Every week, we bring you SOUNDCHECK — your destination for the best new music that hit the web over the course of the week. Because you should always be prepared when someone passes you that AUX cord. This week’s roundup features 9 of our favorite emerging and established artists.
“My Oh My” – Kylie Minogue ft. Bebe Rexha & Tove Lo
With a throbbing dance-pop beat and campy whispered greetings, this pop-girl team-up is the sonic antidote to that Sex and the City scene where Lexi Featherston, portrayed by Kristen Johnston, says, “Nobody’s fun anymore!” (And then falls out a window.) It’s the type of jubilant, club-ready bop we’ve come to expect from Kylie, Bebe, and Tove Lo — though its seamless integration of the trio’s names and star signs really ups the gag factor.
“Did It First” – Ice Spice with Central Cee
The Princess Diana of rap delivers another pregame-playlist-ready banger with an unrelenting beat and nonstop bars of brags. We’ll be on the lookout for our invite to party with “Tati and her thotty friend.”
“Add Up My Love” – Clairo
Even at her most confrontational, Clairo manages to make this hazy, ‘70s-inspired kiss-off tune sound like a dream. There’s a palpable buzz to its swaggering groove, likely due to the singer’s inspired choice to record her third album Charm on analog.
“Soup” – Remi Wolf
With an ’80s synth intro, building bass line, and truly anthemic chorus, Remi Wolf puts her spin on the screaming-in-the-rain, don’t-want-to-breakup bop. “Soup” isn’t as bombastically weird as Wolf’s previous record, but her soulful voice never wanes in authenticity, especially on namesake lyrical zinger: “If you give me your keys / I’ll go and pick up the soup.”
“XO (Only If You Say Yes)” – ENHYPEN
K-pop septet ENHYPEN continues their powerhouse run with this positively funky slow jam filled with infatuated confessions and unexpected vocal twists. Oozing with sweetness, the visual shows each member leading a masterclass in the perfect date night, providing a fitting intro to their concept-heavy sophomore album ROMANCE: UNTOLD.
“I Hope I Never Fall In Love” – Maren Morris
On this humming country ballad, Maren Morris isn’t bawling into a beer as much as she’s sitting on the couch with a glass of wine. In her pledge to stay away from romance, there’s less anger and heartbreak than wizened resolve, as she vulnerably admits: “God as my witness, that was the last time.”
“Death Valley High” – Orville Peck & Beck
Country music’s deep-voiced crooner has been dropping collabs in preparation of the upcoming duets album Stampede, and he hasn’t missed yet. This unlikely partnership with alt mainstay Beck sounds like a grandiose Vegas binge, minus the hangover.
“Shadow” – PawPaw Rod
There’s no shortage of psychedelic sonics and hippie vibes on this swaying and nostalgic ditty from genre-bending mastermind PawPaw Rod. On the surface, it sounds like a love song, though closer examination reveals it’s a banging ode to self-discovery in the face of “hard knocks,” “road blocks,” and “too much clout.”
“Cyan” – Personal Trainer
This indie-pop gem from Dutch collective Personal Trainer sounds tailor-made for musing in a coffee shop on a summertime afternoon while daydreaming of shapes in clouds of vape smoke and falling in love with anyone who makes eye contact. Just when you’re lost in the ether, a cacophony of vocal calls and reckless horns brings you back down to earth.