Best Songs of the Week

Earl was so good from such an early stage in his career, which puts him in an interesting place in terms of where to go next. Of course he's going to change and mature as he gets older, and yes, that might alienate some fans, but it's also totally necessary to evolve in order to have a long and fulfilling career.

Earl has apparently been sitting on the songs for his new album I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside since last June but it's finally coming out next week (March 23), and "Grief" is as moody and downcast as both the song and album title suggest. The beat is sludgy and menacing and Earl does what he does best—straight bars.—Constant Gardner

If you rock with us, you truly should be rocking with salute. Back in January, we highlighted the title track from this young, gifted producer's Silver Tides EP, and earlier this week he unleashed a trifecta of Silver Tides remixes, featuring this exquisite rework from DrewsThatDude. If you've been playing along, you'll remember that DrewsThatDude is one of three producers who made what's arguably the best remix of Drake's "6 God" in existence, and this time around, he took "Silver Tides" and threw in a heaping helping of chilled, booming bliss to the mix. There's something about those twisted, chipmunk-y vocals being strewn atop bangin' kicks and soul-soothing synths.

You might not realize it, but I'm in love with that grey area of somber turn up. Shoot me.—khal

What can be said of Death Grips at this point? They're so unpredictable that they've ironically become predictable in a weird sense, at least when it comes to everything but the music, anyway. We've had countless semi-reinventions of their sound since their inception, with huge hooks characterizing their music one moment and impenetrable barrages of cold sound describing their output perfectly the next. Jenny Death represents another slight shift in that guitars are featured prominently, and so is Zach Hill's brutal drumming. This might not seem like a big deal to casual fans of the band, but it makes the record stand out in their already stellar discography as their most human sounding record.

"Centuries of Damn" and the previously shared "On GP" are perhaps the best examples of this reinvigorated sound: the lyrics are a lot more personal, and the sounds a lot more organic. This sounds like the man behind MC Ride cracking, shining through above the distinctively organic instrumentation in a way Death Grips' previous releases didn't really allow. It feels like the logical conclusion to their musical output, but it's not hard to imagine them pushing themselves further even yet. Either way, it's been a pleasure, Stefan.—Joe Price

At this point, we had gotten used to associating MNEK's name with funky-ass future disco. And it's not just because of that hi-top fade—the man has proved time and time again he can light up a dance floor. But "Suddenly" is something completely different. Written about a sporadic make-out that never materialized into the relationship he wanted, "Suddenly" forgoes drums completely for a bevy of Boyz II Men harmonies and lovesick ruminations. MNEK was already an artist to watch, but now he's widened his reach beyond the club.—Graham

I'm usually a fan of Grimes at her weirdest. I loved the most bizarre cuts of Halfaxa. I think "Eight" is one of the most interesting songs she's ever made, while "Go" felt boring. This was the Grimes I thought I loved, constantly wary of anything that delved too far into the "pop" world. But then she goes and drops "Entropy."

This track isn't even like the electro-pop so many heralded on Visions. This is that sugary pop that's perfect for movie and TV soundtracks (which is exactly where it landed). This is a Grimes I could play for my mom and she'd "get it." Instead of distorting her vocals and hiding them in layers of synths and electronic flourishes, they take center stage, floating over catchy guitar riffs. It's not a side of Grimes we hear often at, but it sure is enjoyable.—Katie K.

Related: 15 Awesome Things We Discovered on Grimes’ Blog