It's impossible to be across all the new music out each Friday. Luckily, PAPER is here to help you out: each week, we round up 10 of our favorite new songs from artists — emerging and established — to soundtrack your life. From the surreal to the sublime, these songs cover every corner of the music world. The only criteria: they all have to absolutely rip.
Subscribe to our Sound Off Spotify playlist here and check out this week's tracks below.
Marina Allen - "Red Cloud"
Truly divine stuff from California singer-songwriter Marina Allen, whose 2022 album Centrifics was deeply underrated. “Red Cloud” is slightly more diffused than anything on that album, more content to float along on a lovely bed of meandering bass and woodwinds, but there’s tension and uncertainty hiding beneath the beauty.
Taxidermists - "Stay Gone"
Enticingly whiny post-punk from Taxidermists, aka Cooper B Handy (LUCY) and Salvatore McNamara. Lurching between singalong garage and dirgey interludes, it’s a dizzy, distended highlight of their new KO EP.
Camila Cabello, Playboi Carti - "I LUV IT"
Let’s clear one thing up: This isn’t Camila’s hyperpop turn, and it certainly doesn’t feel like a Charli XCX ripoff. If anything, “I LUV IT” feels indebted to underground hip-hop: aside from its brilliantly ridiculous Gucci Mane sample, the scraping synths and hazy atmosphere feel indebted to 454, Nettspend and 645AR. Carti’s nonsensical, mumbled verse adds to the considered chaos. I luv it!
Vampire Weekend - "Mary Boone"
On “Mary Boone,” Vampire Weekend samples the break from Soul II Soul’s “Back To Life” to tell an imagined story of a townie who has an affair with jailed 20th-century art dealer Mary Boone. In other words, it's typical Vampire Weekend stuff.
Tainy, Tokischa - "Jalo"
This song is from Netflix’s Rebel Moon, but it works just fine as a pastel-toned collab between a reggaeton legend and one of the genre’s most notable upstarts, Tokischa adapting her bratty flow to be a little more sweet.
Denzel Himself, Shaé Universe, BAMBII - "Goth Vogue"
Genre-agnostic Londoner Denzel Himself outdoes himself on “Goth Vogue,” which is ostensibly a dance track but works just as well as late-night R&B. It’s a masterclass in subverting expectations.
Beyoncé - "BODYGUARD"
The highlight of Beyoncé’s Renaissance follow-up Cowboy Carter is a butter-smooth yacht-rock track in the vein of underrated album cuts like “Blow” and “Virgo’s Groove.” It finds Beyoncé singing about her devotion to another over a totally irresistible groove.
Doechii, JT - "Alter Ego"
An absolutely hectic rave-rap track that finds Doechii going toe-to-toe with JT with completely oppositional flows: Doechii is in pure scream mode, while JT is as laid-back as ever.
Superfan - "75 Germany"
“75 Germany” is lushly-orchestrated lo-fi indie folk in the vein of Phoebe Bridgers or Adrianne Lenker, Kali Flanagan’s reedy, resonant voice strong and forceful over distorted production.
Micah McLaurin - "Don't Give Up On Love"
Pure camp from pop singer and pianist Micah McLaurin, who strikes a fine line between rich theatricality and disco sleaze on this slinking, high-budget pop track.
Photography: Blair Caldwell
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