“In My Bag”

Of all the artists this year trying to infuse the bounce of East Coast club into pop hits, Lay Bankz might have the most seamless style. The 18-year-old’s songs with producer Jumbo Beats are sleek and tasteful—her voice has an elegant, almost synthetic quality that gives her busy instrumentals a smooth finish—but tap into the underlying momentum of 2022’s viral club music. Like her peers in Philadelphia, Bankz sometimes strings her Auto-Tuned peals together into high-velocity pop rap. But her latest single, “In My Bag,” is heart-on-sleeve R&B that moves at a steady glide. Over Jumbo’s chopped-up guitars, she unpacks her ambivalence toward someone she’s gotten too attached to. “I'm tripping under getting over you,” she sings, locking into the track’s triplet kicks; her memories of her fling’s Under Armour and Lanvin sneakers feel more fraught when she brings them up again after the beat comes in, as if she’s having trouble letting go. Bankz’ freewheeling writing style and urgent club production add dimension to her point of view, capturing the rush of conflicting emotions behind her poised exterior.