Hey guys, welcome back to Musical McCool, my weekly series dissecting the Irish charts!
This may seem like another quiet week, at least at first glance. A reset of older songs that were forced out of the Top 10 by Oasis and Coldplay returning to their rightful places, and our highest new debut being around number 16, pretty standard, with only a handful of new entries as is. But said entries, particularly the biggest one, has a bit more baggage than expected, not to mention carnage across the Hot 100 AND the new entries in our Top 10!
The Top 10
And on that note:
1. Taste - Sabrina Carpenter [LW: #1 / WOC: 3]
2. Good Luck, Babe! - Chappell Roan [LW: #2 / WOC: 23]
3. Please Please Please - Sabrina Carpenter [LW: #3 / WOC: 14]
4. Die With A Smile - Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars [LW: #12 / WOC: 4]
5. Bed Chem - Sabrina Carpenter [LW: #11 / WOC: 3]
6. I Love You, I'm Sorry - Gracie Abrams [LW: #16 / WOC: 11]
7. We Pray - Coldplay [LW: #8 / WOC: 2]
8. Guess - Charli XCX (Ft. Billie Eilish) [LW: #14 / WOC: 8]
9. Kisses - BL3SS & CamrinWatsin (Ft. bbyclose) [LW: #17 / WOC: 20]
10. Sailor Song - Gigi Perez [LW: #20 / WOC: 7]
While the Top 3 seem pretty damn solid, and We Pray actually gained a spot this week, the rest of Coldplay & Oasis were flushed out by old hits regaining traction, along with a couple of new hits: I Love You, I'm Sorry by Gracie Abrams at number 6, and Sailor Song by Gigi Perez at number 10. These are both long-incoming, but I'm still a little shocked to see them get a boost big enough to overtake some of the other songs now beneath them. Not complaining though, they're both fine enough songs.
The Punished and the New
So aside from the expected losses this week, we also have a myriad of changes at the dreaded hands of ACR:
I know, what a bloodbath! The only one I feel kinda bad about is the Jordan Adetunji song, I felt that deserved a longer lifespan and some higher chart placement, whereas everything else here either outstayed its welcome a long time ago, or has been around JUST long enough not to get old: I am still SHOCKED how long Dasha's Austin has lasted!
Otherwise, Oasis saw Don't Look Back in Anger, Wonderwall and Live Forever drop to 15, 18 and 20 respectively, and feelslikeimfallinginlove, A Sky Full of Stars and Something Just Like This hit 17, 24 and 25, all pretty expected as the hype fades. Same reason that Fontaines DC's songs all dropped, but none by a significant amount actually, with the biggest one being In the Modern World from 58 to 75.
The bigger news came in our gains and returning entries, as after several weeks of climbing, Somedays by Sonny Fodera, Jazzy & D.O.D. cracked the top 15 at number 13. More impressive still is Teddy Swims' The Door, which FINALLY cracked the Top 20 after more than 20 weeks since its debut! Sidenote, Hot To Go! by Chappell Roan rebounded up to 11, but expect that to SKYROCKET next week as Chappell is coming to Dublin, I have my ticket and I can't fucking wait! What's a lot less exciting is who played here LAST week: Morgan Wallen, which caused Last Night to return at 32, Lies Lies Lies to bounce up to 48, Thinkin Bout Me to hit a new high at 58, and even I Had Some Help to recover slightly to 23. Not too happy about any of those, but it's slightly made up for by the new Fred again.. album, which caused adore u to return to 41, Places To Be to come back at 54, and 1 new song which we'll cover later.
So that's our pretty crazy week, thank fuck we don't have to many new entries. So let's start with the big story:
Title: The Emptiness Machine by Linkin Park
Position: #16
It feels like only yesterday I was reviewing Linkin Park's last big song Lost, a From the Vaults track with vocals of Chester Bennington that felt weird, but managed to be quite potent. Cut to a year later and Linkin park has a new vocalist, one Emily Armstrong, who Mike Shinoda has entrusted with the task of leading the band into a brand new era, as the only remaining original band member. And look, it's no secret that this decision was met with immediate backlash. And while the sexist assholes who've never gone outside and touched grass was expected - after all, how could a W-O-M-A-N carry on the future of such macho band?! (sarcasm, to be clear) - the controversy that followed was a lot more worrying, with ties to sex offenders and the church of Scientology.
I'm not going to go over that any further, there's plenty of articles dedicated to the topic by now. What I'm here for is the music... and yeah, it's decent. I think the production's about on par with a lot of Linkin Park's post-2013 material - so a bit washed ou, but not that far removed from their older stuff - and Mike Shinoda leading up to the reveal of the new elad singer was a legit smart decision. But the drum and and guitars sound so processed - yes, I know that's their sound, there's a reason this band isn't really my thing - and while some have tried to twist the lyrics to be about Emily struggling to break free from a church who built her up with lies, it's lacking the emotional punch of Chester's best work to me. She has the energy, but it feels hollow, possibly due to the vocal production, or simply because as a debut of the New Linkin Park, this feels very generic and flat.
I don't know, I'm not saying this should have been a tribute to Chester, but I think making a song about new beginnings would have been much smarter than this wallowing in emptiness bullshit. It's not a bad song by any means, yet I feel let down by this. And if that's me saying that, I can't imagine how the fans feel.
Title: just stand there by Fred again.. & SOAK
Position: #56
So here's the sad truth about the new Fred again.. project: after a year of build-up, the album falls pretty short outside of the promotional singles. I'm sorry, but compared to the cuteness of adore u or the wild-eyed excitement of places to be or even the mixed reception that ten got, I LOVE all of those tunes - the other songs on the project feel undercooked at best and annoying at worst.
Now thankfully, I guess, this falls into the former category, because it's just a bit bare-bones. The spare, glitchy piano, the very compressed vocal samples, it's pretty mournful and fittingly dour, but it just doesn't build to much. Delilah, probably still my favourite song by Fred, did SO much more with fewer words, simply by building to something bigger. And while this is decent, it feels like a half-measure, never breaking free past the miasma... maybe that's the point, considering the pensive lyrics.
But as is... it's fine, but of the many Fred again.. songs I've reviewed and praised, this is just one of the least exciting to me. Decent, but he's capable of so much more.
Title: Little White Chapel by Amble
Position: #70
See, here's a band with a simple formula, and who know exactly how to play to their strengths, SO happy Amble have continued growing throughout 2024! And while I'm hesitant to call this one of their best, MAN is it still charming.
The banjo is such a wonderful instrument, and this band knows how to make it SHINE, on a more upbeat song this time! Oisin McCaffrey is such a fucking talented singer, his hoarser drawl feels so timeless here, as he starts out in Amble's usual style describing a tough old bastard who smokes too much and hates people... only to then show him on the happiest day of his life, at his wedding. Because he's finally found someone who can look past the rougher exterior and who wants to share their life with him. And it might seem minor, but I appreciate that there are no genders included here, or any mention of "every man needs a woman to set hims straight", as so many of these types of Irish songs in this vein tend to be. Instead, he's just found someone he can run away with, and make life better in spite of the rough world they live in. After all, why wait when you've found that person, why walk when you could simply run?
It's such a goddamn charming song, with straightforward lyrics that feel as poetic as anything the band has written, and one I enjoy more with each listen. Yet another absolute tune from these lads, well done gentlemen!
Title: MOI by Central Cee & RAYE
Position: #72
Haha on the other side, we have Central Cee. And look, maybe it's just because I've been editing a video that involves him recently, but MAN was I not looking forward to this! Sure, he had some good songs back in 2022 and he had his moments last year, but his output in 2024 has just been consistently disappointing. When I look at his big crossover with DaBaby and have to conclude that may be his most interesting song yet this year, that's a bad sign!
But that being said... maybe it's the benefit of severely lowered expectations, but I think this is pretty decent. I love Raye's contribution - however minor it might be, way to underutilise her talent! - and I think Central's energy is pretty great on this, with easily his catchiest hook in a while, even if I think compared to Raye, he barely even tried with the French, with only 1 word repeated ad nauseum on the hook. As for said hook, I know it references drugs and poverty respectively, but "what's that smell in the chest of drawers" and "no homo but I slept with bro" are both TERRIBLE lines to have on your chorus. But then the verses are fairly compelling, showing how much he actually appreciates his recent friends VS his "day 1s", a nice twist on the usual narrative. But then he has to mention banging India Young, and bragging about stealing other guys' girls and... ugh, so close! I dunno Cee, in your position, I'd recommend reading your own lines back to yourself from time to time and asking yourself if it makes you look like a twat. How about that?
Title: Neva Play by Megan Thee Stallion (Ft. RM)
Position: #97
I'd seen SUCH mixed responses to this song! I've seen some call it a sell-out, with Megan collaborating with a BTS member because she just didn't have any huge hits like Savage from this new album cycle. I don't really buy that, considering HISS went to number 1 and the album saw PLENTY of success and critical acclaim, not to mention the late success of Mamushi, which has been ALL over my feed! While others have praised it for impressive flows and heart-pounding production... and I'm mixed on that too.
Sure, Megan's energy is undeniable, as always, and she's in spitfire mode here alright, especially with the clever references and the flow that's very reminiscent of HISS on the verses. But I will admit that the high-pitched beat did make my heart rate spike a bit at points, there's something about it that triggers my anxiety in a way I can't quite put into words, even if Megan sounds great on it. Then there's RM, who just feels like he's struggling to keep up, which is odd because I remember his energy on Still Life with Anderson .Paak being a big selling point, and I like what I've heard from his new album!
But to sum it up, i think the song's pretty good, even great it spots, but as a whole - much like the last Megan album, sadly - I don't see myself coming back to it.
Which brings us to out Best and Worst of the week, and to be honest I'm not wild about much of it. I guess Worst will go to Central Cee for Moi, mostly because he deserves it. As for the Best, I feel like it should be obvious but I'm giving it to Amble's Little White Chapel. It's a great little song that makes me smile, what more could I want?
National Treasures
And now it's time for our new entries to the Homegrown Top 20, and we're welcoming back a pleasantly familiar face:
Title: Right Here All Along by Billy Gillies (Ft. Hannah Boleyn)
Position: #20
This is the 3rd week in a row that we've had a number 20 debut on this chart, as well as it being from a pretty notable act after Belters Only and The 2 Johnnies. And as much as this could be a sign of changing tides - out with the old, in with the new, as it were - Billy Gillies is just getting started, and frankly, I'm shocked another collab between him and Hannah Boleyn is debuting this far away from the mainstream charts after the TITAN that was DNA (Loving You) last year!
But having finally heard the song - and rejoicing that it's NOT just a remix of Myles Smith's Stargazing - I can understand why this hasn't had nearly the same impact. The structure is very similar, but missing a lot of the subtlety of DNA, where that song felt like it could slow down and breath, the blaring synth-horn on this is pretty relentless, and the beat is less ethereal and more festival-ready, designed to make you dance. the problem is that as a result, it sounds a lot more basic. Sure, Hannah Boleyn's huskier vocals still sound great, and the mix doesn't really allow her the same breathing room, and the beat just feels like it's entirely lacking any uniquer personality.
Again, I can't call this bad, but I do think it's the biggest disappointment of the week for me, sad to say. Yes, more so than Emptiness Machine, I'm special like that!
And that's our week! If you've heard any of the songs discussed today, especially the Linkin Park one, let me know your thoughts in the Comments, along with what you thought of all the songs covered this week. Don't forget to leave a Like if you enjoyed, and please make sure to follow me everywhere so you don't miss a thing, Subscribe to the blog to keep up with my weekly chart reflections, etc. I hope life's treating you well, and until the next time, I'm Fionn and this is The Social Tune signing off!
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