Freshly Squeezed, Vol. 85: Haley Reinhart, T. Nile, Ava Max & more

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

We just have never deserved Haley Reinhart. Her third-place ouster on American Idol back in the day still stings. In one of the most emotional turns in the show’s history, the soulfully-spun butterfly didn’t let such a devastating moment to sour her experience in the music business. In fact, if you ask us here on B-Sides & Badlands, she has only gotten better, like a fine wine whose grape harvest couldn’t have been sweeter or more tangy. Her new single “Honey, There’s the Door” sparkles but bites at the skin. “Tell me I remind you of Marilyn Monroe,” she entices, pulling her beau closer but making him know her exact worth. “Don’t hold it against me / I gotta give it to you straight,” she later prods, her silky voice fluttering in the breeze. And with a flourish, she’s stolen our hearts all over again.

T. Nile is bold, ambitious and totally devoted to busting up genre labels. Her new song “Sweet Talker” worms between her organic folk roots, wind instruments rumbling in the background, and electronica that induces club dancing into the wee hours of the morning. “I hear you sweet talking / Won’t get me through the night / Sweet talking don’t mean a thing,” she sings, infusing the cascading trip-hop beats with an icy glow and penetrating attitude. She’s just had about enough of your pick-up lines, and so, she lets her feelings ooze out of her pores onto the dance floor. In effect, she grooves and stomps out those parts of the past as a candle fading into the twilight. The feverish and liberating escape serves as a primer to her upcoming new project, Beachfires, expected next month.

He’s not exactly folk, not exactly hard-rock. Adam Baldwin is trapped between two spheres, two worlds, two lives. But when given permission, he combs both styles for a volatile, possibly flammable, mix. “Salvation,” which sees him tormented by a serpent’s tongue, scratches the bones, rips the skin, crushes the heart. He somehow makes it out alive, but it won’t be a pretty sight. “I know you can see me,” he spits, a gravelly, supernatural voice tearing him from the inside out. He inhabits that of the otherworldly creature, whose intentions are nothing more than destruction dressed up as a sweltering melody the likes of which you’ve never witnessed. Baldwin’s world-separating voice never gives you peace, and that’s a great thing ⏤ it’s the mark of a truly remarkable singer. You’ll be tortured, but the final breath will be well worth it. His new album, No Rest for the Wicked, is coming whether you’re ready or not.

It’s about time women are allowed far more license to celebrate every single component of their beings. Flexing electronic pop mechanics, duo RUUMER ignite a gently-flickering adornment with “Downtown,” in which they not only frame literally going downtown for a neon-strewn night out but the act of feeling comfortable, sexually. “And we go all night cruising through the starlight,” the New York City flame-throwers heave in a furious flurry of synths and balloon-expanding production. Then, alt-folk strummer Jonatha Brooke makes a call for action with her new funky single “Fire,” setting the entire industry ablaze with an Alanis Morissette-bent swagger. “I’m still bright like a diamond,” she vows, punching the words like her life depends on it. And it certainly does. Fortunately, people are finally paying attention. “It’s like you think I’m supposed to die,” she mocks, shedding and shredding the past with one lyrical wallop. She’s wise and ferocious, leaving a trail of empowerment in her wake.

Alternative rocker Holy Pinto, who made quite a dent last fall, makes a return with a collection of smoldering folk-focused jams on his Adult EP. “I loved you but I couldn’t feel it,” he mutters, almost to himself, of a past that is growing colder with each passing moment. Standout “Daisychain,” glassy but altogether quite affecting, lingers on times gone by and often feels scarred and ripped right out of the mid-90s. Aymen Saleh’s voice, too, adheres to the slick approach and purposely washes you whole with an almost sterilized smattering.

The latest playlist imprint also includes: Tami Neilson, Rozes, Kree Harrison, Kevin Daniel, Maren Morris, Ava Max, Meg Myers, Fortnight in Florida, Steve Earle, Kat Saul, Clara Baker, Call Me Loop, Stepsons, Daya, Myylo, Olivia Henry, Kyan Palmer, Lo Lo, Prince Fox, LSDREAM, Echosmith and countless more.

In all, we’ve got 50 new songs to bop along to as you ready for the impending three-day weekend. Leggo and let music.

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:

Photo Credit: Naomi Christie

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