Bronze Avery channels Brandy and Monica, Mariah Carey throws it back, & Cardi B plays the bongos

The bops start coming and they don’t stop coming! (RIP to Smash Mouth frontman and noted LGBQ+ ally Steve Harwell.) Just when we thought summer was coming to an end, our favorite queer musicians and allies have put autumn on hold with a handful of dance-worthy tunes.

That burning itch to hit the club is not a huge surprise, considering this week in queer music belongs to queens. In every sense of the word. We’ve got drag queens, vocal queens, and teen queens. And if that’s not your jam, there’s even a King (Princess) in the mix.

Put on your crown and grab the scepter. It’s time to dive into this week’s edition of “bop after bop”….

“Scan and Copy” by Bronze Avery

Who let Bronze Avery play with fire AGAIN?! After teasing this flirty, a**-shaking offering on TikTok for the past few weeks, the unapologetic pop star has finally unleashed what he’s dubbed a “new take” on Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy is Mine.” With thumping dance-pop production that recalls the addictiveness of “Gimme More,” Avery issues a saucy warning to a problematic gay with eyes on his man. “You don’t taste the things you jack,” he spills, before dragging this snake for being “on the grid but you still alone.” Don’t second-guess Bronze’s boyf –– or his knack for crafting an instant queer banger.

“Elle Woods” by Lagoona Bloo

Omigod you guys! New York drag royalty (and Queerty fave!) Lagoona Bloo is back with another sugar-soaked song, guaranteed to ingratiate itself in your psyche. Taking inspiration from Legally Blonde‘s iconique heroine (and perhaps the pop culture-referencing masterminds of Aqua, whom she recently opened up for), “Elle Woods” is nonstop fun. Over a synthy and retro beat, we’re served one clever reference after another. From “bend and snap” to “What, like it’s hard,” this bop is a treasure trove for fans of the film. And somehow, Lagoona (who stuns in Reese Witherspoon drag) finds a way to make the lore of Elle even more uplifting. Anyone else suddenly looking up Harvard admissions?

“Workin’ Hard” by Mariah Carey

It’s not every day that we get a new Mariah Carey song, especially one from her Music Box era. This gem was unearthed from the vault in honor of the album’s 30th anniversary. With a ’90s R&B swagger, the pop queen makes begging for attention sound sexy. “I’m workin’ hard / Gotta make him love me,” she tells herself in the chorus. Relatable much? And of course, she gives us vocal runs and high notes for days. But if that’s not enough to have you manifesting a man, give its nu disco-infused Terry Hunter remix a spin.

“Bongos” by Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion just gifted us with a hoe anthem to make your grandma blush. What else would you expect from the duo that coined the term “WAP”? While this braggodocious and Latin-infused collab comes with a bass line made for twerking, these expert rappers are busy spitting bar after bar. The innuendo is thinly veiled, to the say the least, with lines like “I ride dick like a pony, girl” and “Don’t ride it on my knees, b****, I ride it on my toes.” But the big story is its lavish destination music video, featuring tight choreo, tighter clothes, and Cardi and Meg getting their scissor on.

“Kill Your Pain” by Boyish and King Princess

Oh, to be young, queer, and yearning! “Kill Your Pain” is subtle and self-contained until it’s not, much like its songwriters: alt-pop duo Boyish. With a guitar riff that won’t quit and a dreamy drumbeat, the two apply a romantic gloss to a doomed and desperate relationship: “Maybe we should give it a go / It’s hot as hell where I want you baby.” A verse from fellow LGBTQ+ indie-pop mastermind King Princess lays the drama on even thicker, until it explodes into a cacophony of buzzing guitar and words left unsaid. It’s just a taste of the contemplative and intimate nuances of queer love explored on their new EP Little Demon Boy, out today.

“Lacy” by Olivia Rodrigo

Don’t look now, Joshua Bassett, but Disney star-turned-pop princess Olivia Rodrigo has her eyes on someone else. And her name is Lacy. The plaintive ballad feels like a soul sister to Little Big Town’s queer-ish “Girl Crush,” blurring the lines between jealousy and infatuation. “Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate / Well, aren’t you the greatest thing to exist,” she observes. Envy isn’t a good lewk on anyone, but this girl sounds gorgeous. The track is a standout on Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts (which dropped today) alongside pop-punk banger “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl.” The anxiety anthem finds her lamenting, “Everything I do is tragic / Every guy I like is gay.” Gurrll… we wish we could relate!