It’s heating up out here in New York, and it’s a perfect time to catch up on the best music of the last three months, while looking forward to a glorious summer of music. Leggo.
How to Dress Well: “Precious Love”
I could have picked a handful of the tracks from Tom Krell’s gorgeous third album and the only realistic challenger to the Koz’s beautiful Benji for Album of the Year, but I went with the clear-eyed, “Sittin’ Up in My Room” vibes of “Precious Love.” It is perhaps the greatest indicator of HTDW’s remarkable maturation from the hermetical, closed curtains magic of Love Remains to the open, unabashed, pure pop of What is This Heart? Genius.
Metro Thuggin: “The Blanguage”
Young Thug has spent most of the last 18 months making the establishment uncomfortable, and his collaboration with rising producer, Metro Boomin, is one of the truly breathtaking tracks of the year. Boomin’s twinkling keys and off-kilter drums are the ideal canvas for Thugger’s spastic, elastic flow. There’s not really verses or a chorus, but when you’ve got this much ability, who needs em’?
Real Lies: “North Circular”
The moody Londoners’ gorgeous single captures the muted ennui and delicious longing of growing up in suburbia. It’s the kind of track that simultaneously reminds you why you left your hometown and why, no matter where you go, it will always be home. “How many late nights does it take you to change?” In. Fuckin’. Deed.
Copeland: “Advice to Young Girls” (f/ Actress)
I’d like to imagine that ex-Hype Williams bandmates Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland have a sort of friendly rivalry. Like, Inga heard Dean’s ridiclously excellent, The Redeemer, last year, and was like, “alright, Dean. I got somethin’ for ya.” That something is the incredible, Because I’m Worth It, and it’s lead single is a modern, brazen call to arms for a generation of smirking, texting, free thinking girls, who already know that the city is theirs.
Tink: “Don’t Tell Nobody” (f/ Jeremih)
Two of music’s best, most relevant voices team up to devastating effect. There’s a lot to love about Tink, but her ability to be versatile without sacrificing her identity is especially impressive. A lot of people can beat ride, but no matter what kind of track it is, the 18 year-old can blend her malleable vocal to it without ever blending in. Oh, and Jeremih is dope too, but that kinda goes without saying at this point.
Karl X Johan: “A Better Tomorrow”
The Swedes’ gorgeous, widescreen power ballad is a song built for giant rooms and an endless sea of lighters. Unfortunately, this isn’t 1986, so I’ll just have to settle for my shitty headphones and stock car speakers. Lyrically, this is one of the strongest, most direct tracks of the year.
Ana Caprix: “:))”
The young London producer’s debut album seems to have been crafted with tongue firmly in cheek. From the emoji-fied artwork to silly song titles, it’s hard to tell how serious its anonymous author took the whole thing. What’s not hard to tell is that F.S.N.T.I.I.O. is one of the most fascinating debuts of the year, full of work that is fit to soundtrack any summer.
Hannah Diamond: “Attachment”
Nothing anybody in the PC Music camp does makes any sense. All of their artists are constantly toeing the line between genius and utter shit, and that esoteric balance is best summed up by this bonkers techno slow jam.
Chief Keef: “No”
Since he’s crushing braggadocio of his early singles, the overwhelming emotion Chief Keef has translated is sadness and isolation. A cursory scan of his Wikipedia page will explain why. Very few artists that I can think of have seemed so ill-equipped to deal with the trappings of fame and success (or life in general). Any person with a shred of empathy can feel for the 18 year-old, who seems as out of place in an interview as he does posing with AK-47s in his suburban Chicago bathroom. His music is the sound of a young man looking for a home that will accept him because he can no longer go back to the one he left. When he pleads “would you love me if I didn’t have a song?,” he’s really asking “will you actually love me?” One can’t help but think he called the song “No” for a reason.
The Antlers: “Palace”
I’ll be honest, I can’t imagine a universe in which the Brooklyn trio will ever be able to top their incredible, searing debut, Hospice, which is still one of my two or three favorite albums of the last five years. However, they are extremely capable of crafting palatial (see what I did there?), beautiful ballads, and the crashing “Palace” is certainly one of their finest. Those horns, man. Those fucking horns.
Tommy Kruise: “Hers”
The Quebecois producer is a master of crafting moody, ambient pieces that also fuckin’ snap, and “Hers” might be my favorite solo thing he’s ever done. Kruise combines faraway, vaporwave-y vocal samples with 8-bit keys that will have you turning up all by yourself.
Tirzah: “Malfunction”
The last song from the Londoner’s wonderful second EP is the perfect bookend for an album that frenetically explores the parameters of pop music. “Malfunction” is like that deliciously languid post-coital cigarette — where you lean your head back and your mind is clear and your body is totally at ease. Delish.
A Sunny Day in Glasgow: “Crushin'”
The Philadelphia-bred collective’s fourth album, Sea When Absent, is a glorious racket, but it’s finest moment is one of its most quiet. “Crushin'” is a beautifully distilled little song with Jen Goma’s little voice bobbing up in a sea of shoegaze-y guitars. It’s going to take me a while to fully digest the full record, but I’m looking forward to it.
Migos: “Fight Night”
Nobody needs to hear 25 songs by anybody, but if you sift through the Versace lovers’ labyrinthine recent mixtape, you’ll find some gold. You might think they’re dumb, but their flow patters are undoubtedly helping shape modern hip-hop, and they have absolutely brilliant ears for beats.
Shamir: “I’ll Never Be Able to Love”
Listening to a 19 year-old to sing a song this emotionally raw and loveless is a harrowing experience, but the soulful Las Vegas native’s mellifluous voice makes it worth the pain. Gripping.
WIFE: “Heart is a Far Light”
Irishman James Kelly’s transition from black metal (the excellent Altar of Plagues) to expressive, electronic-rooted singer-songwriter fare was remarkably smooth. His excellent, What’s Between, is full of stark, lurching dark pop music, and lead single, “Heart is a Far Light” is a striking example of Kelly’s potent arraignments and powerful vocals.
Lana Del Rey: “Ultraviolence”
Ms. Lana’s decent, Ultraviolence, was one of the surprises of my year. I mean, the lyrics are still eye-rolly, and the source material is really obvious. However, it’s also sweeping and beautiful, reminiscent of the superficial beauty of a crumbling Hollywood Hills adobe mansion.
