Another week of being quarantined as passed and music continues to be our saving grace. One beautiful thing to come from the COVID-19 outbreak is the community of artists who have come together to create live at-home performances, raise money for coronavirus relief, and to support other local artists.
This week’s Sound Bite includes a few songs that will serve as pure entertainment such as RAC’s new single “Carefree,” DaBaby’s captivating short film for “Find My Way,” and The 1975’s latest single with Phoebe Bridgers. We’ve also included songs that stand out for philanthropic reasons. The Driver Era recently performed for Billboard Live to raise money for Direct Relief. Troye Sivan took to Instagram to find freelance artists to help create the visual elements for his new single, “Take Yourself Home.” The singer had three t-shirts designed and all proceeds will be donated to WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and Spotify’s COVID-19 Music Relief project.
See below for all five songs in this week’s Sound Bite.
1. “Carefree” by RAC feat. LeyeT
Producer and songwriter André Allen Anjos, known as his moniker RAC, teamed up with indie-pop artist LeyeT for his latest single, “Carefree.” The bright and uptempo song feels whimsical and dreamy, coupled with thoughtful and wishful lyrics. RAC’s upcoming album BOY is slated for release on May 8. “I thought this song might be too weird to include on the album yet something kept bringing me back to it. It’s just one of those songs that willed itself into existence. LeyeT really turned this into something else,” RAC says of the song.
2. “Find My Way” by DaBaby
DaBaby recruited influencer B. Simone to star in the short film for the rapper’s first solo single of 2020, “Find My Way.” The video follows the pair as they embark on a journey to help the rapper’s struggling grandmother. Before the song begins, the video asks viewers the question, “Have you ever seen somebody turn into a monster for a good cause?” By the end, the suspenseful film teases a sequel and leaves listeners ready to see more of DaBaby.
3. “OMG Plz Don’t Come Around” by The Driver Era
The Driver Era recently announced their World Tour would be postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The duo decided to offer listeners musical consolation in the form of two new singles: “flashdrive,” fronted by Rocky Lynch and “OMG Plz Don’t Come Around, fronted by Ross Lynch.” The boys recently performed acoustically for Billboard Live’s At-Home sessions to raise money for Direct Relief, an organization that provides aid for those impacted by poverty and emergencies.
4. “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America” by The 1975
The 1975’s upcoming album, Notes on a Conditional Form, has been postponed due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19. The highly anticipated album’s new release date is May 22, 2020. The band’s latest single from the album is delicate and introspective, featuring ethereal vocals from singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, who was also slated to open for The 1975 on their 2020 tour that has been postponed. “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America” offers poetic lyrics surrounding growth, love, and intimacy, while also allowing listeners the ability to interpret for themselves.
5. “Take Yourself Home” by Troye Sivan
The newest single from the “Youth” singer was originally slated for release later in 2020 but Sivan decided it was a perfect response to today’s isolated and quarantined day-to-day lifestyle. “The song is kind of a pep talk with yourself and the place you’re from. Grappling with your place in the world. I write these songs as a diary entry, then as life and places change and relationships change, songs can take on a new meaning entirely. Clearly that has happened for this song, with what is going on in the world right now.” Sivan tapped several freelance artists to create the visual elements for the promotion of the single including the pre-save page, lyric video, and three t-shirts. The t-shirts were designed by artists @jacktaylorlovatt and @Lanning and all proceeds will be donated to WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and Spotify’s COVID-19 Music Relief project.
