Zayn's Bare Hymn, Kota The Friend's Brooklyn Bop, And More Songs We Love

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  Zayn: “River Road”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=-nA6j3a10X8
  
  
  
  Never has Zayn's most valuable asset — his voice — been laid as bare as on his tremendous third album, Nobody Is Listening. Across 11 scaled-back tracks, Z in an educated manner leaves beyond the cloudiness of his past to let his athletic tenor lead, only occasionally accompanied by simple guitar lines, moody keyboards, and minimal beats. Although that noise is in service of the sound originating in his throat, which sounds best on the barebones closer, "River Road," a hymn with shades of Jeff Buckley that sees Zayn arriving at a transcendent and optimistic image: "Breeze outdoors my window turn to color / Know that I plan to visualize the sun again." —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Coin: “Let It All Out (10:05)”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=pPYhGRaDtO0
  
  
  
  Lately, I identify with lyrics that speak to coming of age, to those moments while you realize something indoors of you is no longer the same, though perhaps you don’t know why. “When you love something however you’ve had enough” is the first line and the emotional nexus of what’s happening here: Coin's “Let It All Out” begins as a quiet moment of realization that builds into an anthemic release. There, the musical group finally gives into nagging doubt and comes to grips with the end of a relationship. —Terron Moore
  
  
  
  
  



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  Samia: “Big Wheel (Palehound Remix)”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=WLOnRpoQAkk
  
  
  
  24-year-old indie-rocker Samia dropped her debut studio album The Baby last August, so the title is hardly a misnomer. Yet it’s a new year right now. The Baby has to prepare room for its younger sibling The Baby Reimagined, a new assortment of remixes from 11 different artists. Palehound’s spacey, slowed-down take on “Big Wheel” is a standout. Added guitars and warped vocals create the ideal backdrop for her simmering aggravation. “God, I'm really gonna blow with all this empathetic shit,” she sings. “I understand the thing you did and every reason you did it.” Also of note: The “lover in my bedroom” here's a “she,” not a “he.” I got good news, and I didn’t fight! —Sam Manzella
  
  
  
  
  



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  Kid Hastings: “Call Me Up”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/ZdBTNaD3-Rg
  
  
  
  Sexy and dumb. Jazz and pop. Here, yet gone. Kid Hastings plays both sides of the coin in “Call Me Up,” his first single in over each year. While the theatrical visual harkens back to The Cure and The Killers, the synth-heavy track is a mix of electronic acceleration and heavenly vocals, showcasing Hastings as an artist entirely of his own making. I’ll waiting with bated breath to be able to see what he does next. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  Kota the Friend: “Clinton Hill”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=2p0CbgyM-W0
  
  
  
  Fresh from his 2020 album aptly titled Everything — and featuring appearances from Lupita Nyong'o, Lakeith Stanfield, Joey Badass, and more — Brooklyn rapper Kota the Friend is here to catch you up. He does it on 10 songs in 15 minutes on his new mixtape Lyrics to Go, Vol. 2 and even pauses to resemble on what's happening in his house borough: "A lot of kids in Clinton Hill now living through me / They visualize me in the street, take a pic, and then peace." —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Lisa Remar: “Fell Into”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=w3VOXP72Cnc
  
  
  
  We habitually assume romance is going to feel magical, although you fall in love for a reason. New York indie-pop singer Lisa Remar takes a closer look at the more distressing characteristic of pursuing a relationship with “Fell Into,” a sweeping, psychedelic slow jam. “Fell into the incorrect hands / As soon as it rains it pours,” she sings with a sobering voice and an especially heavy heart. The track’s trippy visual was filmed in Japan and offers a glistening background for getting lost in your thoughts. —Carson Mlnarik
  
  
  
  
  



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  New Radicals: “Someday We’ll Know”
  
  
  https://youtu.Be/bDmA8qQKhMY
  
  
  
  Bucket hats are back! For ’90s kids, it was a blast from the past seeing the New Radicals reunite to perform for President Joe Biden’s inauguration celebration. The categorize had a big hit in 1998 with “You Only Get What You Give,” yet their album Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too is filled to the brim with alt-rock gems, including the second single, “Someday We’ll Know.” It’s a somber, mid-tempo ballad for the brokenhearted, all about having faith in the future, making it a brilliant soundtrack to the political moment. —Chris Rudolph
  
  
  
  
  



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  The Obsessives: "Lala"
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=A7-2kFMCVGc&feature=youtu.Be
  
  
  
  A shimmering slice of sunshine from Washington, D.C. Musical group The Obsessives, "Lala" will reside in your head long soon after its three minutes are up. You'll be doing the dishes, and without warning, your brain will summon its powerful chorus: each person get down onto your hands and knees." —Patrick Hosken
  
  
  
  
  



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  Guccihighwaters ft. Powfu and Sarcastic Sounds: “Hold Somebody”
  
  
  https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=0BK_JvJG3dQ
  
  
  
  bold swagger as well as a mouthful of a moniker, Guccihighwaters has carved out space for himself with sad-boy anthems like “I’m so Sick of This” and “Oh Fuck I’m Drunk.” His latest effort, featuring Powfu and Sarcastic Sounds, is another lo-fi bop centered around late-night desperation. There’s no easy fix for this sort of heartbreak, however between finger snaps and low-key drums, it’s nice to feel a little bit far less alone. —Carson Mlnarik