New Music Friday: 2/2/24

But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is New Music Friday, and Jefitoblog is the sun

New Music Friday: 2/2/24
Ironically, most artists' Spotify royalties won't even pay for a piece of candy

Here are the rules: I listen to all 100 tracks of Spotify's New Music Friday playlist, except for anything that rhymes the n-word with itself more than three times, any screamo or screamo-adjacent stuff, any CCM that reveals its true intentions in time for me to hit the skip button, and any egregiously corny modern country music, typically performed by a dude with two first names. Having sifted through this week's playlist, here's what I actively enjoyed:

"Cigarettes & Wine," Del Water Gap featuring Holly Humberstone
I wrote about Del Water Gap less than a month ago, so there probably isn't much more to say at this particular moment in this particular space — "Cigarettes & Wine" is smooth, light, and tuneful, with layered vocals wafting above a politely propulsive beat. The whole thing admittedly has a whiff of "CW teen soap soundtrack" about it, but it's catchy and sunny in a way that has unique appeal on wintry afternoons.