Are you desperately looking for brand-new songs to update your Spotify playlist? Don’t worry because we’re (once again) here for you. Every week, we pick the best songs of the week that surprised, moved, or electrified us. So turn up the volume because we discovered some true gems this week.
Finland’s ALMA is back, having disappeared from the stage for a while after her debut album Have U Seen Her?. With a new hair color, she celebrates her comeback and does so with a very fine pop single. “Everything Beautiful” is as beautiful as its name suggests and is exactly what we were looking forward to for so long.
In recent years, one pop star stuck out for us with her head and shoulders above all others: Rina Sawayama. The British pop heroine released her incredibly acclaimed debut album Dynasty during COVID and will release its follow-up in September. “Catch Me In The Air” is a new preview and has us flying on cloud nine. Rina Sawayama is the breath of fresh air we need in pop.
Mathilda Mann is someone you should keep a close eye on if you are a fan of heart-wrenching pop music. On her new single “Hell,” she goes for an even more personal story, completely touching us. In the song she incorporates her experience with sexual assault, and we can hear that vulnerability in every note she sings. Moving and fragile: simply beautiful.
In London, his name is already doing the rounds everywhere, and rightly so. Ray Laurél is one of our newest discoveries, and on “COCONUT PERFUME” he tackles it again with determination. On a soaring melody, he sums up what a perfect date looks like for him and opens his heart. As a listener, you get completely sucked into his story and know exactly what he has up his sleeve.
We’ve been put to the test for a long time, as the melody of “Hot In It” has been haunting our heads for weeks thanks to TikTok. Tiësto and Charli XCX’s summer hit is already one of our absolute favorite songs for a summer rave as the repetitive chorus sings right along while the beats get you dancing. Hot! Hot! Hot!
RAYE recently raised the alarm, stating that her label was not giving her the opportunities she should have after all the hits she was already scoring. She has since become fully independent and is now releasing music under her own management for the first time. “Hard Out Here” is both a critique to the music industry, but at the same time, the best proof that she has been underestimated way too much the past few years. What a strong song!
Just before pride month ended, Daya released another true queer anthem. “Love You When You’re Gone” is a melodramatic pop track about the irresistible love between two people. Equally irresistible is also the chorus that is still stuck in our heads and the nice instrumentation that makes the whole thing a tad more wistful.
Franco-American brothers Faux Real have just continued their conquest tour at Glastonbury, where they managed to impress with their avant-garde blend between pop and rock. On the new “Full Circle”, they complete the circle once more and go for a very stylistic sound with futuristic and nostalgic elements. If anything is real, it’s our love for these brothers.
Abby Sage collaborated with MyRiot (London Grammar, AURORA, Halsey) for her new song “Pool Party,” delivering another fantastic track. Talking about the song, she says: “It’s a metaphor for kids not being prepared for the world. Kids are dealt a tough hand, having such a vast amount of information at their fingertips with nobody to guide them or explain what it all means. They have to drown to learn.” With hauntingly stunning vocals, she captures this energy and hits us right in our hearts.
Kero Kero Bonito’s Sarah Bonito is treading the solo path for the first time with her project Cryalot and immediately packs a furious punch with “Hell Is Here.” One moment she sounds pouty and the next she builds up the momentum with distorted beats and a striking vocal production. Heaven and hell couldn’t be more different, yet they come together in a wonderful way on “Hell Is Here”.
Picture by Amy Peskett
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