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.
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G Flip: “You and I”
G Flip is currently single, but you wouldn’t know it from listening to “You and I.” The Aussie singer-songwriter banged out the feels-y pop track in just a few hours during a studio session in London while deeply in love with her ex-girlfriend. That relationship has since ended, but Flip’s epic queer love story lives on, immortalized by her effervescent vocals and soul-baring lyrics (“I would never lie / Now that you are mine / I’ll never cross the line / It’s just you and I, you and I”). 2020, man. —Sam Manzella
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Miley Cyrus: “Heart Of Glass (Live from the iHeart Music Festival)”
Miley’s penchant for huge-throated covers of seminal rock songs is well established — see her outstanding “Say Hello 2 Heaven” tribute to Chris Cornell. That’s why fan demand for her powerful take on Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” at this year’s virtual iHeart Music Festival unsurprisingly led to an official release, one where she replaces Debbie Harry’s icy cool delivery with true rock-icon caterwauling. It’s a super-disco miracle! —Patrick Hosken
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Kylie Minogue: “Magic”
It’s finally fall, so what better way to welcome the Season of the Witch than with the Aussie singer’s new supernatural single, “Magic”? Kylie suits up as a sexy sorceress and brings some prestidigitation to the dance floor by conjuring up some serious ABBA-cadabra disco bewitchery with the luscious and groovy spellbinding track. Like any good magician, Kylie always has a good trick up her sleeve. —Chris Rudolph
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Brandon: “Baby”
Riverside, California’s Brandon is a 23-year-old talent whose melodies feel as snug alongside acoustic guitars as they do stacked on top of each other in a dizzying tower of sound. His latest, “Baby,” is lovely and brief, a Blonde descendant that also recalls the moody splendor of Daniel Caesar. —Patrick Hosken
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Isabela Merced and Danna Paola: “Don’t Go”
When singer/actress Isabela Merced and singer/actress Danna Paola get together for “Don’t Go,” the result was a Spanglish smash that sounds like the rightful successor to Cardi B’s “I Like It.” It’s loaded with horns, claps, Salsa influence, and plenty of powerhouse vocals, courtesy of the top-tier team-up between Merced and Paola. Get lost in it. —Patrick Hosken
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Westside Gunn ft. Armani Caesar, Conway the Machine, and Benny the Butcher: “98 Sabres”
The 1999 team might’ve been the one that nearly won the Stanley Cup, but the ’98 Buffalo Sabres were a likewise formidable force — an energy the Buffalo rap crew Griselda seem to be emulating on the closer to Westside Gunn’s latest (and third in 2020), Who Made the Sunshine. As the booming, bustling Just Blaze beat swirls into hypnosis, the four rappers take turns going in, and the end result is more than little reminiscent of a Dominik Hasek shutout. —Patrick Hosken
