Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Tinashe, Halsey, The Blessed Madonna & More

August 17, 2024 E Jazz Reporter

Artistes

Plus new tracks from Pale Waves, Hope Tala and Peach PRC

TINASHE

Raven B. Varona

In need of some new songs from your favorite queer artists? You’re in luck — Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.

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From Tinashe’s brash new album to Halsey’s rock-tinged new track, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:

Tinashe, Quantum Baby

For the last few months, Tinashe has been loudly asking if somebody would please match her freak. Now, the pop star is ready to match her own freak with her brand new album Quantum Baby. Throughout her brief, 8-song album that serves as a follow-up to the viral success of lead single “Nasty,” Tinashe flexes her artistic dexterity, flowing effortlessly between moving R&B ballads (like on early album standout “Red Flags”) or gassed-up anthems (the ebullient “No Broke Boys” in particular). Don’t let the scientific title fool you — there’s nothing small about Quantum Baby.

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Halsey, “Lonely Is the Muse”

For fans who were hoping to hear more of Halsey’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power rock sound, “Lonely Is the Muse” is for you. On this heartbreaking new goth rock track, Halsey rages against the cycle of inspiration-becomes-commodity that she’s experienced throughout her career, wondering at what point in this process she’s meant to find meaning or joy. Her accolades, myriad though they may be, don’t make up for the empty feeling she finds herself translating to this punchy rock song, as she boldly declares that she’s tired of being “reduced to just a body here in someone else’s bed.”

The Blessed Madonna feat. Kylie Minogue, “Edge of Saturday Night”

Why let a good party end when you could just keep it going? That’s the vibe that suffuses The Blessed Madonna’s delectable new dance cut “Edge of Saturday Night,” featuring guest vocals from none other than pop superstar Kylie Minogue. Over a set of Madonna’s crunchy house pianos and a blistering beat, Minogue narrates the story of a party gone right, as the pair dive deeper into the evening with this excellent new single.

Pale Waves, “Gravity”

Where Chappell Roan left off with “Good Luck, Babe,” Pale Waves is ready to grab the baton and run with it. On the band’s dream-rock-inspired new song “Gravity” tells the story of a girl frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie met who “chose Jesus over me,” as she explains in a statement. Despite her best attempts to not let this girl pull her in, Baron-Gracie can’t quite resist, as she belts about being pulled back to into her would-be lover’s orbit. And much like the lyrics state, you can try to resist the orbital draw of this song’s glimmering melodies, but we have a feeling you’ll find its pull too irresistible.

Hope Tala, “Thank Goodness”

Hope Tala used to feel bad about her breakup — instead, she’s saying “phew.” On “Thank Goodness,” Tala’s excellent new track, sees the singer employing her honed neo-soul sound to let her former lover know that she’s doing way better without them. Over a light bass line and some kinetic drums, Tala celebrates dodging the bullet that would be a continued relationship with her ex. As she puts it, “Thought I’d go back, but I didn’t do it/ Thank goodness.”

Peach PRC, “Time of My Life”

In a time when many pop artists are choosing to do less, Australian up-and-comer Peach PRC is swinging in the exact opposite direction. With her latest song “Time of My Life,” Peach offers a masterclass in pop maximalism as she reminisces on some complicated memories through her own, unique brand of rose-colored glasses. Add in the high camp music video — which sees the singer combining her fairy princess aesthetic in an all-women’s prison — and you’ve got a deliriously fun pop track on your hands.

Check out all of our picks below on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist:

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