Sound Off: 10 Songs You Need to Hear Now

Ariana Grande - "yes, and?"

After taking a swerve into plush R&B with her last album, Positions, Ariana Grande has returned to the bright sounds of dance pop on the first single from her forthcoming seventh record. It’s sleek, colorful and hooky.

Julia Holter - "Spinning"

This gorgeous new single from Julia Holter’s sorely needed new album Something In The Room She Moves finds the experimental composer once again pushing her rich, free-associative lyricism to the furthest limits of form and context.

@ - "Webcrawler"

@ – pronounced At – make thoroughly disarming folk music, as evidenced by “Webcrawler” a haunting song that recalls eerie no-wave experiments and the choral sweetness of Panda Bear, wrapping it all into a beautifully unsettling package.

Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman - "Right Back to It"

The timeless-feeling “Right Back To It” travels further along the path Waxahatchee set out on with 2020’s Saint Cloud. This time around, things seem brighter and more textured, thanks in no small part to guitar and backing vocals from MJ Lenderman.

Four Tet - "Loved"

Four Tet's “Loved” is a throwback to Rounds-era Kieran Hebden after a few years of releasing litty, unrelenting big-tent bangers; it feels like seeing an old friend in the classic jacket they haven’t worn in years.

MGMT - "Nothing To Declare"

Psych-folk really suits MGMT; after the John Maus-y synth suspense of their last album, Little Dark Age, it’s nice to hear them experiment with their sound even further.

Niki - "24"

Niki, a star of the stacked 88rising stable, has returned with the delicate, atmospheric “24”, a gorgeous piece of folk-pop that’s wise beyond its years.

Kali Uchis, Peso Plum - "Igual Que Un Ángel"

This rich, sumptuous disco song is a highlight of Kali Uchis’s new Spanish-language record Orquídeas, and it gives rising Mexican superstar Peso Pluma a chance to flex his textured voice in a new context.

Faye Webster, Lil Yachty - "Lego Ring"

Childhood friends Faye Webster and Lil Yachty link up on this unusual ballad, an ambling country song that Yachty suits remarkably well – a potential new direction, perhaps, for his next genre experiment.

Lil Nas X - "J CHRIST"

Far from its controversy-baiting video and concept, “J CHRIST” is actually a relatively breezy return for Lil Nas X, its piano-led beat recalling a lighter, bouncier take on Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble.”

Photography credits: Katia Temkin