Each week, The FADER staff rounds up the songs we can’t get enough of. Here they are, in no particular order. You can find our selections on Spotify and Apple Music playlists, or hear them all below.
When Ninajirachi was a teen growing up in Australia she attended her first-ever concert: a Porter Robinson show. She’s since cited him as a major music idol. They say “never meet your idols,” but their first collab together, “WannaCry,” absolutely bangs.
Flo Milli’s been pretty silent the last few years after having a kid, but her cockiness never left. On comeback single “HOT AS BIC,” she uses her cutesy voice to call out anyone who’s ever doubted her place in the rap game. The RiotUSA-produced beat is calm and perfectly nonchalant.
I’ve been charmed and intrigued by Canadian songstress girlsweetvoiced who came onto the scene with a memorable Joni Mitchell sample and, yes, a very sweet voice. She just put out her first full length via A24 Music and RCA, which features standout “Ruby & Stone” — a track that is light on its feet but hits you in the gut.
California folktronica artist Dylan Thom makes music that swings dramatically between twee softness and strobe lit euphoria. Thom’s new track “SAS” is a rollercoaster and catchy as hell.
Cakes Da Killa and NYC DJ and producer DJ Miss Parker are a match made in heaven — or maybe a very glorious hell: their new EP NEW BITCH is hot to the touch, dense with bars and nasty bass. Project closer “ONCE AGAIN” is its acid soaked, fierce and final gasp.
Pharrell laces “Dead Fresh” with a thumping beat driven by minor-key strings, but the star of the show is Lil Baby, whose flow stops, starts, and high-steps through unusual pockets. You can practically hear him grinning ear to ear in the booth.
The softly undulating tones of “My Lost One” ripple and flash like sunlight glinting off water. The second offering from Julia Holter’s upcoming album Materia builds on the soft grooves and unexpected textures of lead single “Fantasy,” climaxing with a soft saxophone solo midway through.
New York genre-glashing project Nu Jazz is composed of musicians working across electronics, jazz, DIY, noise, and experimental music. Modular synth, propulsive percussion, screams, yelps, and atmosphere populate their bonker projects, Un Jazz, whose ethos is maybe most encapsulated by track “369” which is equal parts groove and chaos.
Afrobeats Captain and Mr. Money link up for the first time on this smooth track that feels like stepping into an intimate dinner with two superstars, with the duo singing about gratitude on top of instrumentation that feels expensive.