This week brought an uncommonly large batch of the new tracks that tugged at my music-loving soul and demanded placement in this weekly spot. At different points, I was sure this week’s model was a recently unearthed gem from the Breeders’ peak era, an irresistibly hooky rock song from Worriers, a brash punk anthem lament about aging in the scene by Be Your Own Pet, a tender nugget of indie psychedelic folk by the Clientele, or a mesmerizing neo-soul effort by Sampha. But none of those made me helplessly cackle with joy every time I head them like the new single from Olivia Rodrigo, “Vampire.” This kid just knows how to make an utterly arresting modern pop song.

What’s maybe most impressive about “Vampire is how much Rodrigo (working again with Dan Nigro, the main collaborator on her dandy debut album, Sour) packs into its three and a half minutes: the piano ballad opening, the Queen-esque theatricality of the “How do you lie” choral answer to Rodrigo’s singing at one point, the escalating tempo that explodes with a strobe-light jolt as the rhythm really races in the last third, and the controlled and crashing finale. And none of that touches on Rodrigo’s clever, caustic lyrics aimed at an older dude who done her wrong in a toxic relationships. Placed prominently in the mix to emphasize that the words are the real stars of the show, Rodrigo’s vocals are somehow pouty and seethingly defiant at the same time. There are splendid examples of succinct emotional potency throughout, but at the moment I’m especially partial to “And every girl I ever talked to told me you were bad, bad news/ You called them crazy, God, I hate the way I called them crazy too.” Like the very best cuts on Rodrigo’s debut, “Vampire” is ferocious.

Guts, the second album from Olivia Rodrigo, is scheduled for release in September.