Syd's Reflection, Brittany Howard's High, And Other (Love) Songs We Love

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  Brittany Howard: “Stay High”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=CfizQsGWOxI
  
  
  
  Brittany Howard definitely isn’t the initial singer-songwriter to compare new love to a good high, nevertheless she is one of the few to soundtrack that singular feeling so holistically. “I already feel like doing it again, honey,” she sings in “Stay High,” a standout single off 2019’s alt-rock masterpiece Jaime, “‘cause while you know, then you know.” Punctuated by a lilting xylophone, Howard’s soulful croon feels uncharacteristically wide-eyed, as if the all-consuming love she’s noticed disarms her, also. I’m not the only one captivated by the track, either: “Stay High” earned Howard two of her five total 2021 Grammy nominations, including a nod for Best Rock Song in a historic lineup of all-women nominees. —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Pink Sweat$: "Heaven"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=irQzUJK7zdE
  
  
  
  It's relatively easy to pen a tune evoking the celestial heights that love will make you feel. Nevertheless to imbue that song with the skyward falsetto that Pink Sweat$ flexes here? Nothing about that is easy. Nevertheless the R&B maestro makes it sound so simple on "Heaven," creating the sort of cozy mood indoors which you're fine spending the rest of eternity. —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Nasty C ft: Ari Lennox: “Black and White”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=kPxp6zntmHE
  
  
  
  Communication is key, the time-worn saying goes, although coming from the South African artist Nasty C, it sounds smoother than ever. On “Black and White,” the rapper makes the case for openly and directly asking for what you need in a relationship: "Show me what you into / it may would be so simple / Black and white," the refrain goes. Joined by Ari Lennox, whose elastic vocals lend depth to the meandering production, the video renders a long-distance tête-à-tête, with lyrics like illicit whisperings between lovers as soon as the world has turned away. —Coco Romack
  
  
  
  
  



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  Q: “Take Me Where Your Heart Is”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=3TnSpUrD8sQ
  
  
  
  The magic of “Tell Me Where Your Heart Is” lies in the gently simmering ballad’s first line. “I’m so into you,” singer Q Marsden confesses, “but I don’t know where I’ve been.” You almost forget this lyric in the wake of what follows: a swooning set of pretty one-liners about the aesthetics of love, and these sweetly submissive platitudes are indeed winning. Nevertheless it’s still the admission of being lost for me, and not knowing how your past will effect your future. True, deep love doesn’t come without laying your flaws bare.—Terron Moore
  
  
  
  
  



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  Syd: “Missing Out”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=bGLrGx0HV-o
  
  
  
  You can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day without a number of clever anti-love songs, so here’s a sumptuous new one from Syd. Anti-love might not directly be the correct term — “Missing Out” is more of a reflection on something that simply didn’t work out, in this lifetime anyway. There might still be a flicker of hope although. “And maybe in another life, you'd be mine,” Syd sings over a skeletal carnival backdrop. “But you’re missing out.” —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Mega: “Future Me”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/_9SlaCRN4YU
  
  
  
  Valentine’s Day can be tough for all of the single people out there, however Mega’s “Future Me” is all about self-love despite our present-day worries. It follows Mega’s more percussive debut single “Chariot” with a dedicated showcase of her wealthy vocal talents. “I hope the things that hold me down will one day set you free,” she sings, “I hope the things that choke me up will one day let you breathe.” V-Day isn't just about love stories; it’s also a day connected to the global activist movement to end violence against girls and ladies. “Future Me” is a good reminder for all of the ladies out there that their future can be better. Don’t give up. —Margaret Sclafani
  
  
  
  
  



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  Chloe x Halle: “Tipsy”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=RlvQAOwLUgo
  
  
  
  R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle can make romance sound heavenly with honeyed harmonies on cuts like “Ungodly Hour” and “Don’t Make it Harder on Me,” yet they can also make it sound deadly. “Tipsy,” a deliciously uncensored standout track from Ungodly Hour, leans into the more intoxicating nuances of love: infatuation, jealousy, and revenge. “I might be a little bit tipsy on your love / Makes me a little bit crazy, so what,” the two sing in its dark yet dreamy chorus, shrugging off threats they’ve made towards males who dare break their hearts. While the breakdown in the bridge offers a moment of brevity – “We just havin’ fun,” they coo – it really shouldn’t be that hard, right? Because the two say: “If you love your little life, then don’t fuck up.” —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  





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  Brockhampton: “Something About Him”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=c2jTXZEkbMg
  
  
  
  This B-side from the internet’s preference boy band’s 2018 album Iridescence might clock in at under two minutes, although what it lacks in range, it takes up for in earnestness. The implicitly queer love song waxes poetic about a boy who’s “attitude is like magic” despite his shortcomings. The track’s experimental production is as hypnotizing as its subject matter, lending itself to a romance pining from afar as much as it does a slow dance around the living room. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Janet Kay: stupid Games"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=v1PeZzDyXqQ
  
  
  
  One of the pivotal moments in Steve McQueen's wonderful Lovers Rock comes just as stupid Games" finishes its run on turntable. Because the house-party visitors embrace and sway to Kay's fading 1979 melody (and high-note athletics), they pick up the thread themselves, raising a collective choir of voices that fills the room, the scene, and the full film. Even because the sequence continues longer than another director would let it, every moment feels key, like the drama of Kay's tune itself. —Patrick Hosken