "Therefore I Am," "Your Power" and the newly released "Oxytocin," Happier Than Ever shows off Billie's ability to create low-key hit after hit. This incredible album proves that Billie Eilish's fame is anything but a flash in the pan, and that her incredible talents as both a singer and songwriter are only going to get more impressive with time. Until then, we are very happy with listening to this one on repeat.
Missed us last week? Click HERE for all the biggest and best things that happened in music the week of July 23.