balladry

Their second album, Paranoid, marked a seismic leap in songcraft, from the visceral anti-war anthem War Pigs, to the creeping intensity of the title track, via the sci-fi horror of Iron Man, and the ghostly balladry of Planet Caravan.

Crucially, the song avoids the Eurovision cliches of jackhammer dance anthems and windswept balladry – something Remember Monday have in common with this year's favourites.

Now, Boone — who appeared briefly on “American Idol” in 2021 before dropping out of the competition to do his own thing — is setting up his forthcoming sophomore album on the festival circuit and with a new single, “Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else,” that adds a retro-’80s electro-pop sheen to his theatrical rock balladry.

The trio is credited with originating the fusion of narco balladry and hip-hop elements, heard in the sounds of popular música Mexicana artists like Peso Pluma and Natanael Cano.

For fans in the audience, it’s efficient one-stop shopping for what’s happening on today’s Top 40, including SZA’s wonderfully digressive R&B, Benson Boone’s earnest nice-guy balladry, Tate McRae’s neo-Britney dance-pop and Shaboozey’s post-hip-hop country music.