Carly is having a lovely time, Bob the Drag Queen’s favorite asset, Sam Smith’s deepest desire: Your weekly bop roundup

Drag queens, viral TikTok trends, and country music, oh my! This week has been a whirlwind for more reasons than one, and this week’s roundup of new queer music releases has that same energy, except packed with some excellent releases.

We’ve truly got it all, from legendary alternative pop girls, iconic drag artists, rising rappers, country artist allies, indie goddesses, and more. It just goes to show how queer people are able to shine in so many different genres and spaces. Who would have thought.. right? Right.

Let’s dig into the greatness of our favorite LGBTQ+ artists and allies in this week’s queer music roundup “bop after bop”….

“Psychedelic Switch” by Carly Rae Jepsen

She’s done it again, folx. Carly Rae Jepsen is back with another companion album, which has become a tradition with every album she drops. Starting with E•MO•TION: Side B back in 2016, Jepsen has gifted fans with albums that serve as sisters to her releases, offering b-sides, cut tracks, or totally new tracks that act as a companion of the original release. In this case, Carly’s The Loveliest Time dropped today, a response to her 2022 album The Loneliest Time. Carly’s charming lyricism, unabashed adornment for pop music, and candy-coated melodies always leave fans begging for more, and with the standout track “Psychedelic Switch”, a dizzying disco moment that expertly mixes prog rock and trance elements, Jepsen proves she has mastered the art of crafting the perfect pop song, and we’re having the loveliest time listening.

“BOOTY” by Bob The Drag Queen

If you’ve been a Bob the Drag Queen fan for as long as I have, you know Bob loves a certain *ahem* asset on the human physique almost as much as she loves teasing her sister Monét X Change. Aptly titled “BOOTY”, this single off of Bob’s debut EP Gay Barz is a hilarious, rapid-fire rap ode to the derrière, accompanied by a hilariously irreverent feast of a music video that is a collaboration with Big Mouth animator Alex Salyer, that perfectly matches the track’s energy. Bob has an incredible talent for delivering bar after bar of quick-witted quips that pack a fierce yet playful punch, reminding people that music by drag queens is of equal merit to any pop or rap song out these days, and sometimes in this case, even better. Bob’s commitment to quality in her rap verses and empowerment of fellow queens’ musical output has solidified her as a staple in the queer music scene and will continue taking her to new heights, like her upcoming special guest spot on Madonna’s forthcoming tour.

“One Margarita (Saucy Remix)” by That Chick Angel, CasaDi, & Steve Terrell featuring Saucy Santana

One thing about Saucy, he’s going to hop on the hottest trending song out at the moment and elevate it the only way he knows how: rapping DOWN. I mean, we’ve been hearing “One Margarita” all summer long over on TikTok, and this viral track is showing signs of longevity not only because of the many dance videos and co-signs by the likes of Lizzo and Cardi B, but because Saucy Santana has hopped on the track, making it a club-ready smash. As fun as the song may be, it also has an empowering story behind it. The track is That Chick Angel’s response to a slut-shaming sermon by an Evangelical Christian pastor better known as “Sister Cindy” on TikTok. After the sermon went viral, Angel decided to flip the message into one of empowerment and owning your sexuality. So, not only can you bop to this silly yet skillful hip-hop song, but you can also find notes of queer empowerment within its virality (while sipping a margarita, of course).

“The Beginning” by Shamir

A Cher shoutout, pops of pastel, and the healing power of community, all of these elements are present in Shamir’s new gem of a single off their upcoming album Homo Anxietatem, out August 18th. “The Beginning” is a nostalgic, guitar-driven soft jam, which finds Shamir reflecting on a relationship lost, but also never found. “’The Beginning’ is a song I wrote when I was 14 years old and had never experienced love, yet I was already inundated by all the typical tropes,” Shamir explained in a statement. “Even back then I realized a happy ending was contingent on a healthy beginning.” The track’s music video, self-directed by Shamir in their hometown of Philadelphia, features tender visuals that capture the healing communal power of queer friendship, set in the serene Bartram’s Garden, and continues the poignant artist’s string of captivating and ethereal releases.

“In Your Love” by Tyler Childers

Kentucky singer-songwriter Tyler Childers breaks new ground and takes allyship to a new level with his heartfelt single and music video, “In Your Love,” which touchingly portrays the romance between two gay coalminers in 1950s Appalachia. Directed by Bryan Schlam and starring Colton Haynes and James Scully, the cinematic video, penned by renowned Kentucky author and poet laureate Silas House, beautifully captures a journey of love, resilience, and acceptance amidst the challenges of queer rural life. House and Childers aim to bring representation and inclusivity to country music by presenting a moving story to an often abrasive audience with authenticity and compassion, and after watching this video, we find they did just that. Just make sure you have some tissues handy for this one.

“Desire” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith

The current trend of the ’90s rave sound popping up throughout pop music recently has been both a shock and a treat (and wow, does that bring back some memories..). But, this sound has been taken to even greater heights with Calvin Harris and Sam Smith’s recent collaboration “Desire”. We’ve been hearing elements of this sound from the likes of Ava Max and Kim Petras recently, but Harris has fully committed to the sub-genre and went all in with trance-inspired production that creates an electrifying discothèque triumph that we can only hope fully ushers in a wave of ‘90s rave inspired tracks into the mainstream.