Lous And The Yakuza's Kate Bush Nod, Hope Tala's 'Crazy' Voice, And More Songs We Love

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  Quinton Brock: “To the Moon”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/9p5NOhYBrE4
  
  
  
  In the lead-up to “To the Moon,” newcomer Quinton Brock repeatedly tweeted how it would “change rock music forever.” Right now, it’s here, and the peppy single synthesizes plenty of alt spirit into a undeniably charming ember of a song. Like his peers Jean Dawson and Bartees Strange, Brock is one to watch for his commitment to chasing the sounds he wants to emulate and coming up with something singularly resonant. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Lous and the Yakuza: “Amigo”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/PNGwThvjadY
  
  
  
  Recording as Lous and the Yakuza, the Brussels-based, Belgian-Congolese artist Marie Pierra-Kakoma’s subtle, snappy R&B is a conceptual and cultural confluence. Sharing a producer with Rosalía and shifting effortlessly between French, English, and Kinyarwanda (spoken in the Congo and Rwanda), she sings old-world refinery along with a contemporary flow, while her visuals are identically referential. The arresting choreography in “Amigo,” off her debut album Gore (out today), signifies a transformation, with more than a nod to Kate Bush’s legendary “Wuthering Heights” video. —Coco Romack
  
  
  
  
  



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  Skipper Jones ft. King Elway: “Riot Fires”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/fKL2JD9DFDg
  
  
  
  The lyrics to Skipper Jones’s “Riot Fire” are at once striking and healing. An up-tempo snare modernizes a track infused with gospel. It's stitched with each other with brutal honesty featuring raspy lines like “It’s open season on Black lives” and “‘All lives matter’ is a protest to my anger” that hold a reflect to society. Accompanied by the Georgia rapper King Elway, the pair call into question America’s moral code, while marginalized folks are made to play Russian roulette for freedom. “We’re attempting to raise our kids up in better times,” Elway raps, “but we’re stuck in a system that was built up to let's down.” Protests and “riot fire,” like rap, are the sermons of the streets, revealing the stories often criminalized or cast aside. —Virginia Lowman
  
  
  
  
  



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  Hope Tala: “Crazy”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/dO3aiVzEYQc
  
  
  
  Even as she streams her influences, London’s Hope Tala has a voice all her own. On the lovely “Crazy,” Tala’s voice is the jewel in wide downbeat bedrock, and the tiny sonic flourishes that amplify her perspective — layered crooning, slyly busy percussion — make the full four-minute affair a bountiful feast. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Watson: “All Falls Down”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/CelBA0HLaRg
  
  
  
  Rising alt-rapper Watson’s new single might be called “All Falls Down,” although his music career has been nothing nevertheless a come-up. He scored his big break on the way to work at Jersey Mikes, dropping everything to hit the studio with hit-maker Brian Lee to write tracks for Post Malone and 21 Savage. His latest bop is a moody, sexy banger in the vein of Posty, recounting the wreckage left by a lover he still can’t get off his mind. It’s as haunting as it is vibey, and it’s a good preview of what’s to come from his forthcoming follow-up to this year’s EP, Hallelujah, I’m Free. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Puma Blue: “Snowflower”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/TkWlbTLA2IM
  
  
  
  Jacob Allen, who records skeletal and fragile electronic-tinged music as Puma Blue, goes full wraith on “Snowflower,” a groove delicate because the gold leaf that falls on his sleeping face in the video. Like the identically sparse “Velvet Leaves,” it’s another preview of his 2021 debut, In Praise of Shadows, that promises to probe further into this eerie musical mind. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Orla Gartland: “Pretending”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=sG6YJJMs3sw
  
  
  
  Impostor syndrome and self-doubt are normal threads in London singer-songwriter Orla Gartland’s discography. “Why Am I Like This” is a personalized preference, nevertheless her new single “Pretending” charts the same relatable waters with even more confidence and edge. “I’m so fucking self-aware / It’s exhausting,” she sings before bursting into a plucky, susceptible chorus about swearing off pretending to be someone else. The adorably quirky visual, set in a washroom at a Halloween party, flawlessly captures the feeling of being an outsider; and it’s festive! —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Tini ft. John C: “Duele”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=vqaLwY2Ok4M
  
  
  
  The heavenly visuals; the complete two minutes of head-turning, rattling pop; the charisma of Tini herself, who brought her fashion to a recent MTV Instagram livestream efficiency — despite the title, any time “Duele” bumps, nothing hurts. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Claud: “Gold”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/SiXQyIbaPa0
  
  
  
  Rust on gold is physically impossible, although Claud doesn’t care. The nonbinary, indie-pop singer defies the laws of chemistry in their latest cut, a mellow, self-aware take on a doomed relationship with an absolute earworm of a chorus. (“Gold” is their first release under Saddest Factory, Punisher songstress Phoebe Bridgers’s new record label.) “I’m also optimistic If I think that this’ll work out / Without anothеr emotional night where we both break down,” Claud confesses, which — ouch. Also real? Chase the burn with the song’s campy, pastel-hued visuals. —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Sylo Nozra: “Ginny”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/csCXaW-b1jw
  
  
  
  I’m a sucker for any song that includes my stage name, yet Korean-Canadian artist Sylo Nozra’s “Ginny” is seriously intoxicating, as much as it is relaxing — it’s sonic whiskey. A synth-pop beat wedded with lo-fi and R&B influences, Nozra’s sleepy bedroom vocals make the song irresistible. You desire to dance, although you also wish to lay down and send a racy text. It’s a cocktail of bliss that goes down smooth and is best played on repeat. —Virginia Lowman
  
  
  
  
  



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  Reason ft. Rapsody: “I Can Make It”
  
  
  
  
  
  With a string of solid singles featuring Vince Staples, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, and more, California-based rapper Reason has been building up the anticipation for his latest release New Beginnings all year. He delivers while in the full project, which dropped last Friday, however especially soars with help from Rapsody and Desi Mo on standout “I Can Make It.” Spitting bars about flexing through adversity, it’s the track’s sticky chorus that’ll loop over and over in your head. “I can make your wrongs feel right / I can make the lonely dark times feel bright,” he starts. Desi swoops in with an answer: “I can make your lows feel good.” —Carson Mlnarik