Freshly Squeezed, Vol. 54: Cam, Great Good Fine OK, Max Embers & more

Welcome to Freshly Squeezed, a weekly new music playlist: spanning country, pop, EDM and urban, mainstream and other.

If you’ve seen her version of Don Gibon’s “Sweet Dreams” (also famously performed by Patsy Cline), you already know Cam is one of the finest singers of our time. More importantly, her 2015 debut album, Untamed, is a damn impressive major label debut record, zipping between the country-rock style of so-Cal while pushing the stylistic envelope even further. Songs like “Hungover on Heartache,” “Want It All” and her No. 1 smash “Burning House” are exemplary and cement her gifts, even if radio still is trash and won’t play her. Last fall, she made a splashy return with “Diane,” a perspective-flipped response to Dolly Parton‘s “Jolene.” It had all the hallmarks of what radio slops up: tempo, catchy hook, undeniable performance. But alas, here we are, months later, and it fizzled out. Go figure.

We should also give props to Cam’s outspokenness on things that matter on her Twitter page. She’s a queen, both onstage and off, and she can’t be ignored. Now, she releases a mini-EP called Road to Happiness, and the titular cut is an impressively somber and reflective ballad about, well, what it means to pursue happiness in this life. She broods on her own journey, as a working musician trying to climb the ranks and feeling disheartened that she must sacrifice the important moments in life. “Road to Happiness” is exactly what the world needs more of right now, and Cam, we bow down to you.

Great Good Fine OK, whose 2017 EP III was a personal highlight, blistered with glorious glitter-synths, release their second single of the year. The electro-pop geniuses numb the senses with “Touch,” contained within heart-palpitating drum loops that erupt like a volcano in the background. It’s a smooth-as-chocolate kind of listen, and you might even hear some acoustic guitar bubbling through the house-adorned elements. Sophia Scott maintains “she don’t need a man at home” with her flashy and empowered “White Fence” single, a rather electric boot-stomper. A new gemstone by the name of Max Embers wields his guitar for the gleaming “Lying,” which zags when you least expect. it into a euphoric firework display. Oh, and Amy Shark drops her dope, seductive and ferocious new album, Love Monster (a possible contender for this year’s best pop album, tbh), and we showed great restraint not to include every. single. track.

Today’s Freshly Squeezed playlist, the first after the jarring mid-week Fourth of July holiday, is stacked. Dig into new Rue Snider, Plaid Brixx, Marquee Mayfield, Joywave, Brandon Stansell, Avonlea, Taylor Bennett, Favours, Wild Pink, ARIZONA, Emma Louise, Sigrid, First Aid Kit, Ruston Kelly, Jocelyn Alice, Mikaela Davis, Dawn Landes, Lucero, Rozie, Shenna, Dusky Grey and RVRB, among countless others.

In all, we’ve got 51 new songs to lift your spirits heading into the weekend.

Each playlist will be refreshed every Friday morning/afternoon. We reserve the right to update anytime during the week, so make sure you bookmark this page.

Take a spin:

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