Single reviews featuring MS MR, Tame Impala & more.
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Tame Impala
“‘Cause I’m A Man”
Interscope
“Not often proud of what I choose … a greater force I answer to,” sings Kevin Parker on Tame Impala’s soulful single, his falsetto chased by luminous synths for four gorgeous minutes spent battling his weaknesses. He never names that force; the answer’s out there somewhere, drifting in the psych-rock cosmos. — Ryan Reed
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Joy Williams
“Woman (Oh Mama)”
Sensibility/Columbia
Ex-Civil Wars member Joy Williams returns as a soloist with a worldbeat anthem brimming with garbled metaphors about the power of womanhood. The production creates an otherworldly tribal atmosphere, but lines like “I am the universe wrapped in skin” bring it crashing back to earth. — Jason Lipshutz
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MS MR
“Painted”
Columbia
Unlike the standouts on MS MR’s 2013 debut, Secondhand Rapture, which gradually erupted into austere choruses, the pop duo’s new single delivers its punch upfront. Frontwoman Lizzy Plapinger’s scattered vocal takes are collected into a taut dance hook, but the heavy electric guitar is the song’s secret weapon. — J.L.
This story originally appeared in the April 18th issue of Billboard.