By Chase L. Manson ’16 
THE ROUNDUP 

While the hot summer months wind down, new music from singers we love and some new faces start to rev up.

The debates are endless: “Roar” versus “Applause,” Lady Gaga versus Miley Cyrus.

The fandom Twitter wars are dominating the site.

The hot new singles are about to face judgment,whether they like it or not.

“Roar” by Katy Perry
8.5 out of 10

Yes, everyone, the self-proclaimed bubblegum pop princess is back.

Two years after her record-breaking album, “Teenage Dream,” Perry returns to “Roar.”

With a catchy beat, Perry ensures a new hit, but not one that stays.

What weighs this song down is that it’s so catchy.

“Roar” sounds too much like her previous efforts like “Firework” and “Teenage Dream.”

What stands out is the catchy hook and beat that makes for a fun listening experience.

The message, too, also stands out from the song, uplifting the listener.

While the uplifting song does have a good beat, Perry’s vocals seem so synthesized you begin to question her vocal abilities even though she has proven herself on her pop debut album “One of the Boys.”

The song, though good, is hurt by other factors that make the single after a while seem rather annoying and sound like another cookie cutter pop song.

“Applause” by Lady Gaga
9 out of 10

Little Monsters,Gaga’s fans, the Mother Monster is back and ready to, as she puts it, bring art and pop together to create “artpop.”

Has she succeeded?

In someways she has.

It’s been kind of a bad year for Gaga, as she had to cancel her “Born this Way Ball” tour and undergo a hip surgery.

To top it off “Applause” has been a commercial under performance only peaking No. 4 on Billboard Hot 100.

With a catchy beat, the song never leaves your head and the lyrics are fun as she lives for her fans “applause.” The vocals are entertaining, as she channels David Bowie in the beginning but creates her own vocal identity in the end.

But the problems with the song happen with the lyrics, in particular the hook.

Gaga’s hooks are normally really good, but in this song the hook is kind of sloppy and overused.

The song is great with just subtle issues that will take shape overtime. After seeing her iTunes Festival performance fans are worried for Gaga.

The “Applause” number felt very weak compared to the other new songs she preformed.

“Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus
7 out of 10

Most of America wants to forget the awfulness of Miley Cyrus’ VMA performance.

People wanted to take a wrecking ball and destroy all of it.

The attention of this catapulted Cyrus into media attention that broke several Twitter records.

Forget the division between Democrats and Republicans, the new division is whether you like Cyrus.

Parents despise her, teenagers like her new raunchy image.

Maybe with this emotional song she wants to return to her somewhat old, wholesome appeal.

“Wrecking Ball” is a ballad that strikes a chord for Cyrus, which allowed for media speculation after the news of her fiancé calling off the wedding and the relationship.

Cyrus sings with passion in this number, showing off her vocals in comparison to “We Can’t Stop”

The song is really good; however, my opinion changed when I watched the music video. The same can be said about “We Can’t Stop.”

I was confused, flabbergasted, but most of all disturbed. It was the VMAs all over again.

I wished I could have unseen it all.

It seems Cyrus’ new image is here to stay and no wrecking ball is going to break it down.