Each week, The FADER staff rounds up the songs we can’t get enough of. Here they are, in no particular order. Listen on our Spotify and Apple Music playlists, or hear them all below.
Sudan Archives, “DEAD”
The first new single from Brittney Parks is her stab at what she describes as “orchestral Black dance music.” That might sound ambitious but if you’ve heard her 2022 album Natural Brown Prom Queen (No. 4 on our end of year albums chart), you know that making unlikely combinations soar is a Sudan Archives speciality. “DEAD” begins as a pleading and slightly clubby ballad before embracing a supernova of gnarly rave. Some of the distorted electronics and programming recall blog-era electro and Kitsune Maison compilations: Call it indie sleaze with soul. —Jordan Darville
james k, “play”
No exaggeration, this is the most beautiful song I’ve heard in recent memory. It comes from james k, a NYC-based producer who makes dance music for romantics: dreamy, cinematic stuff that compels you to want to run down the street at dusk. That might be a common aesthetic for artists nowadays but james k easily bests all of them, crafting worlds and emotions that feel as tangible as this one. —SW
Water From Your Eyes, “Life Signs”
Nate Amos and Rachel Brown mix deadpan humor with unashamed nu-metal revivalism on “Life Signs,” a song that rocks as hard as it arches an eyebrow and dares you to take them seriously. This catchy and existential acknowledgement of the vastness of time will feature on the duo’s upcoming album It’s A Beautiful Place, due on August 22. —David Renshaw
Theodora, Bb trickz, “BOSS BABIES”
French pop star Theodora and Spanish rapper Bb trickz are two of Europe’s hottest sensations right now so it would make sense for the two to team up for this swaggy, barreling anthem about designer labels and funded lifestyles. Except, this time they’re the ones buying him Cartier and paying for restaurants. “Boss lady j’suis,” Theodora purrs. How refreshing, and truly a flex. —Steffanee Wang
Clipse, “Ace Trumpets”
Pusha T and Malice return in fine form with “Ace Trumpets,” a bulletproof reminder of the Clipse supremacy. It’s been over 15 years since the brothers Thornton released music together but the moment Pusha T raps “Ballerinas doin’ pirouettes inside of my snow globe” over a gauzy, Pharrell-produced beat, it feels like no time at all. —DR
Alex G, “Afterlife”
Since he last released an album Alex G, has signed to a major record label and spent time in the studio with Halsey. It’s understandable if some fans had concerns that the former Bandcamp God might (whisper it) fall prey to the bland anonymity that befalls indie musicians in their mid-career period. The arrival of “Afterlife” is an instant soother to such anxiety, though, with the only major change in the Alex G sound being the introduction of a mandolin into the mix. The euphoric melodies and confident delivery shoot this one straight to the upper echelons of his huge catalog. —DR
Editrix, “The Big E”
Editrix are a post-post-hardcore band whose members — hyper-mathy drummer Josh Daniel, hyper-mathy bassist Steve Cameron, and hyper-mathy guitar god Wendy Eisenberg — inject muscular heft and nerdy levity into their extremely fun music. The title track from their forthcoming album, The Big E, is named for a New England fair held annually in West Springfield, Massachusetts, where I’ve personally guessed the weight of a pig and eaten a cheeseburger with glazed donuts for buns. Over Daniel’s galloping drums and Cameron’s headspinning guitar-bass polyrhythms, Eisenberg sings about aging as a sort of alien invasion into one’s past selves; it’s a somewhat weighty theme, but it’s delivered to our ear canals in a way that’s as fun as estimating a hog’s weight. —Raphael Helfand
DJ Haram, “Distress Tolerance”
The second single from transgressive NYC dancefloor icon and Moor Mother collaborator DJ Haram is an uncharacteristic stretch of drumless dissonance. As its title suggests, it’s a stressful listening experience, distorted poetry delivered over minor-key flute and field recordings for an extra touch of discomfort. That’s the point, though: track deals with systemic horrors from industry snakes to gentrification to genocide. “There was no way to protect us,” she sings. We know what Haram can do behind the decks and have seen her set fire to the mic too, but her grim scene painting is on a whole new level now. —RH
Ganser, “Black Sand”
Chicago no-wave juggernaut Ganser have announced their first album in five years. Its lead single is a pummeling — stopping just short of punishing — track whose supercharged drums lead the way for Alicia Gaines’ battering-ram bass, Charlie Landsman’s shredded guitar, and Sophie Sputnik’s flash-fried vocals about a viral contagion. “Something’s in the air, black lung, black sand, red dust / I’m soaking in that wildfire,” Sputnik snarls. —RH
