Alt-pop

Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.

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These 10 tracks from artists including Dove Cameron, Sabrina Claudio, Rebecca Black and XG will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for our updated 2023 playlist of cool new pop songs.

Moss Kena & Super-Hi, “Light It Up”

On both his solo tracks and collaborations, British singer-songwriter Moss Kena possesses a keen sense of tightly controlled pop craft; each movement of “Light It Up,” a new team-up with Super-Hi, is clearly delineated but melodically pristine, as if designed in a lab for maximum dopamine rush. Kena is building quite the singles catalog at this point, and “Light It Up” suggests that they’re going to keep getting better from here on out. – Jason Lipshutz

Rebecca Black, “Misery Loves Company”

After spending years rebuilding her image from Internet meme to singer-songwriter, Rebecca Black sounds remarkably confident on new album Let Her Burn, and that self-assured approach yields sleek, fully realized pop gems like “Misery Loves Company.” Black adopts an ultra-cool hyperpop approach for the majority of the track, but the pre-chorus displays the newfound power of her voice — an impressive showcase on multiple levels, and a worthy playlist addition. – J. Lipshutz

Indigo De Souza, “Younger & Dumber”

Here’s a pro tip: do not experience “Younger & Dumber,” the towering new single from singer-songwriter Indigo De Souza, as background music. The song demands your attention with monumental emotion — De Souza reflects on her past naiveté, while also trying to protect her younger self from the damage ahead — and a searing climax that places the song among the young year’s most affecting, across all genres. Give yourself over to “Younger & Dumber,” and prepare to be dazzled. – J. Lipshutz

Zolita, “Crazy Ex”

Zolita infuses new single “Crazy Ex” with a captivating amount of spirit: while she tosses out declarations about just how crazy of an ex she is, the chorus keeps soaring higher and higher, too defiant to ever look back at how far away the ground has become. Bonus points for the “Crazy Ex” video — which combines Coyote Ugly, stripteases, queer romance and curdled revenge — playing out in similarly animated fashion. – J. Lipshutz

Mae Stephens, “If We Ever Broke Up”

The highly teased TikTok hit “If We Ever Broke Up” arrives right in time for Valentine’s Day: on the punchy pop song, 19-year-old Mae Stephens reveals she wouldn’t be sad over a breakup, but rather “call your dad / and tell him all the shittiest of things you said.” She’s not bracing for a breakdown or seeking revenge, but instead anticipating the end of a relationship with a matter-of-fact mindset — and preparing to dance through it. – Lyndsey Havens

YEИDRY, “Herrera”

The latest from Dominican artist YEИDRY is a pulsing, sultry song with serpentine-like production that slithers through different tempos and moods. And though she asserts in the lyrics that she wasn’t looking for love, she says the passion “thawed me out,” a feeling felt in the music as the track heats up. – L.H.

Sabrina Claudio, “Nurture”

On the airy “Nurture,” Sabrina Claudio’s voice melts over sensual strings and twinkling keys, making even the most stubborn of listeners want to give in to her pleas. “Let me nurture you / Tell me what I need to do,” she sings without any trace of desperation in her voice, but rather an innate knowledge that her help will only prove beneficial. – L.H.

Dove Cameron ft. Khalid, “We Go Down Together” 

After stealing your “Boyfriend” and eating your “Breakfast,” Dove Cameron teams up with Khalid (an always valuable feature) for “We Go Down Together.” A slow burner fueled by a meditative piano, “Together” finds their voices weaving, well, together, as they sing about an obsessive love that occupies your every thought. – Joe Lynch

Bob the Drag Queen, “Take My Picture”

Taken from Bob the Drag Queen’s cleverly titled new EP Gay Barz, “Take My Picture” is a throbbing electro hip-hop banger about having “so much fur and so much ice I’m looking like a Yetti.” At one point, Bob references the Material Girl as a well-deserved flex; after all, the Drag Race season 8 champ is Madonna’s special guest on every date of the Queen of Pop’s upcoming Celebration Tour. – J. Lynch  

XG, “Left Right”

With only four singles under its belt, global girl group XG has been on a steady grind since debuting less than a year ago and are starting to kick into overdrive, as evidenced by new track “Left Right.” Sung in English, the girl group — which also sings in Japanese and Korean — swaps the high-energy instrumentals and biting lyricism seen on previous releases (“Shooting Star,” “Mascara” and XG Cypher) for bubbly, Y2K-leaning pop and R&B. Each of the group’s seven members excel as a vocalist, as they sing of a newfound fling that sends their hearts into orbit. “I want your body movin’ left, right, left, right/You keep me up, my heart is beating up and down,” the promising young starlets sing on the track’s chorus. – Starr Bowenbank