Shygirl - "SLIME"

 From Shygirl's awesome new EP ALIAS, "SLIME" is a down and dirty club track that just makes you want to do dirty things in the backroom.  Sleazy fun.

Miley Cyrus & Dua Lipa - "Prisoner"

 Pop-rock collaboration between Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa that will appear on Cyrus' upcoming record Plastic Hearts.  Based on the songs we've heard so far, I think it is going to be a really solid album.

Empress Of - "Broken"

 Empress Of contributes this brooding alt-pop track to the upcoming Lord of the Flies meets Lost television series The Wilds which premieres on Prime in December.

James Blake - "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face"

 James Blake is masterful at picking the best songs to cover.  Here is a live performance of him singing the Ewan MacCall written song "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," made popular by the incomparable Roberta Flack.  Blake's voice is hauntingly beautiful.

Litany - "Uh-huh"

 Litany (Beth Cornell) releases her latest single "Uh-huh," a really fun alt-pop song about the joys of sex.  

Molchat Doma - "Lubit' I Vypolnyat"

 Belarusian coldwave/goth band Molchat Doma unexpectedly became an Internet/social media sensation when their song  “Судно (Sudno),” from their 2018 album Этажи, became the subject of over 100,000 TikToks.  They have just released their new album Monument.  I really love the closing song "Lubit' I Vypolnyat" which marries New Order esque basslines, brittle early-Cure guitars, and singer Egor Shkutko’s deep baritone which channels Ian Curtis at his most heartfelt.

Tiny Deaths - "Extra Life"

On her lovely EP If I Am Dreaming, Tiny Deaths (Claire de Lune) turn inwards in a collection of songs that deal with letting go of toxicity in your life and becoming a freer person.  I love the dream-pop of "Extra Life" with its subtle synths and pianos and the booming drums on the chorus.  If you are a fan of Purity Ring, Beach House, and Phantogram, you will love Tiny Deaths.

 

Benee Ft. Grimes - "Sheesh"

 New Zealand alt-pop singer Benee is making huge waves with her debut album Hey u x.  One of the standout tracks is "Sheesh," a spacy collaboration with Grimes which hovers back and forth between rave-keyboard stabs and a fluttery drum n bass beat.  

Billie Eilish - "Therefore I Am"

 Billie Eilish returns with her throbbing new single "Therefore I Am."  The fun video finds her cavorting around a deserted mall.

Kylie - "Supernova"

 

From her fantastically fun record DISCO, "Supernova" is a dance floor banger with a killer hook and beat.  

Skylar Grey - "Make It Through The Day"

 Downtempo track from singer Skylar Grey that perfectly encapsulates trying to navigate through this bizarro year.

Loma - "Elliptical Days"

 The trio Loma has returned with their sophomore record Don't Shy Away, and it is another set of tracks that blur the lines between traditional song structures and forays into electronics.  The band almost broke up but a compliment from none other than Brian Eno made them reevaluate the breakup (and even got an assist from Eno on the track "Homing").  "Elliptical Days" is a perfect melding of strings, horns, Asian elements, almost choral vocals, and subtle electronics.  

Soft Kill ft. Tamaryn - "Floodgate"

 Portland post-punk band Soft Kill joins with singer Tamaryn on this sublime shoegaze/dream pop track.  Shimmering guitars wind around soaring washes of synths.

Bree Runway ft. Missy Elliott - "ATM" (NSFW)

 Rising UK rap star Bree Runway teams up with the legendary Missy Elliott for this bawdy track that is one of the most fun songs I have heard this year.

MorMor - "Don't Cry"

 

Toronto-based artist MorMor returns with this explosive new single filled with driving drums, tightly-wound basslines, and roaring synths.  It's a striking meditation on life during the lockdown.

Salem - "Red River"

It's been 10 years since "witch house" pioneers released their fantastic debut album King Night.  With little fanfare, they released their sophomore record Fires In Heaven last week. Now a duo, the band hasn't so much expanded their sound but rather have streamlined it and made it even more razor-sharp. Single "Red River" is a particularly menacing track with funeral-like trap beats, guttural vocals, and icy synths.

  
 

Babeheaven - "In My Arms"

 

"In My Arms" is the gorgeous new single from Babeheaven's upcoming debut album Home For Now.  Frontwoman Nancy Anderson's voice is like butter and the song slowly builds into something quite majestic; think of something from Love Deluxe-era Sade.  This is a band to watch.

Phantoms ft. Sarah Close - "Moonlight"

 With everything going on in the world today it's hard to not get mired in the doom and gloom.  LA producers Kyle Kaplan and Vinnie Pergola who make music under the name Phantoms have teamed up with singer Sarah Close for this ode to wanting to be dancing with someone underneath the moonlight.  Hopefully, soon we can all be dancing again and the doom and gloom will fade away.