1. Angel Olsen’s vocal contribution to “Opposite House” by Cass McCombs is pretty subtle — just some sighing background harmonies. But the result is gorgeous, and makes perfect sense, since they’ve got a shared knack for crafting heart-wrenching rock music on the traditional end of the songwriting spectrum.
2. Nipsey Hussle’s “I Do This” is heavy: it starts with a muffled spoken word intro by Sinister Pook (Who would you want to define you?), and then Young Thug basically goes hoarse from sing-screaming with so much emotion. Mozzy guests too.
3. "Jewels (Whole Time)” is a downcast Kodak Black loosie, on which the Florida teen — who, to make matters drearier, is in police custody for an indeterminate amount of time — raps about two-faced friends and lovers over a sad, string-heavy beat. World so cold/ go put a jacket on lil boy.
4. Nao is a London singer with an inimitable cadence and an affinity for odd flourishes. She sounds great on “Girlfriend,” the warped and whimsical first single from her debut full-length, For All We Know, due in July.
5. YG’s Still Krazy is actually coming, and “Why You Always Hatin?” arrives just in time for actually nice weather. Unsurprisingly, Kamayiah’s guest spot burns bright. Drake also makes a cameo, talking about DMs.
6. Martha, a twee-rock band from suburban England, have an early contender for sweetest DIY rock song of the summer. It’s called “Ice Cream and Sunscreen” and features clever lines like: I know you wish for fireworks to light your July sky/ I was the dampest box of matches you could ever hope to find. Cute!
7. Craig David’s slow-burning comeback had a major development this week: new single “One More Time,” which finds him returning to his funky early-aughts sound.
8. Exploded View is a new-ish project started by Annika Henderson, a.k.a Anika, with roots in Berlin, Mexico, and the UK. “Orlando” is a mystic-feeling rock song hinged on dance-y punk drums and Anika's hypnotic contralto.
9. From the confident, futurist sound of “Can’t Run Out Of Bars,” rising MC Chip could be the grime world’s next big crossover. Genre titan Skepta even turns up in the track’s official video, as if to confirm.
From The Collection:
Songs You Need In Your Life
