cool new pop songs
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, weâve got you covered. These tracks from artists including Jimin, Amy Allen, Pure Shores and more will get you energized to take on the week.
Coolest Pop Song of the Week: Jade, âAngel of My Dreamsâ
2024 has been a busy, bordering on hectic, year for pop music so far, between the A-lister album rollouts (Taylor Swift, BeyoncĂ©, Ariana Grande), new stars becoming brand names (Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey), unexpected mainstream comebacks (Charli XCX, Hozier, Tinashe), and ever-present superstars making hay out of new albums, singles or feuds (Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen, Kendrick Lamar). These seven months have been so breathless in the pop world that itâs undoubtedly been more difficult for other artists to cut through the noise and headlines, and garner attention for their own songs or projects.
Sometimes, though, something comes out that refuses to tumble into the streaming void â something so immediately original and attention-grabbing that you canât help but run it back, dig deeper, get sufficiently hooked. Thatâs how Jadeâs âAngel of My Dreamsâ functions: the debut solo single grabs your shoulders and shakes them relentlessly, demanding your focus with a shape-shifting hook, jarring transitions and an off-the-wall vocal performance. âAngel of My Dreamsâ has sky-high ambitions â this song refuses to settle for anything less than exhilaration. And in a competitive space, Jade has dropped one of the best singles of the year.
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Considering her pedigree, this isnât shocking: Little Mix, which ran for a decade as a highly successful UK girl group, boasted Jade Thirlwall as a vocal force and co-writer on some of the quartetâs biggest hits, including âWings,â âMoveâ and âShout Out to My Ex.â After her group mates Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson and Leigh-Anne Pinnock all made their recent solo debuts, Jade was the final member to make her bow, after signing to RCA Records in 2022. And while that position often stymies pop group alumni trying to separate their work from the already-launched solo projects of their fellow members, Jade has emerged with a purposeful vision: âAngel of My Dreamsâ not only crackles with well-drawn sonic features, but reintroduces the singer as an unflinching pop thinker, ready to bake yearsâ worth of industry experiences into a three-minute single.
âšAbove all else, âAngel of My Dreamsâ is a commentary on the pop machine, with the tension between its dreamy bubblegum chorus and steely robo-thump verses representing the warmth of the spotlight and cold behind-the-scenes realities. âSold my soul to a psycho / They say Iâm so lucky / Better act like youâre lucky, honey,â Jade intones, tossing out a delicious homonym (Little Mix was signed to SYCO Records, of course), before the chorus kicks back in, this time sped-up and acting like pre-programmed TikTok fodder.
âAngel of My Dreamsâ is brimming with melodic change-ups and smart details, but never sounds too disjointed, or clever for its own good. Working with producer Mike Sabath (who helped Raye break through last year with âEscapismâ) and co-writers Steph Jones (Sabrina Carpenterâs âEspressoâ) and Pablo Bowman (Marshmello and Jonas Brothersâ âLeave Before You Love Meâ), Jade has crafted a testimonial that still prioritizes being a five-alarm banger.
Little Mix never had a single catch fire in the States, and âAngel of My Dreamsâ is probably too off-the-wall for U.S. pop radio. Regardless of its chart prospects, though, Jadeâs solo debut is too bold to go unnoticed â and, whatever else comes out before the end of the year, her next move deserves to be hotly anticipated.
Here are some more new pop songs worth checking out this weekâŠ
Jimin, âWhoâ
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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, weâve got you covered.
These 10 tracks from artists including Lauran Hibberd, Ariana and the Rose, Shygirl and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists â or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.
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Shygirl feat. Cosha, âThiccâ
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âThiccâ thumps, ceaselessly and irresistibly, in the way that all great club music pulses through your veins; British producer Shygirl has experimented with danceâs pressure points throughout her career, but her new single featuring Cosha delivers a straight hit to the listenerâs pleasure center. The track should be a staple of crowded dance floors in the coming months, as well as an immediate pick-me-up in your headphones after a long day. â Jason Lipshutz
Biig Piig, âWatch Meâ
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âItâs a song to feel yourself unapologetically and to strut to,â Biig Piig explains in a press release for new single âWatch Me.â âTelling the world, âI am that bitch, watch me.ââ While the Irish artist showcases that confidence in her commanding vocals on the track, âWatch Meâ adopts an industrial whirr that turns hypnotic in its back half, particularly as the drums kick back in to emphasize the darkly lit, alluring production. â J. Lipshutz
Lauran Hibberd, âMaryâ
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UK pop artist Lauran Hibberd has bulldozed her way back into our lives with three minutes of undeniable sunshine: âMary,â a pop-punk anthem of the highest degree, swivels through hooks and blurted-out double-date details with aplomb, and Hibberd tosses out plenty of charisma along the way. Can the Warped Tour return solely for âMaryâ to serve as its authoritative new soundtrack? â J. Lipshutz
gglum, âEasy Funâ
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Having recently signed to Secretly Canadian, gglumâs first few singles present a bold new vision of indie-pop, mixing guitar fuzz, sweetened hooks, classic emo flourishes and drum-n-bass undertones. âEasy Funâ takes a few listens to wrap its arms around you, but the attention to detail sets the track apart, with each moment containing carefully considered pieces of instrumentation moving in conjunction with each other. â J. Lipshutz
Ryder Beer, âCanât Take Itâ
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Ryder Beer, the younger brother of Madison, makes an attention-grabbing studio debut with âCanât Take It,â an emotionally charged slice of synth-pop that demonstrates his gentle voice and ability to attack spaces of silence within complex production. The highlight comes at the very end, as the track concludes with the dangling question, âWhere do we go?â; Beer will provide an answer soon following this strong start. â J. Lipshutz
Crawlers, âCall It Loveâ
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British rock band Crawlers took off in 2021 thanks to their viral hit âCome Over,â and the British rock band has sustained momentum since; as it gears up for the February release of its debut album, The Mess We Seem To Make, second single âCall It Loveâ proves why. The aching alt-rock song sounds like how it feels to be the last pair on the dance floor â a sign of time well spent, and also of a bittersweet impending end. â Lyndsey HavensÂ
Lloyiso, âI Hate That I Careâ
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The latest from rising soul-pop artist Lloyiso is reminiscent of the 2010s amped-up electro-pop hits Ă la Disclosureâs âLatchâ â and much like that songâs vocalist Sam Smith, Lloyiso possesses the same passion and soul that makes his vocal delivery all the more convincing, especially on lines like, âDonât care if I lose / Iâll fight for you.â Just one listen is all it takes to believe him. â L.H.
Frost Children, âMarigoldâÂ
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Frost Childrenâs 2022 LP Spiral was a genre-hopping affair touching on electro-pop, hyperpop and bratty emo, but the sibling duoâs 2023 album Hearth Room is as soft and inviting as the furry pups on its album cover. Accessible doesnât mean predictable, though, and songs like âMarigoldâ demonstrate that you can balance sweet harmonics with compelling sonic flourishes, creating sturdy indie-pop delights that deserve repeat listens. â Joe Lynch Â
Ariana and the Rose, âCosmic LoverâÂ
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As staccato, arpeggiated synths a la âI Feel Loveâ dance around the speaker channels, Ariana and the Rose urges you to âfâk the noise, come on boyâ and hit the interstellar dance floor on âCosmic Lover.â The video arrives with a remix from Initial Talk that transports you back to NYCâs famed Danceteria circa 1983 â a time-travel loop weâre happy to get lost in. âThe music video, remixes and tour feel like a perfect way to close out this [Lonely Hearts Club] album, I cannot wait to be singing these songs with everyone at the shows,â says Ariana. â J. Lynch Â
Evanescence, âBreathe No Moreâ
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Twenty years has passed since Evanescence released its 2003 debut, Fallen, and now a few vault tracks have been given their chance to shine amid the recordâs 20th anniversary re-release. The newly remastered version of âBreathe No Moreâ is one of them â originally relegated to a B-side, the piano-driven track channels the greatness of the tragic yet touching ballads âMy Immortalâ and âHello,â allowing Amy Leeâs crystal-clear vocals to delicately soar over twinkling keys. Whereas the prior two tracks found Lee grappling with painful memories and death from a childâs point of view, âBreatheâ is a hard look in the mirror following a toxic relationship, as Lee wonders if she likes the person she has become. â Starr Bowenbank
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, weâve got you covered.
These 10 tracks from artists including Cannons, MĂ„neskin, King Mala and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists â or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.
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Cannons, âHeartbeat Highwayâ
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âHeartbeat Highwayâ â the title track of Cannonâs fourth album â sounds just as one would expect: like the steadying soundtrack to a windows-down highway cruise. Over its career, the dance-pop act has perfected the craft of mid-tempo, breezy songs that are irresistibly soothing â and sound equally at home blasting from a car or a festival stage. â Lyndsey Havens
Sheer Mag, âPlaying Favoritesâ
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Philly rockers Sheer Mag recently announced its first album in four years, Playing Favorites, coming out this March on Third Man Records. âWe put everything weâve got into these songs and can say with confidence that itâs our best work yet,â reads an Instagram caption announcing the project. The title track is proof enough, with frontwoman Christina Halladay confidently declaring: âGod itâs been such a long time / Since we laughed so hard that we cried.â â L.H.
Flowerovlove, âA Girl Like Meâ
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South London teen Flowerovlove has cited Tame Impala, Frank Ocean and SZA has inspiration. And yet, her sound isnât a copy paste of any one influence, as âA Girl Like Meâ blends airy psych rock production with alt-pop melodies. But the songâs strength is in her writing, which not only asks a question every girl once has (âWould a boy like you like a girl like me?â) but happily carries on without any concern over what the answer may be. â L.H.
MĂ„neskin, âValentineâ
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Italian rockers MĂ„neskin started the year with the release of its third album Rush! and now, the band is closing the year with the release of an expanded edition titled Rush! (Are U Coming), which adds five new songs to the tracklist. The creeping, slow burn âValentineâ stands out for the way in which the entire song â from the vocals to the riffs to the tempo â seems to ache, putting a darker spin on the notion of a valentine. Classic MĂ„neskin. â L.H.
Will Linley, âMagicâ
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Will Linley is an emerging South African alt-pop artist who, at the age of 22, infuses his music with a contagious and youthful feel-good energy best heard on latest single âMagic.â On the song, he describes the magical chemistry felt with a love interest â singing of the âmoonlight across your faceâ and how they âboth missed the last train homeâ â painting a picture of young love that is both new and nostalgic all at once. â L.H.
Girli, âNothing Hurts Like a GirlâÂ
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In Rita Mae Brownâs trailblazing 1973 book Rubyfruit Jungle, her protagonist likens switching from straight sex to lesbian sex as âthe difference between a pair of roller skates and a Ferrariâ â and the out-and-proud music of girli is very much a synth-pop celebration of that feeling. On âNothing Hurts Like a Girl,â however, the London-based artist bemoans the fact that higher highs are followed by harder falls, and the âheart breaks harderâ on a queer breakup. But with a throbbing bass line, crisp guitar riffs and a sparkling assortment of synths, girli is dancing the pain away on this preview of upcoming album Matriarchy (May 17). â Joe LynchÂ
Alan Walker feat. Daya, âHeart Over Mindâ
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Seven years ago, Daya scored the highest-charting hit of her career so far with âDonât Let Me Down,â an EDM smash with The Chainsmokers; now, the pop star is back in the dance world playing muse to Norwegian producer Alan Walker on the sleek, glittery âHeart Over Mind.â While Walker brings some post-chorus fireworks with laser-beam synths, Daya controls the collaboration, her vulnerability in each verse blossoming into the siren cry of the chorus. â Jason Lipshutz
Rosie Darling, âThe Longest Goodbyeâ
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âThe Longest Goodbyeâ treads a similar piano-ballad path as âBoxesâ from Rosie Darlingâs recently released debut album, Lanterns, but the singer-songwriter sounds comfortably affecting in that pocket, allowing her voice to linger on phrases that help process post-breakup pain. âIf all these walls could talk, you wouldnât hear a thing / âCuz all I do is cry, and no oneâs listening,â Darling begins, the meter rising and falling with each dejected syllable. â J. Lipshutz
King Mala, âI Only Smoke to Feel Badâ
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While âI Only Smoke to Feel Badâ contains plenty of blurted-out confessions, jittery questions and defiant declarations that could power any number of TikTok trends, the standout track from King Malaâs new EP Spilt Milk also works as a snappy pop song, each hook all loose strums and handclaps. Donât sleep on the production details, though â King Malaâs tucked-in ad-libs in particular help âI Only Smoke to Feel Badâ feel like a lived-in transmission. â J. Lipshutz
Alex Warren, âYard Saleâ
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One scene from the music video to Alex Warrenâs new single âYard Saleâ finds the social media star hoarsely belting out the chorus while driving at dusk â purging the physical remnants of a breakup by spilling his guts from behind the wheel. With its oversized chorus and âhey!â punctuations, âYard Saleâ includes a strain of the early-2010s folk boom that make Warrenâs latest a natural fit for alternative radio; this song sounds like it could be huge, and deserves to be. â J. Lipshutz
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, weâve got you covered.
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See latest videos, charts and news
These 10 tracks from artists including Blu DeTiger with Mallrat, Lauren Mayberry, Mckenna Grace and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists â or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.
Blu DeTiger featuring Mallrat, âCut Me Downâ
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Both Blu DeTiger and Mallrat have an abundance of self-assuredness â and when they join forces, it becomes impossible for anyone listening not to catch their confidence. On âCut Me Down,â a dizzying pop song built around a groovy and defining bass riff, the two trade verses about no one being able to bring them down. Who would dare try? â Lyndsey Havens
Desire Marea, âThe Only Wayâ
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South African artist Desire Marea was formally trained as a traditional Nguni spiritual healer â and his music is proof enough, with his soulful, feel-good approach. âThe Only Wayâ previews an upcoming EP, The Baddies of isandlwana, out Nov. 9, and makes clear that for Marea, âthe only wayâ he knows how to create is with a larger mission in mind. â L.H.
Allie X, âBlack Eyeâ
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Creating a haunting pop song is light work for Allie X, but the Canadian auteur employs larger-than-life synthesizers â somewhere between the opening thumps of New Orderâs âBlue Mondayâ and the hybrid of eastern European post punk/new wave â to create an â80s-inspired gothic adventure on âBlack Eye.â A solid addition to any Halloween playlist, this track sees the singer boldly embracing her pain and daring the listener to flinch at her lack of response. â Starr Bowenbank
Chelsea Cutler, âLoved By Youâ
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On a song that reflects on personal growth and identity within the context of a world-stopping global pandemic, Chelsea Cutler demonstrates the evolution that sheâs experienced as a vocalist and songwriter. âLoved By You,â a highlight of new album Stellaria, finds Cutler sinking comfortably into each new thought and attacking the chorus with a persuasiveness that matches the trackâs booming drums. â Jason Lipshutz
Lauren Mayberry, âShameâ
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âShameâ may be Chvrches star Lauren Mayberryâs second solo single following last monthâs ballad âAre You Awake?,â but the new track feels like the start of a fresh, compelling stance: as she sings about internalized shame during different phases of her life, Mayberry navigates a shape-shifting soundscape, electronic zaps and fire-off vocal jabs buckling into stripped-down harmonies. The song is designed to shake Mayberryâs listener awake, and as both a standalone track and representation of her solo prospects, âShameâ succeeds. â J.L.
Wild Arrows, âGot to Knowâ
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New York singer-songwriter Mike Law is best known for his work with EULCID and New Idea Society, and created Wild Arrows as a means of releasing solo work quickly and efficiently. With that in mind, new single âGot to Knowâ possesses an effortless snappiness that sounds dreamed up in a matter of minutes â but listen closely, sniff out the string plucks and stray riffs, and youâll realize how much work went into making a song this immediate. â J.L.
Madi Diaz, âSame Riskâ
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Although Madi Diaz has opened for Harry Stylesâ arena shows and is spending this month playing to large crowds in support of My Morning Jacket, âSame Risk,â which precedes her 2024 album Weird Faith, proves that she hasnât lost an ounce of the intimacy at the center of her 2021 full-length History of a Feeling. âSame Riskâ confronts relationship messiness with blunt emotion and musical vulnerability â a few sounds creep into view to join Diazâs honest vocals and guitar strums, but never enough to overwhelm her words. â J.L.
Mckenna Grace, âCatch Meâ
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âWhyâd you make me fall if you werenât gonna catch me?â McKenna Grace demands on the resplendent new single âCatch Me,â after the 17-year-old singer-songwriter has listed off the sparks of romance that went unrequited and dreams of a future that will never be fulfilled. Graceâs new EP, Autumn Leaves, ruminates on young heartbreak, and âCatch Meâ best distills her talents as a storyteller and creator of woozy, richly textured pop. â J.L.
CafunĂ©, âShadowboxingâ
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CafunĂ©âs new EP, Love Songs for the End, may have been intended to soundtrack the finales of various life journeys, but Sedona Schat and Noah Yoo sound like their blissful mix of alt-rock and bedroom pop is just getting off the ground and morphing into something truly meaningful. âShadowboxingâ continues their upward trajectory, all sun-kissed harmonies and the type of elongated syllables that will work well in summer festival crowds. â J.L.
Yumi Zouma, âBe Okayâ
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The moment that âBe Okay,â the latest single from New Zealand indie-pop mainstays Yumi Zouma, flares up musically is the same moment that the bitterness at the heart of the lyrics boils over into anger: âYou crush me,â Christie Simpson wails, as the guitars bubbling beneath her voice rise up into a tidal wave. Yumi Zouma have traded in dreaminess for years, but âBe Okayâ is a nice reminder that the quartet can handle fury, too. â J.L.
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, weâve got you covered.
These 10 tracks from artists including Kenya Grace, Jaden Hossler, Marian Hill and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists â or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist with all 10.
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See latest videos, charts and news
Kenya Grace, âOnly in My Mindâ
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Instead of resting on her laurels and basking in the recent success of âStrangers,â which exploded on TikTok last month and yielded a Hot 100 debut, Kenya Grace has moved on to showcase how her gentle approach to propulsive dance music sounds in another setting. âOnly in My Mindâ gestures at the drum-n-bass exploration of âStrangers,â but places Graceâs lilting voice over a beat that thumps harder and within a tempo thatâs a bit more breathless, resulting in another beguiling groove from the new star. â Jason Lipshutz
Spencer Barnett, âSwankâ
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Singer-songwriter Spencer Barnett has been relatively quiet since his 2020 EP Iâm Fine, but new single âSwankâ is effortlessly appealing enough to justify the wait. The guitar and bass creep around each other and create an air of pop-rock relaxation, while Barnettâs honeyed tone perfectly matches the productionâs haze â he soothes the listener, and then leaps out of the speaker, to prevent âSwankâ from becoming background noise. â J. Lipshutz
Miki Ratsula, âWhat Would the Neighbors Think?â
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âI hate how you wait till its almost too late / To tell me you love me,â Miki Ratsula confesses on the heartbreakingly sad âWhat Would the Neighbors Think?,â which provides a glimpse at the quiet emotional devastation contained within the confines of a family home. Ratsula has a knack for plainly addressing towering feelings, and they imbue every inch of âWhat Would the Neighbors Think?â with tender detail, each line stacked atop the one that preceded it upon a foundation of long-gestating hurt. â J. Lipshutz
Claire Rosinkranz, âSwinging at the Starsâ
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âSwinging at the Stars,â the new single from Claire Rosinkranzâs just-released album Just Because, hints at becoming an anthem of personal ambition â âWeâre just looking for a good life / Swinging at the stars,â the chorus opens â but the song is actually a rollicking take on sharing every facet of lifeâs tapestry with a special someone, sung with a brightness and grandeur befitting the 19-year-old singer-songwriter. Rosinkranzâs voice is multiplied to provide âSwinging at the Starsâ more heft, but sheâs able to convey a delightful breeziness throughout its run time. â J. Lipshutz
Zada, âSweet Things in LifeâÂ
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Celebrating the âSweet Things in Lifeâ on her latest song, Zada reminds us that variety is the spice of those sweet things by crafting a mix of sparkling neo-soul, acoustic flourishes and romantic synths. The Ethiopia-born, Canada-based singer tosses and turns between determination and uncertainty, all while her dulcet tones carry the listener along her personal journey. Â â Joe Lynch Â
Feid and ICON, âFERXXO 151âÂ
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Colombian star Feid teamed with production duo ICON for this sunny and uptempo track, and together, the trio created a soundtrack for a worry-free fling. While the lyrics are a bit eyebrow-raising as Feid sings of all the ways in which his love interest is irresistible, the beat matches his energy with a cadence thatâs instantly catchy. â Lyndsey Havens
Royel Otis, âFried RiceâÂ
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Last week, Australian pop duo Royel Otis announced its upcoming debut album Pratts & Pain, arriving in February 2024. Lead single âFried Riceâ captures an early-2000s indie pop-rock sound with lo-fi vocals layered under driving drums and a repeated riff, all of which combine for a hummable chorus in which the word âIâ extends for three syllables across three notes. Itâs easy to imagine this one soundtracking an episode of The O.C. â L.H.
Cosmoâs Midnight feat. Shungudzo, âGimme Some Moreâ
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Twin brothers Cosmo and Patrick Liney comprise the Aussie electronic-pop duo Cosmoâs Midnight, and on the shimmering, feel-good âGimme Some More,â they tapped singer Shungudzo to drive home the sentiment that âenough is not enoughâ when it comes to the person you love. A song as giddily fun as this demonstrates that sometimes thereâs no such thing as too much of a good thing. â L.H.Â
Jaden Hossler, âChrome Heartedâ
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After teasing a name change and new musical direction on social media, the pop-punk artist formerly known as jxdn finally revealed what heâs been up to: released under his birth name Jaden Hossler, his new single âChrome Heartedâ is a trash-talking pop-trap song. Here, Hossler puts his vocals more front and center than they ever have been before â and hopefully, thatâs where they will stay. â L.H.
Marian Hill, âYou Were Always Sureâ
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Jazz undertones have always been present in Marian Hillâs sound, but new single âYou Were Always Sureâ sees the group amplifying those notes even further. The electronic foundation of the duo duo (Samantha Gongol and Jeremy Lloyd) remains present, showing up as sparse synths that act as the beating heart throughout the track in combination with twinkling piano keys, while Gongolâs vocals swell into lush harmonies as she tells a tale of an uneven romance. â Starr Bowenbank