May 19, 2025 — Weekly Bullet Reviews
Some From the Intercom favorites are in our column this week, so please forgive Li-Wei for rambling on a bit in the upcoming blurbs. Take some time to watch all the music videos this week — I swear it’ll be worth your while. -Li-Wei
As always, some ground rules:
- These songs are listed in no particular order.
- Basically these blurbs are our rough first impressions of these tracks, so our reviews will be a lot more relaxed!
- Anything released from the past 3 weeks/month is eligible for a bullet review.
- Songs with new, recent music video releases will also be considered for a weekly bullet review.
Justin: May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. I have been hyper-aware of the intersection throughout the past couple weeks. The themes and visuals on “UNTIL SUNDAY” remind me of the importance of recognizing the health and quality of our experiences through the digital synths cutting through the miasma. In this track, I hear influences from The Postal Service, Analog Rebellion (fka PlayRadioPlay!) all songs that evoke the emo, misfit days of the late 2000s. Even though we’ve grown older, these problems have not exactly subsided, and we still need music that speaks to a mutual understanding and hope that things will get better. We are not alone.
Mya: “UNTIL SUNDAY” is a plein air painting of unhurried grief. “Some days I’ll write it, a sad song.” Well, this is the sad song. My favorite portion is the very first, and very last, four stanzas of the song. Just a tired, measured voice speaking from bed. Terribly relatable.
Li-Wei: I really didn’t expect this kind of emotional heft to come from an animated doodle/indie pop song. Stacy Kim and Kaelan Geoffrey, the duo who make up bestfriend, just released the morosely-titled BESTFRIEND HAS AN IDENTITY CRISIS EP, and if “UNTIL SUNDAY” is any indication of what the rest of it is like, I’ll just say that the EP title has the sort of anxious self-reflection that makes the title make sense. “UNTIL SUNDAY” is sonically dark and deals with some depressive thoughts, but it’s when Kaelen suddenly joins Stacy on the song that some light shines through. The second euphoric drop that comes through on the track also feels absolutely liberating. If you’ve watched Thunderbolts*, the Marvel it-movie of the moment… without spoiling too much, I’ll just say that this (the music and the video) is very topically relevant to the larger cultural zeitgeist right now.
Squid The Kid – “WHATCHU SAY?”
Justin: A slick, funky, squad energy hype hit. Boombox at the mall type confidence all the way. Would honestly not be out of place in Splatoon, just translate all the lyrics to the cephalopod language. Summer ready with wraparound sunglasses.
Mya: The sort of shit I hear from teenagers on the bus. We’re all sweating because the bus driver turned the AC off. They’re posturing, joking, spinning stories, figuring out what the plan is. They’re not terrifically funny and neither is this song. I like the painfully squeaky beats and low-level, blaring alarms.
Li-Wei: Is it the spiritual successor to Jason Derulo’s “Whatcha Say”? Maybe! Squid The Kid’s “WHATCHU SAY?” is a rapid-fire hype music that feels like it’ll go big in a chanting crowd.
Sabrina Song – “Background Actor”
Justin: Crunchy drums and manifesting the spirit of post-grunge Alanis Morissette. Love the railing, echo of “SPIRAL OUT!” Captures the listless sensation of being a scenery character well.
Mya: I just want more of the textured, abrasive guitar — it’s like metal string frottage. The vocals are such a contrast. Smooth and effortless. A perfect act while all the seething thrums below the skin. “And it’s all I think about, I think about / I spiral out! I spiral out!” I want so much more than the one muffled, screamed sentence. But that’s not this song. The restraint is the point.
Li-Wei: Gonna preface this by saying that it’s a shame that there weren’t any music videos for the YCSIOS,AILYTS album rollout, ’cause Sabrina Song tracks go hard when committed to film. “Background Actor” is yet another bid for Sabrina Song’s talent for making indie pop tracks that feel timeless, like you’re in a charming indie flick. This one’s about being underappreciated by someone, and I particularly love the screaming “spiral out!” harmony and the brief moment of chaos that comes with it that just breaks that tension. Definitely not a background actor in our books.
Justin: A darker, more electronic sound than I’m used to from Jailyn Duong. For me, the music video is the highlight with all the goofy dances, cuts, and shots of Los Angeles. I love when artists have fun. <3
Mya: I try not to let accompanying visuals influence my initial reviews, but the cover art for “Joyride” is hilarious. It contextualizes what kind of “Joyride” we should be expecting — one that ends with you flung over a tree branch. I feel like I’m stumbling through an unlit street, barely able to see past my own feet and the cracked, tree-warped pavement. This song is like blinking at all-encompassing 1am darkness.
Li-Wei: There’s something about musicians naming their comeback single “Joyride”, throwing the rules out of the window and then turning the heat up. Kesha did it successfully a few months ago, and Jailyn Duong’s continuing that tradition. “Joyride” is a sleek, queasy banger that feels different from what she has released so far (I still remember reviewing “god isn’t talking to me” in a previous edition of our weekly reviews) but this attitude is all her. Perfect for driving around at night for a joyride.
Justin: Ragamuffs is back with more sweet, summery indie pop. Some of the sensibilities remind me a lot of the Singaporean indie bands we’ve been loving on the site like Sobs and Subsonic Eye. Endlessly loopable and comforting. Despite some of the lingering clouds in Southern California, the weeklies are convincing me that summer is already here. The music video is also an awesome sports montage that pumps me up.
Mya: You know what this song calls to mind? I’m scootering, the wheels thumping rhythmically on each sidewalk groove. I’ve got skinned knees and my hands still smart from the tumble. I’m trucking along. Right now the summer sun is too good to spend it indoors. I want the cleansing, punishing heat. That’s what I think of listening to “Glenny Said”.
Li-Wei: No, “Glenny Said” is not a new song (it’s been a year since it was released on streaming platforms, but see our music video rule) but I’ll take any opportunity that I can to talk about Ragamuffs’ brand of uplifting bedroom pop. This sunshiney song would’ve soundtracked many a beach party last year, but it’s never too late for its resurgence this summer with its gorgeous music video showcasing Hailey Finesse failing at different sports. Hailey Finesse’ DIY tunes are really fun to listen and bop along to. “Glenny Said”… “Belinda Says”… lots of people are saying things in the indie space, apparently!
Justin: An unexpectedly placid appearance on the weeklies. I forgot everything I just said about summer being here from the pastoral, pollen on the breeze, piano layered into chirping birds and leaves rustling in the wind. I could totally see this in a scenic, nature-filled sanctuary in a JRPG or cozy town-building sim.
Mya: This is nice. I don’t know if I have much to say about it. I want to go lie down at Los Angeles State Historic Park, and listen to the birds, and the trundle of the train, and the quiet, quiet, quiet…but when I wake up the train was the harshness of the washing machine, and the grass was my blanket, and the birds weren’t park birds, but window birds…which are still quite nice birds, all that being said.
Li-Wei: If I didn’t already know that Ann Annie was a musician based in the Pacific Northwest, I probably would’ve guessed it in five guesses (probably three, but maybe that’s too arrogant). “reprise” is sonically lush and tranquil — a gorgeous musical collage of nature and piano that slowly dissipates after melding into one another. This one is a mix of Ichiko Aoba’s more ambient pieces and Ana Roxanne, which means it’s absolutely awesome and gorgeous.
Debbii Dawson – “Chemical Reaction”
Justin: Half country western, half electronic dance track. Incredible contrast that works really well. Love the “woo hoo” and “uh huuh” ad libs. As if Dolly Parton took on Dua Lipa’s production for a spin on a Cadillac.
Mya: I love when Debbii Dawson’s sultry vocals take focus. Lana Del Rey is that you? “Chemical Reaction” feels like J. J. Abrams’ Star Trek: all slippery smooth glass and blinding lights.
Li-Wei: Debbii Dawson’s recent output has been drawing a lot of comparisons to ABBA’s, and “Chemical Reaction” is following the same sort of musical palette. But really, I just want to feature this song just so I can link this insane quote unquote street interview that she did a while back. I have no idea what percentage of Debbii Dawson is actually on display there or what she’s like in real life, but it’s insane that she’s able to put out 80s inspired bangers like this while being so off the rocker. Hell yeah, Debbii Dawson.
MYLINA, 4GOD – “Tóc Em Ướt Rồi”
Justin: A sparkling Vietnamese electronic pop bop from MYLINA whose production calls back Shawn Wasabi, Tennyson, and Mark Redito. For sure to be a hit in Little Saigon, 7 Leaves, and 626 Night Market.
Mya: The cascading xylophone and breathy, synth-y woodwind are delightful. The ticking clock countdown to the beat drop is also very sonically fun. A bounce house bop.
Li-Wei: I’m not gonna pretend I know ANYTHING about Vietnamese pop, but this song by MYLINA and 4GOD is making me want to learn more. I especially love those stark keys, bold EDM synths, and the pipes(?) that softly line the track. Bring more of those sounds out West, please. Again, another summer banger.
Justin: My girl Joy Crookes is back!! An effervescent, jovial, hip-swinging ode to wanting to be wanted “like Carmen.” The music video is so fun and hilarious, you have to see it! My track of the week and on repeat!
Mya: Oh wow, those vocals! All low in the mouth and deep. Delicious. I wanted to say that “Carmen” reminds me of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”. Green envy with an almost sapphic edge (in my heart of hearts). But really, this is a song about race and desirability. It’s about desiring a white woman. The white woman. Wanting her, wanting to be her, wanting all that wanting directed at her. I’m struck by the line, “I can’t take you off of my eyes.” Like the figure of Carmen is unwillingly stuck onto Joy Crookes’ eyelids, so she can’t help but look. (Ok, also this song is still pretty sapphic.)
Li-Wei: “Carmen” could’ve easily been (rightfully) vindictive on the topic of society’s female beauty standards of the 2000s-2010s, but Joy Crookes turns the concept on its head by making it a lot more sympathetic. Crookes, as always, shines with her retro-soul vocals, and “Carmen” is a lovely tune about hoping to one day be as accepted as who she is too. Shout-out too to the Alice Fassi-directed music video, which manages to take those media portrayals of blonde-haired beauties to campy levels of fun. Absolutely love to see it.
Justin: “どON” puts the swagoo in your shoulders like you want to lean back in your evening walk just to show off. RIP SLYME amps you up so good. Incredible confidence, hard beats, stellar samples. Extremely satisfying to listen to.
Mya: Fascinated by the wordplay here. Especially delighted by the use of ど (do) for the word “go”. As in, “do on” and “show must do on”. Are there any linguists here who can talk about the similarities between the Japanese d phoneme and the English g phoneme? Ok, moving on. Like “WHATCHU SAY” there’s a level of posturing and false affect here that I just get tired of. “どon” starts edging into that territory towards the end. But up until that point (and past it) this is a fun song. I want to jump up and down on some telephone wires.
Li-Wei: I didn’t realize that RIP SLYME had such a storied history that stretches all the way back to the 90s when I added it to the weekly reviews, but just one listen and you can tell you’re listening to master emcees at work. All five members of the Japanese old-school hip-hop group have got barssss that take me back to the hip hop heyday of groups like Teriyaki Boyz, and from the looks of things RIP SLYME haven’t slowed down one bit. Catch me shouting “どON!!” all throughout the summer.
Header photo taken from RIP SLYME – “どON”.
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