Sound Off: 10 New Songs You Need to Hear Now
Music

Sound Off: 10 New Songs You Need to Hear Now

by Shaad D'Souza

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.

Lorde — "Solar Power"

Lorde channels the easy exhale of HAIM's "Summer Girl" and the ebullient weirdness of her countrywoman Aldous Harding on "Solar Power," a stunning, cheeky embrace of the natural world. Featuring Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo on backing vocals, it's the exciting pronouncement of a weird girl summer.

Peggy Gou — "Nabi"

As with "Solar Power," South Korean sensation Peggy Gou has earmarked "Nabi" as a summer track. This is one for when the sun's down but the concrete's still hot — a surefire hot weather dance hit in the making.

Ava Max — "EveryTime I Cry"

I'm a fan of Ava Max's ABBA-esque pop stylings, but "EveryTime I Cry" is something different — glorious cheeseball piano house, an undeniably uplifting banger to complement the exhilarating torment of Max's last hit, "My Head and My Heart."

Slayyyter — "Villain"

Slayyyter's debut album Troubled Paradise is kind of about proving she can do it all. "Villain" proves not only that she can do it all, but that she can do it all in a single track, combining heartfelt ballad with the violent crunch of hyperpop.

Kah-Lo — "Fire"

"I look so fire, bitch, I am the match!" — has there ever been a better flex? Kah-Lo is quickly becoming one of pop's most underrated vocalists and writers, and "Fire" proves why.

Saint Jhn & SZA — "Just For Me"

Saint Jhn and SZA provide cinematic '80s balladry on "Just For Me" — fittingly, because this is a song for the new Space Jam movie. Still, when you put two of R&B's most promising stars together, it's hard to go wrong.

Madi Diaz — "Woman In My Heart"

Madi Diaz's ANTI- debut, History of A Feeling, is out this fall; in the mean time, we've got "Woman In My Heart," a slow-burn track that channels Metals-era Feist, which is never a bad thing.

Micah Jasper & ELIO — "Something For Nothing"

Micah Jasper and ELIO's heartbroken, organic new dance track "Something For Nothing" buzzes like an exposed tesla coil, giving the emotive track a raw edge.

Jessie Ware & Kindness — "0208"

How do you follow up a beloved, career-best record that contained some of your best, most accessible writing ever? Expand it, obviously. On Jessie Ware'sWhat's Your Pleasure, more was always more. Now, its Platinum Pleasure edition walks the walk, proving that, even at double length, Ware is still at the height of her powers.

Tkay Maidza — "Cashmere"

Versatility is the name of the game for Tkay Maidza, and the latest track from the final volume in her Last Year Was Weird trilogy is no exception — "Cashmere" is heartfelt, weirdo rap that confirms the fact that Tkay is in a lane all her own.

Photo via YouTube