The ladies are bringing it as Addison Rae, Gwen Stefani, and Halsey drop new singles (and an album, in Halsey's case). That and the latest song by Adie are covered in this week's Audiojunkie column. 

First up is Addison Rae. We’ve been looking so much at the Sabrina Carpenter’s and the Chappell Roan’s that we almost overlooked Addison Rae. My bad, because Addison Rae is one busy pop singer and is out there making great strides. We missed “Diet Pepsi” when it came out last August (Sabrina Carpenter album release, please understand). That moody, atmospheric tune did so well that passing on her new single “Aquamarine” would be disrespecting her already. It tops as this synth-drenched club “Aquamarine” with its elongated synth-bass undercurrent and the cascading synth motifs, and the early 2K euro beat stabs give major club vibes. Addison Rae-- who’s also making it as a Hollywood actor--also recently scored a club staple via “Von Dutch,” which Addison featured in with Charli XCX on the latter’s “Brat and it’s completely different but still brat” album. 

Twenty years after releasing her solo album “Love. Angel. Music. Baby” Gwen Stefani gears up for a new album release titled “Bouquet.” Already several tracks in, Gwen releases her latest single, “Swallow My Tears.” Gwen lays it down for everyone to see on this mid-tempo pop power ballad where she goes, “The past keeps chasin’ me around / I thought I lost it, but then it found me like it always does/dragging me back.” It’s all about squaring her past with the present as the track eventually picks up in places that make us think, has Gwen gone soft-rock? Previous singles “Somebody Else’s” and “Purple Irises” (featuring husband Blake Shelton) might suggest so with their hints of 80s pop rock leanings. Regardless, this is Gwen Stefani, who can be trusted to be tasteful in whatever she does.  

I love what Halsey has been doing lately. Appearing in the last MTV VMA’s with her garage band seemed to signal things to come. And sure enough, cue the new album “The Great Impersonator” and single “Only Living Girl in LA.” Ditching the rap music leanings of her previous incarnations, Halsey goes more organic or earthier on her latest outing. More acoustic guitars than tailored club beats, and revelatory songwriting that goes: “Do you think they’d laugh at how I die? The ceremony’s small inside / Cause I don’t know if I could sell out my own funeral.” It feels like Halsey’s exorcising something. Whatever it is, the raw and blemish-and-all treatment also fits her.  

After seemingly waiting it out on the sidelines, Adie returns with a new single worthy of his previous fame. Adie, of course, is the singer-songwriter behind the massive 2021 hit “Paraluman.” The dulcet-voiced singer is back and on-brand with the new song “Nobya.” Sweet-sounding and soothing, “Nobya” follows the acoustic ballad designs that his fans know him for. Adie released a whole set of songs via his 2023 album “Senaryo” that includes other Adie fan-faves such as “Mahika,” which features the infinitely talented Janine Berdin (and surpassed “Paraluman” in terms of streams), soft sounding “Tahanan” and the waltz-like attractiveness of “Dungaw.” One could say that Adie keeps it basic for “Nobya” regarding styles. But listen closely, and you’ll hear some upgrades like a string instrument here, a touch of piano there, an overall intricate-sounding acoustic guitar work, and a solid, out-of-the-way rhythm section to get things percolating, plus the theme of longing to be with the ‘the one’ is all that Adie needs to get his message across.