Every week, there are thousands of new songs hitting the airwaves — and it’s just too much for your two ears to handle. With all those options, you can’t be wasting your time on tracks that deserve a thumbs-down click.
But don’t worry, we’re going to save you the hassle. We listen to some of the most-hyped and interesting songs each week, and tell you which are worthy of your precious listening time.
Here are our top five songs to stream this week. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our Spotify page for a playlist of our weekly picks, which can also be found at the bottom of this post.
Run The Jewels — Talk To Me (and more)
Energetic rap duo Run The Jewels invaded NPR’s Tiny Desk recently, performing selections from their latest album, Run The Jewels 3, for an enthusiastic live audience. The trap-influenced music is fantastic as a pick-me-up in the dark days of winter, and so is the vibe of the performers, who were all smiles throughout their 11-minute set.
The Veils — Swimming with Crocodiles (and more)
Chilling digital drum grooves blend with warm keyboard sounds and pedal steel guitar on Swimming With Crocodiles, the opening track on a recently released live video from the London-based band The Veils. Thoughtful and intimate, the steadily-evolving music of songwriter Finn Andrews remains perfect for the most introspective moments in your day, whether you are gathering your thoughts for a task at hand, or making creative new plans for the future.
iLL Brown — Friends (featuring Freddie Gibbs, BJ The Chicago Kid, G-Wiz)
Chicago producer iLL Brown recruited a few celebrity guests for his latest track, Friends, with verses from Freddie Gibbs and G-Wiz, and gospel-like choruses from acclaimed singer BJ The Chicago Kid. The song takes a classic “chop-up-the-soul Kanye” West approach, but adds some Dr. Dre-influenced synth tones on the high end, in a mash-up of Midwest and West Coast hip-hop that will have you jamming out to all week.
Dirty Projectors — Cool Your Heart (featuring DΔWN)
There’s an enthralling island groove beneath The Dirty Projectors latest single, Cool Your Heart, that grabs your ears and doesn’t let go. Co-written by Solange Knowles and featuring the vocal skills of Dawn Richard on a series of beautiful harmonies and choruses, the song is equally suited to club outings as it is bedroom dance contests.
Lowly — Mornings
A repeating drumbeat and ’80s-influenced synthesizer tones are the core of Lowly’s new single, Mornings, which feels like it could easily show up in a montage sequence in the next season of Netflix’s Stranger Things. Mornings is one you’ll want to add to your night-driving playlist, a spooky and atmospheric jam that works best when the stars above are in visible motion.
That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more tunes — and check out our playlist loaded with our recent selections below:
