The Unified Rosalía Theory of Pop Music
Plus Lil Durk, Physical Therapy, Yumi Zouma, Leikeli47, Tom Caruana & the Immaculates!
Hello, welcome to the Unskippables where we *just* learned Pusha-T is anti-McDonald’s and pro-diarrhea.
This weekend I spent a ton of time listening to Rosalía’s sophomore album Motomami, sitting in awe of how many sounds she pulled into her record without anything sounding wildly experimental or strange. Whether it’s dembow, reggaeton, torch songs, burbling autotune ballads, bachata - it all felt totally natural.
And it made me realize: Pop Music™ as a genre is simply whatever a great pop star tells us it is.
The story of “what is pop” can be traced through the massive figures who realigned the sounds and genres around them and put themselves at the center to make it work. Kelefa Sanneh in his book Major Labels defines pop in a similarly recursive manner: “contemporary pop music is hip by definition: pop is what’s in style; that’s what makes it pop.” However, he misses the critical role of pop stars that make themselves essential to the genre — they are the ones who unlock what makes something stylish and hip.
A pop star’s job is to tell a story that all other parts of their music organizes itself around. This is true of all pop stars (Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston, David Cassidy) but the best pop stars (Elvis, Prince, David Bowie, Madonna) open up the world in ways thought unimaginable before they existed. Through force of will and personality, they realign formerly disparate sounds into something that is suddenly pure pop.
So, in that spirit, Rosalía delivered the year’s first truly great pop album, and with it became one of the decade’s strongest new pop stars alongside Billie Eilish and (yes) Post Malone. The album effortlessly un-weirds a lot of very weird shit solely through strength of her virtuosic performances and authentic presence at the center of every song.
Each track on her album has at least one move that in lesser hands would seem like outsider art: she renders the otherworldly melody of Burial’s “Archangel” into a transcendent chorus on “CANDY,” she makes moves Grimes could only imagine on the sex jam/torch song “HENTAI,” and the ballad “G3 N15” blooms into an commanding electronic aria in its chorus, where other artists might leave it as an experimental sketch.
It’d be unfair to say that more pop stars should be like her, as many simply can’t. Rosalía’s technical prowess and command of her instrument put her up with the Björks and Mariah Careys of the world, rather than the Dominic Fikes or Selena Gomezes; she can easily jump around styles and textures in a way that other performers would have to exceed their limits to achieve.
However, I am saying that Rosalía’s talents are doing the right work on Motomami: pushing out the median of the mainstream through sheer talent and ambition, creating room for more voices and ideas by making the unusual suddenly seem obvious. She expands the definition of pop, and pop is better for it.
As always, before the week’s best songs, it’s the week’s Goodest Links!
In ya girl’s ear like Michael Barbaro: I produced/co-wrote a rap song about, yup, the Daily’s Michael Barbaro with my good friend and NYC man-about-town Kareem Rahma
Wait, are these fucking streams about us? Rachel Brodsky unpacks the chart impact of Euphoria’s song syncs for a smart look at the quantitative side of cultural impact
Weird Al crushes Mark Mothersbaugh’s reality: This Behind The Music clip about Mark Mothersbaugh hearing Weird Al’s Devo parody is simply amazing.
On to the tracks! You can follow along on our playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, which update every Tuesday along with the newsletter.
THE UNSKIPPABLES #29
Lil Durk - Headtaps
Rightly noted by Craig Jenkins in his review of Lil Durk’s new album 7220, Durk’s strength lies in his ability to find levity amidst the trauma of violence and the dark side of fame. Whether through disarming a grim scene through an unexpected punchline - “I’m in the cell thinkin’ ’bout my kids like, ‘I could be with them watchin’ Peppa Pig’” - or the overall effect of his smooth flow and voice, Durk’s latest excels in packaging up the details of a hard life in warm, sleek music.
Physical Therapy - Circle Game
Daniel Fisher, aka Physical Therapy, is back with Teardrops On My Garage, his first solo EP in four years. Talking to Resident Advisor, Fisher explains the EP is an homage to the 2 step and UK garage he listened to “before I really knew anything about the genres or dance music.” The lead track “Circle Game” has the warm shimmer of adolescent memory, and the track’s bouncing vocal sample feels pulled straight from the peak era of UK garage.
Yumi Zouma - Of Me And You
This is one of those songs that initially wash over you, then you find yourself humming the chorus to yourself all day. The song is from Yumi Zouma’s fourth album Present Tense, which was recorded after their tour for their third album - released the same day the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic - was scrapped, and the band took time to rethink how to approach a new album. The mix of remote sessions and new collaborators add a new density to the band’s indie pop, bringing an 80’s FM longing to their crisp usual hookiness.
Leikeli47 - LL Cool J
Short for “Ladies Love Cool Jewelry,” VA rapper Leikeli47 drops the week’s most minimal banger, recalling early Neptunes and Clipse singles in its judicious use of any music beyond the absolute essentials. The song’s crisp black and white video adds to the track’s early 2000’s luster, and Leikeli47’s verses find a swinging pocket that give the song a lightly woozy tension amidst the clicking rimtaps and 808s.
Tom Caruana ft. Kashmere King - Stranded
The latest LP from UK producer Tom Caruana is an “original soundtrack” to the imagined sci-fi epic Strange Planet. Luckily for us, the planet seems to be populated with MCs willing to make the most of Caruana’s dusty, booming productions. “Stranded” especially explodes with King Kashmere riding a rocket made of clattering cowbells, breaks and analog synth squelch.
THROWBACK CORNER
The Immaculates - Hey Joe Kelly
When I first moved to Brooklyn I went to Death By Audio on average 2-3 nights a week for the entire first summer I lived there, about eight years before my future employer abruptly kicked them out of their venue and homes. I had enough money most days for a cheap dinner, a ticket to whatever show was happening, and at least two lite beers at the show. It was one of those magical times when every band that played felt like a new friend, and that all of Brooklyn DIY was a fun secret club. The Immaculates epitomized the feeling of the venue - they dressed in matching suits, always had an MC introduce them (in the same suit, of course), and they blazed through drum/bass/vocal soul vamps. No one questioned why three white punk rock dudes were onstage playing soul as hard as possible - it was a place where the lineup was a clubhouse, and everything could be an inside joke, provided it was played loud as hell.
That’s all for this week - thanks for reading, and if you haven’t already, please subscribe so you can get the latest from me in your inbox and the Substack app!