Songs of the week: New songs by Olivia Rodrigo, Dolly Parton, Dave Dobbyn and more

by Olivia Rodrigo

The pop it-girl has taken on a rite of passage previously paved by her self-proclaimed faves Taylor Swift and Lorde. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes - the prequel to the film trilogy you couldn’t escape 10 years ago – hits cinemas this weekend and, as with its predecessors, comes with an equally dark, haunting single. Can’t Catch Me Now is eerie, folky and speaks to the relentless sets of rebellions that fight for freedom throughout the franchise. Rodrigo’s emotional vocals brings the folky theme up to a cinematic enough level for a dystopian action flick. –Alana Rae

by Yumi Zouma

The Christchurch alt-pop band Yumi Zouma have released their third single off a yet to be fully revealed new EP. It’s a lyrically sombre but danceable track, probably due to its fun, thoughtful pacing. The piano riff opening that picks up each chorus also drives it along. Bandmate Josh Burgess made the song’s lyric video with a comedically ancient iPhone 4 in a nod to a certain lyric, and as an Instagram follower fan pointed out under the band’s post, “the song and video both hit you in the feels, whether you’re watching it on a Dell laptop, Samsung Android or a Zune.” – Alana Rae

by The Smile

The second single for the forthcoming second album by the Radiohead off-shoot that can can sound a lot like Radiohead with a change of medication. It’s a hazy psychedelic number that builds with its ukulele-sized beginnings into quite a sonic kaleidoscope. Nice video by Paul Thomas Anderson too. – Russell Baillie

by Gut Health