'Downhill Lullaby,' 'Friends,' and More in New Singles

“Downhill Lullaby” – Sky Ferreira

It’s been almost six years since Sky Ferreira’s last album—2013’s Night Time, My Time—a pop record that was deemed by many publications to be one of the best albums of the year. She has been extremely vocal since the album’s release about her problems with her label, detailing how they forced her off her own SoundCloud account and prevented her from releasing her music. Her follow-up album, Masochism, was originally scheduled to be released in 2015, but label conflicts and personal problems delayed its release.

On March 27, she released her first single for Masochism, “Downhill Lullaby.” The haunting track opens with violins, before Ferreira comes in like a ghost, dragging her voice throughout the gloomy song. Accompanied by a string melody throughout, Ferreira’s pained vocals create an atmospheric music, similar to Lana Del Rey’s work on her second album, Ultraviolence. The track is a cool departure from her songs of the past, and a hint at what else is to come on her album.

“Friends” – Flume, Reo Cragun

Flume recently shifted his approach in music-making. With the drop of his recent mixtape, Hi This is Flume, the artist reintroduced himself as an artist who isn’t as fixated on making music to appeal to the masses—something he had been accused of early in his career. Now focused on producing music he likes, he’s opted for a more open approach, a creative style that has shined in his newer tracks.

The DJ has always been good at creating a kind of contemplative electronic music, and he returns with another perfect example of that on his new single, “Friends.” Accompanied by American singer Reo Cragun, the duo showcases a cool breakup song. Flume spends a lot of the song building up the drums and the warping sound effects before delivering the drop, at which point Cragun enters with the chorus, delivering expressive lines about burnt bridges and unwanted relationships. Flume and Cragun make a great pair, hitting their strides sonically with innovative production and a tight chorus.

“Free Lil Uzi” – Lil Uzi Vert

Lil Uzi has had a rough go of things over the past two years. Since the release of his 2017 album, Luv is Rage 2, he hasn’t released much music, through what seems to be no fault of his own. His follow-up album, Eternal Atake, has been circling the rumor mill for a while now, and the consensus seems to be that Generation, DJ Drama, and Don Canon’s label, under which Lil Uzi is signed, is preventing the album’s release. Lil Uzi fans have been active in voicing their displeasure, and the label dysfunction, which has prevented Lil Uzi from doing what he loves, seems to have weighed on him so heavily that he even announced his retirement from rap in January. But thankfully, Jay Z, who has recently been helping artists like Lil Wayne and Meek Mill, reportedly has saved Lil Uzi from his label and brought him onto Roc Nation.

This freedom has allowed Lil Uzi to return to doing what he does best, as he has blessed his fans with his first new song since 2018’s “New Patek.” “Free Uzi” is a fun track, and it features Lil Uzi at his best, floating over DJ L’s heavy Chicago drill beat, as he delivers line after line. His pitched up vocals add a whimsical vibe to the song—it’s clear to all that Lil Uzi’s having the most fun he’s had in quite some time with the production of this song. While it is still unclear when fans will finally get to hear Eternal Atake, they can rejoice knowing that Lil Uzi is free and ready to go.