Pigeons & Planes' Best Songs of the Week

With so much good music steadily coming through, it's easy to miss some of the best. To help prevent this, we've rounded up the best songs from the past week. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

When it comes to writing love songs, there are countless angles to take. While many take the usual route of romance or heartbreak, it takes a lot of courage to write about your own romantic faults. SZA does this throughout CTRL and especially on "The Weekend."

SZA boldly admits she's just someone's "weekend girl"—something most people would fear to admit. It's a messy situation some can relate to, but don't have the courage to speak about. Though it starts off wrong, and probably won't end any better, SZA continues to entertain this rendezvous and hopes for something more. By revealing her own dark secrets, she becomes relatable on a much more personal level and creates something that feels like therapy more than just music.—Adrienne Black

The debut album from Brockhampton feels like it's been a long time coming, but the impression they've given is that it all came together quite fast. Improving on last year's All-American Trash mixtape in a big way, Saturation feels less a collection of songs and more a cohesive statement on who and what Brockhampton is. To put it simply, Brockhampton is one of the most exciting, diverse groups around, with their chemistry shining through on every single track. "Milk" is a brilliant showcase of this, providing the best pop moment of the entire record.—Joe Price

Vince Staples "Rain Come Down" is the third single from his new album Big Fish Theory, and after featuring Juicy J on "Big Fish," Vince gets an assist from Ty Dolla Sign. The beat is spare and stark, leaving lots of space for Vince's quick-fire rapping, while Ty's smoother vocals provide a little respite for the hook.

Big Fish Theory drops June 23, and it's shaping up to be a wild ride.—Alex Gardner

Sometimes a four-bar loop is all you need. London duo Two Another have appeared on these pages before, but "Waiting On You" might be their silkiest work yet. It's a cut off their just-released Over My Shoulder EP, and finds the band playing to their strengths. Breathy vocals, choppy guitars, and an irresistible bass line are the ingredients for success this time around, and the best part? They made it using leftovers.

“It came together very quickly," the band told us. "The chopped guitars and bass line are out takes from a recording on EP1 that we felt were too good to go to waste and the vocal hook came from restlessly waiting for second EP to be released.”—Graham Corrigan

I don't know when DEADSTAR is coming, but you can be sure that Smokepurpp is going to shock listeners when he releases his first project since signing to Alamo Records. The Miami rapper has come a long way from his breakout hits "Ski Mask" and "6 Rings," and "To The Moon" may be his most experimental track yet.

Produced by Nova, this track has a somewhat ambient feel and Smokepurpp almost sounds like he's howling on the chorus. The song is an interesting twist in the rollout of DEADSTAR—we can't wait to see what's next.—Eric Isom

Openly frustrated with the fact that his next project Blue Chips 7000 still hasn't been released, Action Bronson re-emerged on a song with The Alchemist and Big Body Bes to remind us all what we're missing out on: a larger-than-life personality that shines through his colorful, vivid lyrics.

Really, who else could pull off a line about wearing a yamaka to court as his lawyer pours molly in a drink before bragging about being "so hard you could cook a piece of bacon on my dick"? We missed you, Bronson.​—Eric Skelton

With the release of Anohni's album, it became clear that Oneohtrix Point Never had a brilliant ear when it came to producing music for others. His last album, Garden of Delete, featured a few more pop-leaning moments, but on Anohni's album he put his off-kilter approach to pop into overdrive.

Now he's putting that talent of his to a different use once again, showing that his work is just as compelling stripped-back as it is in his weirder incarnations. Accompanied by harrowing vocals from Iggy Pop, OPN's production shimmers. Despite how sparse the composition is, "The Pure and the Damned" is hard to digest, but absolutely essential. Iggy's incredible vocals permeate the thick atmosphere of the track, but the way OPN rises up to the challenge of these vocals is what makes it such a special track.—Joe Price

Any worries of a slump following 6LACK's excellent debut album should be eased with the release of his new single, "That Far." Over intoxicating production from Singawd (who had his fingerprints all over the woozy sound of FREE 6LACK), the Atlanta artist confidently claims that he's "busy focused on the next plan" without letting distractions derail his path. This is exactly the kind of song you want to hear from an artist who recently found success.—Eric Skelton

There are always songs from newer artists that creep up on me and become summer playlist staples, and "Girls" is one of those songs. It's the debut track from Life In Sweatpants, a band we know very little about, and it's a pop gem. The hook is immediately memorable, bursting out like the sun through the clouds, and sounding like the kind of music that might feature in an unavoidable commercial that you end up accidentally humming the tune to. Whatever their next moves, L.I.S. nailed this one.—Alex Gardner

British artist Jelani Blackman has a new EP, titled 5-8, on the way via Quality Time Recordings, and lead off single "Not You" is mesmerizing. Jelani uses his gravelly baritone to stunning effect, weaving personal stories over moody production from Kwesi Darko, Staf, and FRED. Jelani Blackman leveled up with this one and we can't wait to hear what's next.—Alex Gardner