Little Simz – ‘Mood Swings’
Little Simz has been sharing her ‘Drop’ EP series since 2014, using the records to try new things and move into pockets you might not typically associate with her. On the surprise ‘Drop 7’ release, she continues that arc, taking things to the darkest corners of the club. Opening track ‘Mood Swings’ is the perfect tone-setter, Simz’s commanding voice echoing over experimental, rhythmic electronica that clashes and clangs in the best way possible. Another hit out of the park from a British icon.
DYLAN – ‘The Alibi’
Pop gold has always flowed through DYLAN’s veins, even when she was starting out with her early ‘Purple’ and ‘Red’ EPs. Four years later, though, she’s mastered the art of taking that material, melding and polishing it into something gleaming and precious. ‘The Alibi’ is proof of that – a superstar leap forward that celebrates those moments when you lose all your senses in romance and stand loyal to love, even when you shouldn’t. “If there was a crime / If there was a body, if there was a knife,” she promises over a gargantuan synth-pop banger. “If you told a real good real bad lie / I’d be standing by your side.”
Chloe Slater – ‘24 Hours’
If you’ve spent more than five minutes on TikTok in recent months, you’ve likely scrolled through at least some – if not many (thanks algorithm) – videos of users showing off their expensive hauls and fabulous new material goods. So, too, has Chloe Slater, and she’s captured how they make her feel in her brilliant second single, ‘24 Hours’. “It girl told me if I’m sad to just go shopping,” she narrates, voice dripping in scorn. “Kinda wish I could cut holes in all her French designer pockets / But I can’t.” The buzzing track isn’t just a comment on influencer culture, with its chorus taking aim at Love Islander Molly-Mae Hague’s 2022 theory that we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Smart, sharp and addictive, ‘24 Hours’ is the perfect rebuke.
Kacey Musgraves – ‘Deeper Well’
On the title track of her upcoming fifth album ‘Deeper Well’, Kacey Musgraves honours the transitional nature of life. What you once thought you wanted or needed might not be true forever, and allowing yourself to be open to those changes can make this whole existence much richer and warmer than stubbornly resisting. “I’m saying goodbye / To the people that I feel are real good at wasting my time,” she explains early on, bright folky guitars rippling beneath, hinting at the lack of remorse she feels for moving on: “No regrets, baby.”
Mui Zyu – ‘Everything To Die For’
‘Everything To Die For’ marks Mui Zyu’s first attempt at writing a love song and it’s utterly beguiling. Like the first throes of love itself, the track keeps you on your toes, twisting and turning and making you second guess what’s coming next, never letting you get too comfortable. “We’ve got everything to die for, everything to die for,” she sings softly on the intimate, unconventional take on the age-old form. “So try to hang on and thank god if you want to.”
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