Bop Shop: Songs From Lil Yachty, Wonho, Hozier, And More

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.

As the saying goes, a hit is a hit. And when a song takes over TikTok — especially a bizarre, barely there track with a slippery hook that sounds like a beat-up vintage sample but is in fact a 25-year-old man’s voice — it’s a hit. Lil Yachty’s “Poland” is a fever dream that lends itself to endless remixes and reinterpretations, making it a perfect encapsulation of our moment in pop music. Perfect music for haunted houses and the club. —Patrick Hosken

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Wonho’s “Don’t Regret” is quite literally that feeling in a song. Moving slightly away from the electro-pop melodies of his past few releases, the K-pop superstar forays into pop-rock, utilizing stringy electric guitars and explosive drum beats to create an emotional release that you can feel in your soul. Managing regret is one of the most difficult, and often painful, aspects of being human, but Wonho seems to do so with ease and positivity. He ends the track with “No regrets, never,” so maybe we all need to take a page out of his book. —Sarina Bhutani

Here’s a bop that will get you in the mood for spooky season. Ethan Bortnick’s new single “Arsonists” captures several of his talents (singing, songwriting, and piano) in one very dark and moody bop. Bortnick, a renowned pianist, has been reminding fans why he rose to such fame with his piano expertise by teasing the new song on TikTok and shocking those watching as his hands rapidly slam and glide across the keys with such precision. The striking piano melody is not the only thing that jumps out of the song and grabs your attention; the grungy vocals are also of note with lyrics like, “I’d kill to be an arsonist / And burn bridges without shame / You flipped a coin / I’m second choice.” —Alissa Godwin

Our beloved gentle giant has returned with another soft rally cry. Inspired by one of his primary influences, poet William Butler Yeats, Hozier details Greek and Irish mythology’s most infuriating injustices with the perfect amount of grace. He compares the rape of Leda by Zeus to the current stripping of women’s rights across the world. His poignant lyrics tell all: “A grandmother smuggling meds past where the god child-soldier Setanta stood dead.” Here, Hozier brings it home to Ireland, where it has become increasingly difficult to import abortion medication now that it is illegal. —Gwyn Cutler

Recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York, Muna’s new cover of Taylor Swift’s gilded sad banger “August” keeps the energy low and the focus on what has, in fact, slipped away. The trio didn’t anticipate the “very breathy, quiet quality” that their version of the song took on at the studio, but they vibed with it. The result? A knife-twisting aural approximation of the pang that hits when summer ends. —Patrick Hosken

Indie-rock duo Jadu Heart deliver a modern-day ‘90s punk sound with encouraging lyrics and ethereal echoes, which begs the question, “Is happy grunge a thing?” I’d call this one bittersweet as it details the mania that becomes a clarifying and promising light after a deep depression. They’ve paired this single with another experimental hit, “Cocoon,” and these both belong on wistful and pensive car rides. Their full album, Derealised, is out January 20. —Gwyn Cutler

If you want a song that you can scream out while crying profusely, Precious Pepala has granted your masochistic wish. This plays against the trope instilled through fear and shame that we deserve the dangers of the streets simply because we dared to walk them. They condemn our clothing, that we travel alone without a weapon when the attackers are to blame. Trouble finds our most vulnerable and it is never their fault that it does. Trouble is systemic, so we need to validate and protect those affected. “She’s cold and she’s drunk / A little red riding her luck in the hood / She’s asking for trouble / Oh, that’s what they’ll say if trouble comes heading her way.” —Gwyn Cutler

A delightfully dizzy little slice of R&B-infused dance music, “Worst of Me” finds Cleveland’s Will Cherry awash in regret even as the music glides and soars. Thanks to the song’s video, which Cherry wrote and directed, you can get to know the story a bit better. But it’s not necessary to fully take it in. If you want to press play, let the music do the talking. —Patrick Hosken