Best Songs of the Week

Raury’s such a young artist that we're still learning what he's capable of and what he sounds like in different settings. Hearing him with a professional perfectionist like SBTRKT is cool because it's so different from anything on Indigo Child, and it works surprisingly well. At an NYC listening session, SBTRKT explained to a small audience that when he brought Raury into the studio, he thought he was going to sing on this track. But Raury came in, heard the music, and started rapping on it. Sometimes surprises are cool, you know?—Confusion

Arca, much like Aphex Twin did with "minipops 67 [120.2][source Field Mix]," introduces us to his new album with a track that we could realistically dance to but is still as experimental and unique sounding as we'd hope for. "Thievery" has multiple moments where beautiful, shimmering melodies are allowed to take center stage, before being suddenly twisted or interrupted by glitchy vocal samples, but then let free again.

The track is full of the twists, turns, and surprises that we've come to expect from Arca, but paired with some really accessible moments. Exciting times for experimental electronic music are ahead.—Constant Gardner

Her name is Jones. Simple and completely unassuming. The title of her song follows suit, very concise and to-the-point. But "Deep" is anything but those things. This London-based artist knows how to make a first impression, working with the right people (producer Rodaigh McDonald; Anup, who's Jai Paul's brother) and coming through with beautifully lush and sparkling textures. Not to mention her voice. Girl's got an absolutely mesmerizing one.

With "Deep," Jones is just getting started, and you can be sure that you'll be hearing a lot more of her soon.—Joyce

Where did A$AP Rocky go? What happened to him? Why does he care more about fashion than music? These are questions I've heard swirling around in various circles over the course of the past year or so. The bonafide star has been relatively quiet on the music side of things lately—justifying the questions, to some degree—but he popped up on a redux version of Sam Smith’s smash hit "I'm Not The Only One" this week, reminding us why we never fully lost interest.

His versatility commands the spotlight as he floats over the soft chords right into Smith's impassioned crooning. It's exciting to hear how well these two mesh with their own unique yet complimentary styles, and it should have Rocky fans on the edge of their seats, anticipating which direction he could possibly take things next.—Tim Larew

Where do I even begin with this song? The smooth jazzy saxophone intro, that funky bass line, or the bells that I’m pretty sure are a slowed down sample of “Peter Piper” by Run DMC? There’s a lot about this song that I love. Adam Bainbridge—aka Kindness—fully grabbed my attention with his latest single “This is Not About Us.”

It starts off sounding as if it will be an R&B track with an even blend of jazz and funk, but suddenly the beat kicks in.

The rhythm gives off such an enjoyable vibe that the meaning of the lyrics almost go right over your head. Bainbridge’s voice fits so perfectly into the groove of the song that when he sings, “Changed my mind about us / You should find someone new,” it doesn’t sound emotional—more like a statement said with nonchalant confidence. Bainbridge’s catchy hook makes it hard to take “This is Not About Us” off repeat but honestly, I’m not really ready to stop playing this just yet.—Adrienne Black

There's a lot of solid R&B music being made right now, with each artist putting their own specific twist on the genre. But the R&B Maryland duo Abhi//Dijon is making is different. Instead of creating something to satisfy a current trend, they're creating something to satisfy themselves. As a result, their music possesses a refreshing innocence, unafraid to be both honest and pure.

On "Distant Love," they take this idea to a new level. Equal parts sultry and confident, the song displays just what Abhi//Dijon are capable at their best, and why they're a twosome worth keeping your eye on.—Katie K.

So the other day I was watching Whitney Cummings talking about how mean "the voices" that women hear in their heads can be, and she figured that all men hear is some self-affirming bro telling men to basically not give a fuck about their appearance. I'm not here to say she's 100% right about the voices men she knows hear, but I know the voices inside my head sound as scatterbrained as Ferg does on this Wonder Where We Land cut. It's rare that a track speaks to me like this: when I get depressed, I want to hear shit like this—those brooding, piano-laced, pulsating rhythms.

I don't normally prefer rhymes, but you need something to compliment those horns. And I'll be frank: I never thought I'd fuck with a "serious" A$AP Ferg verse like I do on this. He really showed me something, and makes me wish I heard more of this Ferg. Rocky might've done a good job on that Sam Smith track, but Ferg won the "Random A$AP Mob Feature of the Week" award this week/month/year. At least that's what the voices in my head tell me.—khal

I have been a grinch recently. The end of summer is a bitter, bitter time for all those involved, and I'm just not ready to launch into glowing soliloquies about autumn colors and cozy sweaters, especially when my last crop of tomatoes is still ripening on the vine. They're barely plum-sized, for fuck's sake.

But dd elle is helping me get through it all this week with the bittersweet reassurance of "Tell Me." Halfway between Dream Koala and Blood Cultures, dd elle hits all the right notes in the key of electronic nostalgia with sparse production that Ryan Hemsworth has rightly compared to Jai Paul. I will begrudgingly admit that "Tell Me" has been my Cindy Lou Who this week, pumping blood back into my shriveled black heart and convincing me it's okay to make Dr. Seuss references in blog posts. Fall, you may begin.—Graham

TALA just keeps getting better and better. Her debut track "The Duchess" felt so vibrant and fresh that I was worried that she wouldn't ever be able match it. With each new song, however, she proves me wrong, and "Black Scorpio," the title track from her second EP, does it again. TALA shows off her production prowess here, with a mix of menacing synths, powerful drums, and that epic horn melody that comes in just past the one minute mark.

The UK stays killing it.—Constant Gardner

There were a lot of awesome songs this week. But there was nothing as fun as "FriendsMaybe." We need more Rome Fortune x iLoveMakonnan collaborations.—Confusion