It’s the beginning of the year, which means new year, new music. Let’s take a recap and see the top 5 songs released last month.

1. I Wish you Roses by Kali Uchis: 9/10

Released on January 19th, Kali’s first single after 2 years has just dropped. I Wish you Roses tells the story of being able to peacefully let friends or lovers go without resentment or bitterness. This fond farewell of a song steps into the mainstream pop genre, as well as spinning a twist on classic R&B. The exuberant production and catchy hook throws the song into a Top 5 song of Kali’s discography. I, personally, love the song and it has quickly become my favorite song. I rate this song only a 9/10 because of how short it is.

2. drive ME crazy! by Lil Yachty: 8/10

Released as a part of Yachty’s new album Let’s Start Here, this song has quickly gained the attention of social media, specifcially Tik Tok, for being so sonically different. drive ME crazy! follows an R&B singing-like tune, with the feature of a woman’s voice singing the chourus. Yachty, specifically a male rapper, is heard singing on the song, something that has never been done by Yachty before. I rate this song an 8/10 because of how sonically pleasing it is to hear and for the creativity the song showcases.

3. Do You Like Me? by Daniel Caesar: 8/10

Described by Caeser as a “delicate, funky, and flirty” song, Do You Like Me? is Caeser’s first single after a year. Yet another R&B single released by the singer, this song focuses on Caeser’s intent to gain clarity from a romantic “situationship” while feelings like time is running out. Caeser based this song off of a personal experience with an unnamed woman, allegedly. I rate this song an 8/10 because it is a classic Daniel Caeser song and I personally am an old fan of Daniel Caeser.

4. Kill Bill by SZA: 10/10

Orignially dropped on her album SOS, Kill Bill has gained a mass amount of attention from the release of her music video in January. SZA has released multiple versions of the song, including the acoustic version. Kill Bill has stayed in Top 10 of the Billboard 100 songs for 7 weeks. Inspired by the Terentino film Kill Bill,  SZA takes a spin on a sad breakup song and instead lyrically contemplates the homocide of her ex boyfriend. While this may be lyrically jarring to some, many male rappers in the industry causally bring up violence and misogyny in their songs. SZA breaks the mold of casual sexism and instead made her own mass hit. I personally love SZA and all of her music, so I rate this song a classic 10/10.

5. Dawns by Zach Bryan (feat. Maggie Rogers): 6/10

Zach Bryan has recently gained the attention of many social media platforms for his trending song “Somewhere In The Orange.” Dawns is the first single back from Bryan’s last album. Featuring indie singer Maggie Rogers, Dawns tells a break up sob story about two people who cannot commit in duetic form. I rate this song a 6/10 because while country is not my favorite genre, the song is still great.