Nothing beats warm summer weekends with zero responsibilities or obligations, and this week’s new musical releases match the theme to perfection.

Whether you’re feeling like basking in your feels with new tunes from Genevieve Stokes or Maddie Zahm or you’re planning on dancing the rest of the summer away with sizzling new entries from CRAVITY and Jessie Reyez, this week has you covered—and then some. Keep scrolling to discover the 10 biggest things that happened in music the week of August 12, 2022.

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1. Jackson Wooten Basks in the Glow of Love in ‘Lovely Day’

There are some days when being madly in love makes the whole world seem grander and every minute of the day feel perfect, and Jackson Wooten captures the sentiment perfectly in his chill new track “Lovely Day.” With its smooth, gentle acoustic guitar picking and light percussion, the song is likely to make your day better, too. “‘Lovely Day’ is exhaled out into the world today, and I’m so grateful,” Jackson shared on Instagram. “The first single on an upcoming EP (released this fall?) I have so much to say about this song and the wonderful people who made this project come to life, but for now—just go listen to it, blast it from your car speakers, watch the music video and have a freaking wonderful lovely day.”

2. Genevieve Stokes Tries to Break Out of the Cycle With ‘Habits’

Genevieve Strokes’ “Habits” has already exploded onto the scene as a viral TikTok sound, and now that the full version is here, we’re loving it even more. We love the playful verses and how they contrast with the emotional, heartfelt chorus as Genevieve analyzes the toxicity in her life and the habits she struggles to break. “I wrote ‘Habits’ in my parents’ garage last spring—my favorite time of year to make music,” Genevieve revealed in a press release. “The lyrics are my stream of consciousness, flowing from feelings of self-pity and boredom to my worries about an emotionally turbulent relationship. It’s about longing for change after a dark winter.”

3. Victoria Canal Teases Her New EP With ‘Swan Song’

If Victoria Canal’s new track “Swan Song,” is any indication of the power of the rest of her upcoming EP, Elegy, we’re pretty sure the collection of songs is going to have us in tears in no time. The song imagines a man’s last words to his beloved son, recounting his biggest regrets and hopes, brought to life by Victoria’s soulful, earnest vocals. “It’s the last words between a father and a son and it comes from a place of peace and acceptance,” Victoria shared in a press release. “I think this one is the most special to me on the EP. It somehow captures the essence of my relative the most.” Elegy comes out Sep. 16, and we can’t wait to hear it.

4. grentperez Calls Out Narcissists With ‘Ego’

Who knew that the ultimate call-out track for narcissists and egoists everywhere would be so chill? Singer-songwriter grentperez got his start doing covers on YouTube, but we think he’s making even better use of his talents writing his own vibrant, beachy tracks, including his latest, “Ego.” “‘Ego’ is honestly just a fun song about a mate who’s found themselves talking a little too much about their personal wealth and success and it’s starting to get annoying,” grentperez explained in an interview with Sweety High. “Originally, I kind of wrote this song as a hypothetical, if I were to ever be this obnoxious person, how much I would hate that—or maybe I really did have an egotistical friend that I grew to dislike?”

Also read about: Also read about: grentperez Takes Down Obnoxious Humblebragging in New Single ‘Ego’

5. Justice Carradine Realizes He’s ‘Better Off Alone’

Justice Carradine is releasing his highly anticipated debut EP, What a Weird Dream, on Sep. 16, and we cannot wait to hear it—especially after falling in love with his latest single, “Better Off Alone.” It’s a song about learning to value yourself and the destructive power of bad friends. “To make a long story short,” Justice shared in a press release, “I’d rather be alone than be with the wrong company.” For those of us who keep finding ourselves surrounded by the wrong people, it’s an anthem to get behind.

6. Maddie Zahm Digs Deep With Her New You Might Not Like Her EP

Maddie Zahm’s hit song “You Might Not Like Her” has struck a chord with listeners relating to her impactful story about change and acceptance, and her new EP of the same name gives us an ever deeper and more vulnerable glimpse into Maddie’s recent live. Dealing with everything from body acceptance to leaving her religion and embracing her queer identity, the album is a stunning biography of sorts, demonstrating that Maddie is an artist who simply can’t be ignored. “Truthfully, it was necessary for me to be quite brutal and detailed in order for me to acknowledge the past year and the changes I’ve gone through in such a small amount of time,” Maddie shared of the EP in an interview with Sweety High. “I wanted [‘You Might Not Like Her’] to be the title as it created this theme for the EP surrounding a conversation I wish I could have with my younger self. The intro to the project was the last song written (which I find quite funny) as I seemed to process backwards.”

Also read about: Maddie Zahm Breaks Down Every Track of Her You Might Not Like Her EP

7. Sarah Cothran Drops Music Video for Debut Single ‘Baby Why’

When we heard Sarah Cothran’s debut single “Baby Why,” we simply could not believe she wasn’t already a veteran artist. With her soaring vocals and the retro sound, giving it the feel of a classic, “Baby Why” is a knockout—and after being streamed more than a million times, it finally got its bold new music video today. “I was inspired by a lot of vintage sounds when I was writing and producing ‘Baby Why’ and I knew I wanted to carry that out into the visuals surrounding the song,” Sarah revealed in a press release. “In the music video, I’m arguing with ‘my boyfriend’ on the phone while watching television. The song involves a lot of back and forth in a toxic relationship and I feel like the beginning scenes really captured that. I then start zoning out and imagining myself in different TV channels. I wanted to make sure to keep a nice balance of the ’50s era inspirations while also staying true to me, and this felt like the perfect way to do so. It was such a cool way to show my personality and combine a lot of the time periods that inspire me in both music and fashion. I got to dress up in so many different outfits and makeup looks so it was like a teenage dream come true!”

8. North Star Boys Fall in Love With ‘SUNSHINE’

North Star Boys are the first Asian-American boy group, and they’re making a big mark with their original sound—especially on their new track, “SUNSHINE.” The romantic track buzzes with pop-R&B energy, encapsulating that feeling of young summer love. “The story behind the music video for ‘SUNSHINE’ is actually how the North Star Boys came together to begin with,” the group’s Oliver Moy told Sweety High. “We all came from different backgrounds and lives. Not many of us came from a good life, either. Many of us experienced family troubles, hard times and trials growing up. That is the symbolization of the ‘Workshop’ in the music video. After coming together, we decided to leave our troubles behind and start NSB to achieve a similar dream and also inspire others to do great things.” We’re eagerly anticipating the release of the full music video next week.

Also read about: North Star Boys Tell Us All About Their New Song ‘SUNSHINE’

9. CRAVITY Shares Their First English Track, ‘Boogie Woogie’

We’ve been huge supporters of K-pop group CRAVITY since the very beginning, and it’s been incredible to see them blossom into the artists they are today—especially with the release of their first-ever English track, “Boogie Woogie.” The song is pure energetic fun, with fresh, sweet lyrics that make it an irresistible summer bop. “‘Boogie Woogie’ is a song that is very bright and full of positive energy so we had lots of fun preparing for its release,” shared CRAVITY rapper Allen in a press release. “We’re super excited to be able to show it off to the whole world, and can’t wait to see our fans and listeners ‘boogie’ along to it.”

10. Jessie Reyez Makes Her Intentions Clear to an Ex in ‘MUTUAL FRIENDS’

Jessie Reyez has an unmistakable voice, combining soul with precision to hit all the highs while delivering lyrics that drive every word home, and she just announced that she’ll be dropping her sophomore album, Yessie, before too long. This week, she treated us all to the new single “MUTUAL FRIENDS,” a letter of intent to an ex making it clear that it’s over, and that she’s better than ever without them. If you’re in need of an empowering breakup ballad this summer, look no further.

Missed our favorite tracks last week? Click HERE to check out our top 10 favorite releases for the week of August 5, 2022.

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10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of August 12, 2022

10 Big Things That Happened in Music the Week of Nov. 13, 2020

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