Panama – “Hope For Something”: The Sydney, AU synth pop artist is back with the optimistic “Hope For Something.” The sunny track feels like a marriage of Bastille and Passion Pit. I’m enjoying the handclaps in the chorus. I honestly can’t think of anything else to say that I haven’t said about a lot of other tracks in this genre, but I wanted you all to hear it. So here’s the track!

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Belmont – “Water Weight”: Chicago’s Belmont is back with a pop punk tune that is noisy and in your face. The vocals are frantic and sound like they’d be very engaging in a live show (I haven’t seen these guys play yet). The chorus, which is practically shouted, definitely is a standout in the genre. The Chicago act will tour with Lansing’s Hot Mulligan this spring and will make an appearance in Columbus, Ohio’s ShotFest featuring A Will Away and more.

Alex Aiono – “Question”: The 21 year old crooner is about to take over the charts with a single that doesn’t break a whole lot of new ground, but subscribes to a formula that the labels and listeners are all about these days. I have to admit that I’ve never heard anyone say “we out there bakin’,” let alone in a pop song. Interesting. Catchy tune, though. By the way, he’s going to host the Radio Disney awards (today I learned those are a thing), so there’s that. Also, I realized toward the end of the song that it has a feeling of being vaguely reggaeton.