The search for the ever-elusive “bop” is difficult. Playlists and streaming-service recommendations can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?
Enter Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. This weekly collection doesn’t discriminate by genre and can include anything — it’s a snapshot of what’s on our minds and what sounds good. We’ll keep it fresh with the latest music, but expect a few oldies (but goodies) every once in a while, too. Get ready: The Bop Shop is now open for business.
- Broadside: “One Last Time”
I first fell in love with Broadside’s music last year and have since devoured their entire rock-solid, emotionally cathartic discography as I patiently waited for new music. This Tuesday, the Richmond-formed band delivered. “One Last Time” combines a catchy melody with introspective lyrics soaked in nostalgia as vocalist Oliver Baxxter longs to get back to a time when things felt better. “Can’t you see / All this irony / Wanting what we had, but we had what we wanted / Back when we wanted / Back, back when we wanted it.” It’s the perfect addition to your summer playlist and an important reminder to appreciate the current moment. —Farah Zermane
- Doechii: “Bitch I’m Nice”
Doechii’s at the height of her career and it’s only going up from here. Relishing in her rising stardom, she catwalks through concert venues with witty bars and an infectious beat. Her flourishing, lavish lifestyle is the result of her being one of the most lyrically-engaging rappers in the game right now. —Gwyn Cutler
- Jay Park: “Need to Know”
2022 has turned out to be Jay Park’s renaissance. Following the release of romantic singles “Ganadara” and “Thoughts of You,” the king of K-hip-hop shows fans a different side of himself with “Need to Know,” a breezy R&B track designed to soundtrack a torrid romance. Reuniting with frequent collaborator Cha Cha Malone, Park combines classic ’90s-style production elements with his effortlessly dynamic vocals to create a modern love song. The music video is like a rom-com filled with all your favorite tropes (think boomboxes and drive-in movies), and with a melody bound to get stuck in your head, “Need to Know” would be a perfect addition to all your summer playlists. —Sarina Bhutani
- Sunmi: “Heart Burn”
Feeling summer fever over someone? Sunmi can relate. Unlike most upbeat summer tracks, there is a sentimental and dreamy vibe with its percussion sounds and chimes, summoning the burning magma bubbling through the veins you might experience when starting to feel an attraction and connection with someone. “Oh, my, I’m getting breathless / When you look at me,” she sings hypnotically. “I am getting hot, oh, my! / Is it because of the heat?” It definitely is the heat of passion. —Athena Serrano
- The Beths: “Expert in a Dying Field”
New Zealand indie-rock quartet The Beths have always had a knack for making love’s cruel sting feel a bit softer, thanks to their stunning four-part harmonies, incisive lyrics, and catchy choruses. Their latest offering, which also serves as the title track to their forthcoming album (out September 16), delivers on every level. Over an understated production, lead singer Elizabeth Stokes applies the scientific method to romance, consulting both memory and nature in attempts to make sense of the scars left by past relationships. Perhaps her most astute observation is her least conclusive, as the track builds into buzzing guitars and thrashing drums, and she notes, “Love is learned over time / ’Til you’re an expert in a dying field.” —Carson Mlnarik
- Yuna: “Risk It All”
Yuna’s been bitten by the love bug and she’s itching to give into its glorious symptoms. Hesitant yet infatuated, Yuna’s ready to stake everything to cultivate a romance as soft and natural as a flower’s petals and a kitten’s fur. Her soothing cadence is bound to lull you into a tranquil stupor that’ll have you twirling around starry-eyed in the summer sunshine. “Let me tell you what I’ve been thinking about,” she sings. “Love is on my mind, yeah I’m freakin’ out.” —Gwyn Cutler
- Chung Ha: “Sparkling”
There’s a reason Chung Ha remains one of South Korea’s most successful soloists, and her newly released track “Sparkling” is proof. As the first single off her EP Bare and Rare, Pt. 1, “Sparkling” is a high-energy, hyperpop love song that’s perfect for summer. The track, which details the emotions of an exciting fling, layers ’80s-inspired synths with Chung Ha’s clear and powerful vocals for a bop that feels at once retro and contemporary. Accompanied by a pastel-explosion of a music video that takes place under the sea, Chung Ha truly sparkles in a myriad of bedazzled silhouettes, performing lively choreography designed to go viral. With each comeback, Chung Ha prepares an exciting experience for fans, keeping them consistently in anticipation for what’s to come next. If “Sparkling” represents all that is Part 1, then we are in for a treat with Part 2, due later this year. —Sarina Bhutani
- Jessie Reyez: “Fraud”
Jessie Reyez has experimented with all kinds of sonic makeup, but the throughline in all her work is an unflinching rawness. “Fraud,” her first single of 2022, is no exception. This angst-filled, anti-toxicity anthem is lyrically dig after dig, as she spits out lines like, “Bitch ass, you a fucking dog,” and “The lies don’t hurt as bad as the memories do.” Then she gets soft on the chorus: “Hands high if you love somebody that don’t love you back / Hands high if you know that they’re no good for you.” You can feel the pain in each line, as she simplifies an unhealthy relationship into a relatable and resonating bop. You find catharsis alongside her at the end when she admits, “My therapist was like, ‘This gotta be a rap.’” —Carson Mlnarik
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