10 songs you need in your life this week

Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa’s sugary new single “Sweetest Pie” is a main pop girl collaboration of epic proportions. For the past two years, the singer and rapper have dominated with inescapable Top 40 hits. Their first collaboration together seamlessly merges their respective arenas for a high-energy party packed in with confectionery references that can’t help but latch onto your thoughts after one listen. Dua Lipa keeps pace with an undeniable catchy pop hook mastered through the world of Future Nostalgia while Megan Thee Stallion shines with another set of fiery, instantly quotable verses. We might as well induct “Wanna put his Nutty Buddy in my Fudge Round” into the Houston Hot Girl Hall of Fame now, right next to “Real hot girl shit / Me and Dua Lipa finna get the party lit.” – LP

Orion Sun opens her latest EP Getaway with a merging of vulnerability and indifference, opting to only occupy herself with the things she can control. “If you wanna stay, only give my best to you / If you wanna go, I wish the best for you,” she sings over a plucky bassline blanketed in harmonies on “Intro.” Orion Sun holds tight to her own emotional contribution to the relationship, wondering if there’s a weakness that shines through when she lays all of her raw feelings out on the table. Even when she worries about maybe being too invested – applying too much pressure too soon – she recognizes that there’s power in opening herself up to that hurt, singing: “You crash and you burn 'til you live and you learn and you stay.”

Jungle is alive and well when Nia Archives is behind the decks. The 22-year-old producer (and the owner of ‘HIJINXX,’ her own label) is as talented chopping up breakbeats as she is a Neo-soul vocalist, a combination that comes into sharpest focus on “Part of Me” from her just-release Forbidden Feelingz EP. Whereas the project’s title track is textured to recall the hardscrabble sound of pirate radio, “Part of Me” takes its lead from the lovelorn melodies in Nia’s voice: “A part of me is gone / My heart’s been worn and torn” she sings, her voice as measured as surgeon’s hand as she sews up her take on a dormant genre that, immediately, sounds like only she could have written it. – JD

On his 2020 album Green Lobby, 8ruki demonstrated an impressive ear for beat selection. The project was defined by sample flips that would get nods of approval from cloud rappers (“Biff”), The Alchemist (“Lameshit”), and Young Nudy (“Final Boss”). The French rapper’s latest single “Zookies” is adventurous even by his standards — its bounce screams Detroit with hyperactive angels delivering fluttery pitched-up vocal melodies. Above all this intensity, 8ruki is heavy-lidded and nonplussed at the prospect of any confrontation, delivering his bars like someone with an endless amount of tricks up his sleeve. – JD

“Vocoder” is Floating Points’ return to form. It’s not necessarily a better form than the one he inhabited on his most recent album, Promises, a collaboration with sax legend Pharoah Sanders and the London Symphony Orchestra — that level of form is difficult to envision, even for the most imaginative of critics. But it’s the form he’s most comfortable in, and one he occupies with ease and excellence. On his solo release since that record, FP is in full festival DJ mode, strangling his vocaloid synth into a strict array of punctuated techno chords while a massive, four-on-the-floor kick and cheeky hi-hat fills percolate below. — RH

The title track and lead single of Joey La Neve DeFrancesco’s forthcoming History Solved EP is where the leather sleaze of industrial synth-punk meets the hammer-and-sickle hardcore of the political punk revolution. Like DeFrancesco’s beloved band, Downtown Boys, their newer La Neve solo project is ideologically aligned with their work as an organizer in Providence, Rhode Island. But La Neve both expands and contracts that group’s sound, removing the bells and whistles (read: horns) and stripping to its bare essentials before adding in a heavy dose of overdrive and propulsive tempos that push it to a liminal space not far from the hyperpop zone. Enlisting Karna Ray to play live drums over an already blistering machine rhythm, “History Solved” is a call to action as suited for the club as it is for the streets. — RH

A calming aura surrounds seiji oda’s “aero3.” The final installment of the “aero” trilogy is a breezy, hyphy-tinged lullaby with a list of credited producers as long as any movie’s credit reel. But that shouldn’t be read as a dig—all of these beats are stitched together into a single cozy quilt and seiji doesn’t get tripped up by any of the subtle beat switches here. Just before the 2-minute mark, the song goes into free-fall, dropping the drums entirely, before a UFO hovering above the Bay Area abducts you no less than 30 seconds later. What’s the point of dwelling on anything for too long? There’s no time to waste, just take it from seiji: “Finally got my foot inside that door / So what am I waiting for?” —BC

“Cherry Forest” is one of a few songs on Lucky Daye’s new album Candydrip that I could describe as ‘Miguel-esque.’ Sweet-smelling and romantic, the song gently rocks back and forth like a slow dance between lovers. “Cherry Forest” was produced by frequent collaborator D’Mile, whose work behind the boards has made him one of the most in-demand R&B producers today. It’s a dreamy and psychedelic ballad with the rosy-eyed optimism of a fairy tale. “One day, we’ll all find a wonderland,” Lucky insists. If only love were this simple in real life. —BC

Back in 2015 Lolingo and Elf (known then as Elf Kid) flipped an Ashanti sample and created a cult U.K. rap classic with "Golden Boy." A lot has changed in the last seven years but the magic between this producer/rapper duo remains as strong as ever. "Freaky" is a slower, more deliberate effort than "Golden Boy," a confidence no doubt found through experience (even if they both remain in their early 20s). Dipping into the murk of dubstep's more laid back moments, with a hint of chopped & screwed pacing, too, Lolingo's "Freaky" beat is dark and seductive with hooks coming from plucked strings and a pitched up vocal sample. It lays a path for Elf to go into loverman mode, rapping about everything from his bedroom prowess to the specific brand of sneakers he likes a girl to wear. The partnership is a potent one, here's hoping there isn't another long wait to hear more. —DR

Angelnumber 8’s debut album Digital Tribal, released last week, is a grab bag of influences that take in everything from his Liberian ancestry to dancehall and drill (with a producer credit from Beastie Boys' Mike D thrown in for good measure). "Last Laugh" is a great introduction to what Angel is doing so well, splicing a techno-style beat that pulses with an overwhelming thrum of life with lyrics that deal with a break-up that has left him feeling like dust. Then another twist, the bass drops out entirely and an ethereal robot voice takes over to sing about having the last laugh. It's wild stuff but Angel remains in control, ready to move on to the next big swing. —DR