New songs from this week that are already better than most of the songs that won Grammys, ranked.
10. Bibi Bourelly
Sally
Bibi Bourelly may not be a household name yet but you've certainly had some of her tunes playing in your house. She wrote Bitch Better Have My Money for Rihanna and also contributed album highlight Higher to ANTI. Now that Riri's album is finally out it looks like she's turning her attention to her solo career with a tune called Sally taken off a forthcoming debut album which will be released via Def Jam. It's a confident tune with a slapping beat and a '50s aesthetic. The star is Bourelly's voice which is not without blemishes but that's the best thing about it.
9. Elizabeth Rose
Play With Fire (Feat. Remi)
Elizabeth Rose will release her debut Intra on 4th March and following the first ear worm Shoulda Coulda Woulda she’s delivered another Playing With Fire. Playing With Fire features a cracking verse from Remi and some deliciously melodic vocals from Lizzy Rose herself. It’s a smart, effortless pop song that’s the sort of thing that all commercial radio could sound like if they looked further than Meghan Trainor for colourful bangers.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/elizabethrose/playing-with-fire-feat-remi[/soundcloud]
8. Jordan Max
Let Me Lay Down
Here's a voice that will grab you the first time you hear it. Jordan Max is a 23 year-old British singer with a husky, full voice - the type that rapper will go to great lengths to get him on a feature very soon. Let Me Lay Down is taken off his forthcoming EP Only One Is King which drops on 25th March and it's a bluesy, moody track that moves along at an affectingly slow pace. It's immediately impressive stuff and a sign of impressive things to come from this starkly interesting voice.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/jordanmaxmusic/let-me-lay-down[/soundcloud]
7. Animal Collective
Golden Gal
Unfortunately it seems Animal Collective have passed the peak of their career but they're still making some hugely enjoyable music and their latest record Painting With, out today, is proof of that. The highlight from that record is Golden Gal. Beginning with a retro sound bite, it flourishes into a sunny, charismatic tune that sounds like a cleaned-up version of some of the songs off Merriweather Post Pavillion. The vocals are more present than ever and the melodies are less cluttered allowing us to really sink our teeth into Animal Collective's pop sensibilities which have always been hidden below a layer of noise.
6. Mossy
Electric Chair
Mossy is a new signee on Aussie label I Oh You and he's gearing up to release his debut EP MOSSY on 13th May. MOSSY recorded the EP in a basement studio in New York's Upper East Side where he also slept, recording with producer Dean Tuza. The first track off it is Electric Chair - a psychedelic, slow-winding cut with vocals that recall Pond or MGMT. It's something that might not catch your ear on the first listen but it's a beautiful track that really blooms after each listen. An exciting, confident new Australian artist.
5. Race Banyon
What Are We Doing (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign and DJ Dahi)
Race Banyon is actually better known as 19 year-old Kiwi musician Lontalius but he's gone with Race Banyon on this one and pulled together Ty Dolla $ign and DJ Dahi for a cranking cut. Dolla $ign is one of the most melodic voices in hip-hop right now and he fits like a glove into this production which is melancholic and low-key. "There I was, just a dorky kid from New Zealand, and here’s Ty Dolla $ign," Eddie Johnston AKA. Race Banyon and Lontalius said about being in the studio with the rapper. "He’s Ty Dolla $ign, so everything he does is automatically great.” So true.
[soundcloud width="750" height="200"]https://soundcloud.com/redbullsoundselect/race-banyon-what-are-we-doing-feat-ty-dolla-ign-co-prod-by-dj-dahi[/soundcloud]
4. ZAYN
It's You
The studio version of the song is expected to drop sometimes today but yesterday ZAYN went on Jimmy Fallon to debut a new cut It's You. The track, produced by Frank Ocean-producer Malay, is far more downbeat that Pillowtalk allowing ZAYN to really show off his vocals. His flawless falsetto is something we never got to hear during his One Direction days but it's the centrepiece here. It was a pitch-perfect performance of a song that suggest there will be a number of dimensions to his forthcoming album Mind Of Mine.
3. Shura
Touch (Feat. Talib Kweli)
We've heard this one before, quite a while ago actually but Shura has dug it back out of the archives and freshened it up with a verse from rapper Talib Kweli. We're glad that it's been given another chance because it's a faultless track with a melody that melts hearts and Kweli doesn't detract from that. His verse is just as impressive as Shura's gentle tones, helping us to fall in love with the track all over again. Apparently Shura's album is finished so we should expect that this year.
2. Et Aliae
Sober (Feat. DAWN)
London based producer Et Aliae has pulled on interns favourite DAWN for her latest track Sober which may also be her best. It's taken off Et Aliae's forthcoming EP Rose and it's a gorgeous, sombre cut with vocals that could melt any heart. "She was the perfect voice for leading the listener through a journey that is dark but ultimately liberating," she told The Fader about working with Dawn Richard and we couldn't put it better ourselves. There's a sense of euphoria about this song even though it's lyrically a heavy-hitting song.
1. FKA twigs
Good To Love
Without a doubt FKA twigs is one of the most important artists in the world right now which is why the world feels a little emptier when she’s not releasing music. Today, she’s unleashed a new song Good For You and suddenly all is well once again. This is the first new song she’s dropped since last year’s M3LL155X EP and it’s a gentle, sensual ballad.
