Harlequin (or LG 6.5), Rack and more

In What We’re Listening To, Engadget writers and editors discuss some of the recent music releases we’ve had on repeat. This installment has everything from jazz standards to The Jesus Lizard.

Lady Gaga – Harlequin

I wasn’t even a minute into Harlequin before I had the realization, Oh, I am going to become so annoying in my love for this. Unfortunately for everyone in my life (and doubly so because I’m singing along), I’ve had it blasting all weekend since the surprise drop on Friday. Gaga is a powerhouse, and as much as I adore her take on pop, I’m always blown away when I hear her do jazz. And Harlequin is brimming with it.

Harlequin is a companion album to a soon-to-be-released movie (Joker: Folie à Deux) and almost entirely comprises cover songs — a combination that might typically put me off. But Gaga’s breezy versions of classics like “World on a String” and “Smile” are almost chilling. Her energy in tracks like “Gonna Build a Mountain” is through the roof. I could have done without “Oh, When the Saints,” but I’m really just nit-picking now. There are only two original songs on the album and they are completely different beasts, each impactful in its own way. “Happy Mistake” is a clear standout, and I’ll be softly weeping to that one for years to come.

Babe Haven – Nuisance

On the exact opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve been really into punk band Babe Haven’s most recent album, Nuisance, lately. It’s 25-ish minutes of queer femme rage and I can’t get enough of it. Check it out on Bandcamp.

— Cheyenne MacDonald, Weekend Editor

The Jesus Lizard – Rack

Even laudatory reviews of comeback albums lean on expectations tempered with preemptive apology or pity praise. A comparison to headier days of musical urgency is inevitable; it stings for the same reasons as hearing “you look great for your age.” I wish there were some way to take stock of Rack without that baggage, because The Jesus Lizard doesn’t merely sound better than a band which took three decades off has any right to, it simply does not sound as though time has passed at all.

Rack broods with baffling inconspicuousness amid their oeuvre. Sure, “What If?” doesn’t reach the slash and sprawl of earlier meanderings like “Rodeo in Joliet,” but “Lord Godiva” glides on the most Duane Denison of Duane Denison riffs, lightning and crude oil. The manic physicality of David Yow’s voice is unaltered — neither more harried after 60+ years of swinging at ghosts, nor attenuated by the effort.

So many bands seemingly frozen in amber reemerge denuded, as though covering themselves. They’d be frantically recapturing their glory days, if they had the energy to do anything frantic anymore. Rack, through sheer ferocity, is instead a band continuing to do exactly what it always has, just as well as it always has, and sounding really fucking cool doing it.

— Avery Ellis, Deputy Editor, Reports

Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet

There’s a part of me that hates keeping up with pop music, and that’s the part of me that cringes when I realize the last few albums I’ve listened to have been the ones by pop princesses Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and more. That’s also the part of me that resisted listening to Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album for months (and probably the part of me that refused to watch the incredible Schitt’s Creek until this year).

I say all that only to explain why I’m so late to appreciate the goodness that is Short n’ Sweet. And the non-self-judgy part of me has unabashedly loved Carpenter’s new music and been asking all my friends if they’ve listened to her songs. When I talked to my various friend groups about her, what became clear is how there’s something for everyone, regardless of the variety in our tastes.

I’m a fan of R&B, hip hop and basically anything I can dance or sing to. The tracks “bet u wanna,” “Taste” and “Feather” have become highly repeated items on my playlist and yes, I did go back into her older discography for some of those titles. However, my current absolute favorite is “Espresso.” It’s got a catchy hook, clever lyrics and a groovy beat that delicately straddles the line between upbeat and lowkey. I love the wordplay and how, when woven with the rhythm and melody, it initially sounded to me like Carpenter was singing in a different language. And as someone who works in tech and is occasionally a gamer, I especially adored the use of the words “up down left right,” “switch” and Nintendo. Truly, rhyming “espresso” with “Nintendo” wasn’t something I would have expected to work, but work it did.

But back to the point I was making earlier: Even if that sort of chill dance club vibe isn’t your thing, there’s plenty in Short n’ Sweet that might appeal to you. I wasn’t as huge a fan of “Please please please,” for example, but I know friends who love it. And while “Bed Chem” and “Good Graces” aren’t hitting my feels the same way “Espresso” is, those two are among her highest played songs on Spotify. I’m also starting to warm up to “Juno.”

All that is to say, we all have different tastes. Maybe you’re more of a Chappell Roan fan. I like some of her latest tracks too, just not as much as I’ve enjoyed Carpenter’s. I also really enjoy the brilliance that is “Die With a Smile” by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, which is something I’ll be adding to my karaoke duet repertoire, but am already playing less frequently nowadays. If you have a preference for music from the likes of Ariana Grande, NewJeans and Doja Cat, you’ll probably have a good time with Sabrina Carpenter. And since I’m so late to the party, you probably have already.

— Cherlynn Low, Deputy Editor, Reviews