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.
On what wouldve been Jarad Higginss 22nd birthday and a few days ahead of the one-year anniversary of his untimely death Benny Blanco dropped Real Shit, a previously unreleased tune that finds his collaborator Juice absolutely beaming. He went in the booth and recorded a song top to bottom in one take, Blanco tweeted, saying they made the song when Juice was still relatively under the radar. Then he did it 3 more times and said pick the best one… and they were all perfect songs. Real Shit may sound sad given its context (and Juice singing, Lifes good, so Im living great), but its a reminder of the immense joy he was capable of summoning. Patrick Hosken
Weve entered the point in quarantine where we reminisce about the good old days of safe, mask-less gatherings of 10 or more people, dancing the night away, and feeling the groove of a sickening bass beat to nostalgic disco drums. No? Just me? U.K.-based Horse Meat Discos October 2020 Love and Dancing album, and their premiere track, Lets Go Dancing, will immediately transport you to the London Eagle or NYCs Output or Elsewhere. Close your eyes and bop along to your masked walk dreaming of post-vaccine dance parties. Remember losing your friends, finding new ones for the night, and loving a song you havent heard before under the disco ball. Ah one day! Zach O’Connor
Vibe check! Everyones favorite Russian hooker from RuPauls Drag Race has released Ding Dong, a bar-mitzvah barn-burner dance track. The song is a tribute to Ukrainian artist Svetlana Loboda, and the result is a nightmare-fuel earworm that will live in your head for days. And I mean that as the highest compliment! The songs accompanying music video is a Rocky Horror ride through Hell starring multiple Katyas and featuring a cameo from her partner in crime, Trixie Mattel. The campaign to have Katya perform this on Eurovision starts now. Chris Rudolph
Cool thing about Chicagos Beach Bunny: The hooks pile on like avalanches. On the international anti-players anthem Good Girls (Dont Get Used), Lili Trifilio rails against the dudes that wronged her with pop-punk precision and guttingly sincere lyrics about horniness, being discarded, and the confusing in-between. Incredibly, she seemingly has hooks to burn, saving one of the tunes best in its final 30 seconds streaming best practices be damned. Another cool thing? The song will blow up anyway. Patrick Hosken