It's impossible to be across all the new music out each Friday. 2020 has proven that, even in the face of hundreds of crises, there's little that can stop artists the world over from releasing hits week-in, week-out. 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.
Stefflon Don — Move
Stefflon Don pulls out a hard-as-nails showing for her debut on Quality Control, the home of her spiritual siblings Cardi B and City Girls. It's an impressive assertion of dominance.
FLETCHER — Silence
The opener to FLETCHER'sS(ex) Tapes EP is bawdy and brilliant, a welcome injection of chaos and funk into the pop landscape.
Major Lazer & Mr. Eazi — Oh My Gawd (feat. Nicki Minaj and K4mo)
Nicki pulls no punches on this short but sweet Major Lazer collab, trying out a handful of sharp, memorable cadences befitting the song's turned-up vibe.
Related | Break the Internet: Nicki Minaj
Kacey Johansing — I Try
"Not too close, not too harsh, not too bright" — the newest single by Los Angeles-based musician Kacey Johansing yearns for harmony. Based on the song's easygoing production, evocative of Real Estate and Faye Webster, and indelible melody, it sounds like she found it.
Hearteyes — Born Annoying
This waterlogged meld of 2000s indie rock and nails-on-chalkboard is anything but annoying. The latest single in a prolific, inspiring 2020 run of releases, "Born Annoying" refines Hearteyes' craft and expands it to outsized proportions.
Related | Don't Judge Hearteyes by His Cover
Avalon Emerson — Long Forgotten Fairytale
Renowned techno producer Avalon Emerson takes a sharp left turn with this delightful Magnetic Fields cover. Singing on her music for the first time, Emerson's honeyed voice recalls Sky Ferreira, while the track's bright, slightly uncanny production evokes the upset fairytale of its title.
Beabadoobee — Worth It
Dirty Hit star Beabadoobee goes even more '90s revival than she's done previously on "Worth It" — if that's even possible. Liz Phair would be proud.
Bedouine, Waxahatchee, and Hurray For The Riff Raff — Thirteen
This rendition of the Big Star classic hews close to the original; still, it's a joy to hear three of indie rock's most sublime voices unite like this.
mxmtoon — ok on your own (feat. Carly Rae Jepsen)
19-year-old singer-songwriter mmxtoon pulls Carly Rae Jepsen into a zone a good few shades darker than what she's used to. The results are surprising and compelling, the pair's husky voices a match made in heaven.
Related | Carly Rae Jepsen and Tan France on Love
Scintii — Times New Roman
Taiwanese producer and singer-songwriter Scintii makes her mark on "Times New Roman," a single that recalls the technopagan vibe of Grimes' best songs.
Photo courtesy of Stefflon Don
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