10 songs you need in your life this week

Ice cold regret pumps through the veins of the new single from the Swedish post-punk band. The forlorn energy circles back to catharsis thanks to an instrumentation as driven as burning rubber. As always, a key factor separating the band from pure nostalgia trip are the vocals from Maja Milner, scrappy yet operatic. — JD

“Valentine”, the first single and title track from Snail Mail’s forthcoming sophomore record, adds dirge-y synth haze to the gut-wrenching agony of 2018’s Lush. The track almost feels like a full left turn for Lindsay Jordan, until she throws down a glorious, triumphant hail mary pass of a chorus: “Why’d you wanna erase me, darling valentine?” — SD

Earlier this year, Haitian collective Lakou Mizik teamed up with electronic composer Joseph Ray for Leave The Bones, a celebration of Haiti’s sonic traditions with a glossy patina of synthesized production. In its original form, “Sanba Yo Pran Pale” was more stripped-down, and had the impression of a spontaneous recording with its extended conversational introduction. DJ Koze, the celebrated German producer and DJ behind 2018’s Knock Knock, transforms the song with his jubilant, psychedelic take on house music. A respectful, honest extension of the original project’s mission, Koze’s remix is a celebration of human connection with a mood as pure as stomach butterflies. — JD

UK rapper CASISDEAD doesn't release music often but when he does it's always essential listening. "Park Assist" arrives more than three years after the enigmatic Londoner's last single “Pat’s Earrings” but he isn't sheepish about walking back in the door. Over spacey '80s synths courtesy of producer Com Truise, CASISDEAD proffers his takes on everything from the corporatisation of gang life to his preference for beer and pizza over high end fashion. The song then gives way to the unmistakable vocals of La Roux, her cut glass delivery as arresting as ever. Whether we must wait another three years or, as as rumored, there's an album in the pipeline, it's good to have CASISDEAD back. — DR

Big Yawn churn through their new song “Ragazzo”, the first single from their forthcoming EP Pressure Acts, like surveyors panning for precious metals, kicking up silt and debris until, sure enough, you see the glint of pure gold. There’s something tongue-in-cheek about this kind of virtuosic, kitchen sink techno, but the listener is always in on the joke. — SD

With his second album SASSY out next week, Kyle Dion shared his latest single, with every sauce and garnish metaphor you could imagine. Full of funk and bouncy guitar plucks, Dion says the song’s braggadocious lyrics were written with Baby Keem’s 2019 track “Orange Soda” in mind.. — SE

The bombastic title track of The War On Drugs’ forthcoming album sounds like the kind of promise you make to yourself once you’ve got nothing left to lose, with Adam Granduciel deploying stadium-sized commitments to lay everything on the line. Echoed by skyrocketing riffs and the ladies of Lucius, it just might be his grandest gesture to date. — SM

In a recent interview London drill MC K-Trap spoke candidly about how tangential he feels actual music can be to an artist's success right now, lamenting that: "If you haven't gone viral it's like you're nobody." He went on to explain that giving fans what they want from him was part of the inspiration behind Trapo, his new mixtape filled with hard-boiled street anthems like "Free C Roy." The motivation might be pragmatism but K-Trap is one of the U.K.'s finest when it comes to mixing high energy sonics with the harsh realities of life on road and "Free C Roy" is a great entry point to an artist who knows how to play the game without ever sounding tired or unoriginal. — DR

Slow-building and brooding, anaiis’ latest is a journey on the way to inner-peace, with its share of bumps along the way. Taken from her debut album this is no longer a dream, which the singer called a cathartic opportunity to “externalize my thoughts and emotions to process and let go of them,” the song’s sparse, bass-driven production and lush harmonies still track like one.— SE

Jenevieve's debut project Division is an incandescent portal into the world of the Los Angeles-via-Miami songwriter behind "Baby Powder" and "Medallion." She beckons you in with "Nxwhere," an instantly mesmerizing cut that could get even the stiffest hip twisting. — SM