For the first time in a long time it feels like music is doing the most again.
13. Doja Cat - Need To Know
Doja holds absolutely nothing back on the latest Planet Her single. She raps and sings her way through an intergalactic beat, giving more and more charisma with every verse.
12. Evie Irie - The Idea Of You
It's easy to see why Australian newcomer Evie Irie is taking the world by storm. Her latest The Idea Of You pulses with reckless energy moving from an angsty verse to a chorus that screams into the heavens. A really daring vocal performance makes this a memorable one.
11. Aiida - Talk (About What?)
We don't know a lot about Norwegian artist Aiida but Talk (About What?) is the sort of song that just instantly sinks in. Its punchy chorus is pop perfection and the verses are luscious.
10. Ava Max - EveryTime I Cry
Okay, time to stop resisting Ava Max and give in. She's a pop purist in every sense of the phrase. Everything is dialed up to 11. EveryTime I Cry is camp Europop at its absolute best. That pre-chorus is just absolutely brilliant and we're happy to have that on record.
9. Slayyyter - Villain
Slayyyter's debut album Troubled Paradise is out now and it's the work of a pop student who has studied the past with a vision for the future. Villain's intoxicating melodies are coupled with steely production that distorts and wobbles as the song takes off to a higher plane.
8. RAYE - Call On Me
RAYE is one of the finest purveyors of dance/pop and Call On Me is another fine example. Call On Me is a heartening dancefloor moment that's designed to make you feel warm and goey.
7. Amber Mark - Competition
Amber Mark puts in the work on Competition. It may be her most immediate cut to date, delivering a chorus that digs in with an intoxicating vocal performance. It's Mark at her most inspired and it's thrilling to hear.
6. Jessie Ware - Pale Blue Light
Jessie Ware has expanded her excellent album What's Your Pleasure? and somehow made it even better. Pale Blue Light is the ballad of the bunch. It's an '80s, blue light disco piece of grandeur with a beautiful choir breakdown at the end. Stunning.
5. Clairo - Blouse
Clairo is back with Blouse, a beautifully stripped cut co-produced by Jack Antonoff. While the gentle folk vibes flow through it the lyrics are cutting with Clairo singing, "Why do I tell you how I feel? / When you're just looking down my blouse."
4. Marina - Venus Fly Trap
Marina has been holding onto Venus Fly Trap until the week of the album release. It makes the whole thing even more exciting because this is the cut we've been waiting for. It's sharp, pointy and shiny with Marina back to the same attitude she delivered on The Family Jewels.
3. Megan Thee Stallion - Thot Shit
Megan Thee Stallion doesn't miss. Thot Shit is another one out of the ballpark with Meg giving a performance that's both cheeky and potent. "I don't give a fuck 'bout a blog tryna bash me / I'm the shit per the Recording Academy," is a top-tier line. Oh, and the video is brilliant too but you already know that.
2. Tkay Maidza - Cashmere
Tkay Maidza is the queen of growth. Once again she's entering a new realm, finding peace and blessings in flower-covered fields. There's something so serene about Cashmere and the way she lets it unfold, flowering with each turn.
1. Lorde - Solar Power
Well, it happened. She's back. Solar Power is not what we expected from Lorde but it's a refreshing glass of water. It's the most organic and feather-light track she's ever made. The rays of sunshine flow from the beginning as Lorde gives one of her loosest and most charismatic vocals to date.
Get this and more on our Top Tunes playlist which you should be subscribed to by now c'mon:
And then when the sun goes down, hit our dance-heavy After Dark playlist:
