Billie Eilish - "Oxytocin"

Billie Eilish's sophomore album was released today and it is stellar, showing a lot of new sides to her. I'm drawn to the dark, thumping track "Oxytocin" which has Eilish's vocals snaking around a wicked bassline and squiggly electronics. This is a more assertive Eilish, and it suits her.

Massane ft. Colouring - "Wild"

French producer Massane teams up with UK band Colouring on this wondrous track. Aching vocals soar over pulsing beats, piano, and subtle electronics. 

Lime Garden - "Pulp"

Brighton four-piece rock band Lime Garden has released a new single, the bouncy, disco-inflected "Pulp." This is an exciting band to look out for.

Saint Etienne - "Pond House"

From Saint Etienne's upcoming album I've Been Trying To Tell You comes the languid, dub-influenced track "Pond House" which samples Natalie Imbruglia's 2001 single "Beauty on the Fire." The new record is heavily sample-based, and echos their classic second record So Tough.

 

Inhaler - "In My Sleep"

Irish rock band Inhaler, led by Bono's son Elijah Hewson, have released their debut record, the very solid It Won't Always Be Like This. Wisely, the band is not a facsimile of U2, but their own entity, striking hot with driving, melodic rock. "In My Sleep" revs up swirling guitars and a tight rhythm section and Hewson's strong voice (that, of course, has hints of Bono).

James Blake - "Say What You Will"

James Blake is releasing his fifth album Friends That Break Your Heart in September. Our first taste of the record is the haunting ballad "Say What You Will," which is about finding peace with yourself no matter what other people are doing. 

Normani ft. Cardi B - "Wild Side"

 

Normani teams up with Cardi B for this Aaliyah-referencing R&B jam. It is sleek, sexy, and gorgeous.

One True Pairing - "Golden Arches"

One True Pairing, aka Tom Fleming (formerly of Wild Beasts), returns with this soaring track called "Golden Arches." The track focuses on Fleming's powerful baritone as he sings of escape and possibility over a bed of drum machines and swirling electronics. 

 

Novaa - "Can't Take This Silence"

 From Novaa's exquisite new record She's A Rose, "Can't Take The Silence" is a quiet piano ballad about seeing someone and somehow knowing it is going to be over. It's a yearning, heartbreaking song, that is starkly beautiful as well.

Swedish House Mafia - "It Gets Better"

EDM supergroup Swedish House Mafia (Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso) have regrouped after disbanding in 2013. They return with this killer, bass-heavy jeep rattler. A welcome return.

Yves Tumor - "Crushed Velvet"

Yves Tumor surprise released their new EP The Asymptotical World yesterday and it is a 6-song stunner. They perfectly blend their pop and experimental tendencies into something both shockingly familiar and new. With a Yves Tumor song you never ever know what direction it is going to go. "Crushed Velvet" is a perfect example. Starting with an almost conventional opening with guitars, bass, drums, light synth washes, and Tumor's passionate vocals, it feels like a perfect pop song. But halfway, the song starts to build more insistently, culminating with a symphonic crush of guitars and swelling synths. I have tickets to see them in a few months, and I can't wait to see how they translate these songs live.

 

Twin Shadow - "Is There Any Love"

Twin Shadow, aka George Lewis, Jr., was poised to hit the heights that The Weeknd has experienced, but after two brilliant independent records, his major-label release fell flat and his following releases didn't do much to make up for it. If you have seen Twin Shadow live though, you know the man is a born entertainer, who knows how to whip an audience into a Prince-ian frenzy. His latest, self-titled record shows that spark, and on tracks like the funky "Is There Is Any Love" you can see that promise coming through. 

 

Big Red Machine ft. Taylor Swift - "Renegade"

Taylor Swift teams up with Big Red Machine, the side project of The National's Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, on the single "Renegade" from Big Red Machine's upcoming album How Long Do You Think It's Going To Last? It's a very Swiftian exploration of a toxic relationship which, of course, is not a bad thing. Excited to hear the rest of the record.

Pink Pantheress - "Passion"

 

"Passion," the latest single from British singer Pink Pantheress, starts out with gently plucked guitars and pillowy synths. When the chorus kicks in, she drops a breakbeat loop that sends the track into the stratosphere.

Shygirl ft. slowthai - "BDE"

Shygirl teams up with rapper slowthai on jeep shaking jam BDE, a.k.a. Big Dick Energy. It's sleazy fun.

Tinashe - "Bouncin"

Happy Friday folks! Let's ease into the weekend with this sleek confection from future R&B chanteuse Tinashe. Her voice is in fine form, as usual. Turn it up and let bass get you bouncin.

 

Wolf Alice - "Lipstick On The Glass"

From Wolf Alice's solid new record Blue Weekend, "Lipstick On The Glass" starts out with an almost Cocteau Twins' ethereality and then builds into a dreamy otherland of swirling guitars.

 

Brent Faiyaz & Drake - "Wasting Time"

 R&B singer Brent Faiyaz teams up with Drake and production team The Neptunes for this sleek track that is heavy on 808 beats and luscious synth pads.

Beacon - "Gambler"

Haunting ballad from Brooklyn-based synthpop duo Beacon. Bluesy piano chords lead to slowly creeping Massive Attack-like electronics that suddenly climax in synth swirls and deep 808 bass hits and abruptly return to earth, to a subtle fade out. 

Rochelle Jordan - "Next 2 You"

Toronto-born, LA-based singer Rochelle Jordan recently released her excellent new record Play With The Changes, which is packed full of icy electronica, future R&B, and UK garage tracks. "Next 2 You" is a sleek future R&B song with Jordan's achingly tender vocals fluttering over the skittering beats and pulsing electronics.

SAULT - "Bitter Streets"

Enigmatic British band SAULT just released their latest record NINE this week and it will only be available, in any format, for 99 days. It's a strange, haunting record that shapeshifts from afrobeat, R&B, jazz, krautrock, rap, pop, and beyond. The album is heartbreaking in its tales of the black experience. Even when the music is light and settling on "Bitter Streets," with its laid-back drums, playful bass, and sweeping strings, the lyrics are fully grounded in reality, such as "I remember when we were young/You made friends with a gun."