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serpentwithfeet – "Damn Gloves (Feat. Ty Dolla $ign & Yanga YaYa)”
Heart-thumping, sensual, and suggestive: These are but a few of the many descriptors we could pull for this electro-neo-soul track from bold and beautiful Baltimore-born artist serpentwithfeet. A classically-trained vocalist with a stacked history of collaborations including Ellie Goulding, Sampha, and notably Ty Dolla $ign (also featured here), the experimental pop artist brings the heat in his first single/video from upcoming album GRIP. High-contrast hued for the club, and showcasing some fantastic drip, this is a celebration of masc sensuality for the ages.
Jockstrap & Taylor Skye – “Good Girl”
New music is always about pushing boundaries. But sometimes a track comes along that throws the cookie cutter, the rolling pin, and the whole damn oven out the window. That’s the case with the electro-art house journey that is “Good Girl,” a single from the upcoming I<3UQTINVU, which is itself a full remix album of Jockstrap & Taylor Skye’s 2022 release I Love You Jennifer B. Strap in and gear up before traversing this sonic landscape — halfway through, a flurry of beats, distortions, and synths take over from the pre-established format and deliver you to manic music nirvana.
Charly Bliss – “I Need a New Boyfriend”
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re experiencing a resurgence of ‘00s-era pop-punk, in the form of both original era comebacks and new music influenced by the source material. That said, Brooklyn band Charly Bliss are doing a bit. But the power-pop players are so adept at the execution that the parody of the storytelling/slam-dance pop-punk bands of yore is just as effective as the og stuff was 20-odd years ago. Confused? If you listened to Blink182, The Offspring, or their ilk back in the day, hit play for a solid chuckle, and a breakthrough headbang, too.
Granddaddy – “Watercooler”
Sometimes, only a mournful folk-country take on your problems can clear the cobwebs of remorse from your heart. And if you’ve ever had a workplace crush go wrong, this is the track your wounded soul’s been waiting for. Featuring steady-as-she-goes campfire strums n’ sticks, singalong lyrics expressing everything you feel but can’t quite say, and a VHS-tinged video, this track from longtime indie rock outfit Grandaddy is here to help.
Lee Lewis – “Willing & Able”
Prepare for a smooth landing, folks: this rich and buttery track from newcomer Lee Lewis is as beautiful in form as it is tragic in lyrics. In telling an all-too-familiar story of unrequited love in his stunning and clearly “born-with-it” tenor voice, Lewis will have no trouble convincing everyone in the world except the one he wants to fall in love with him. Accompanied by an artistic video with some undeniably LA-story shots, this track is a sweet take on exquisite pain.