Best Songs of the Month (April 2015)

Sometimes when you’ve been waiting for something for so long—whether it be new music, movies, or whatever else—it can begin to feel like maybe you’re over hyping the whole thing in your head, and you fear that the final result won’t be as great as you hoped. Well, I’m glad to say that is not the case for Lianne La Havas and her music. In the three years since her debut album came out, she visited Jamaica to get inspired by her own heritage, had a moment of self-discovery, and even became friends with with Prince.

“Unstoppable”—the first single from her upcoming album Blood—sounds like a much needed breath of fresh air. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Lianne’s sweet voice paired with dreamy sounding instrumentation and uplifting lyrics make for a beautiful song that is truly more than I could have asked for.—Adrienne Black

Towkio isn't a new artist, but .WAV Theory feels like his proper introduction. With features from Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa and production by Kaytranada and Lido, this project was always going to get a bunch of attention. Whether the rest of the tape can stand up against the star-studded lead-off singles will determine whether he is forever seen as a SaveMoney affiliate or a star in his own right, and on "God In Me" he spits with the kind of assurance and arrogance that makes you sit up and pay attention. Leather Corduroys match his energy, while the beat from Two Fresh and Nate Fox brings in enough different elements to keep you on toes, but still bangs.—Constant Gardner

Download the whole tape here.

As if to remind us once again of his immense talent, Kevin Abstract has shared another track that will NOT be on his next album, Death of a Supermodel. As with the last one, "NOT ON DOASM 02," was made in a day and pretty much offers no indication regarding the direction of his second full-length album. If this is what he's capable of producing within a day, then man oh man are we in for a treat when Death of a Supermodel finally rolls around.—Joe Price

Salomon Faye is a force. There is a beyond human energy you can hear in rappers sometimes, and you don't hear it very often, but New York's Salomon Faye has it. This doesn't always mean the best music, but when everything matches up, this energy is power.

Salomon's delivery is like Mos Def right after Black on Both Sides. It's still raw, but there's something way deeper there. From the message to the intensity in each word, Salomon Faye is the bearer of something great. On his new Stimulator EP, that is apparent, and it feels like the flex of a much larger muscle. The opening song "Faye" sets it all up perfectly in "Yonkers" fashion. Meet Salomon Faye.—Confusion

Now that the weather in NY finally seems like it’s going to stay consistently warm, I’m not in the mood to hear anything that doesn’t make me feel good. Don’t get me wrong, I love a great sad song—but it’s just not the season for that right now. It’s time for the fun, dance-worthy tracks to get the proper shine they deserve. So the timing for the release of Memeb’s latest single “Thousand Words” is perfect.

The production on “Thousand Words,” provided by Memeb, will get your head nodding, while Kaleem Taylor’s lush vocals helps this track dance between R&B and house. It has the versatility to fit just about any situation. There’s always that one song that becomes a constant fixture for your summer, and I think this could be it for me.—Adrienne Black

Mr. Bitter Raps is really catching steam, and all eyes are on him as he's quickly becoming a first round draft pick out of the West Coast. The crazy part about Boogie is you never know what to expect. Just when he slows it down and gives us the sadder side of reality with "Further," he switches it up, keeps the flow, and comes way harder on "Oh My." At this pace, you know The Reach is going to be fire. OH MY GOODNESS!—Mark Iraheta

The chord progressions inherent to folk music are built into our human bodies. Its roots have been around since the first Gregorian monks starting groaning in tune: a fourth, then a fifth, then back to the root. It's simple, sure, but it's also universally familiar, heartwarming in its timelessness.

Leon Bridges doesn't just play folk music, but he's learned plenty of valuable lessons from the form. "River" will close out Bridges' Coming Home album, and it's a perfect outro. With little more than a tambourine, acoustic guitar and chorus of voices behind him, Bridges paints a picture of childhood, faith, and the smooth fluidity of time.—Graham Corrigan

No matter how you feel about Tyler, you have to admire a guy who can pull out performances from Pharrell, Roy Ayers, Kanye and Lil Wayne... on the same album. Hell, even if you hate Cherry Bomb, you can't hate on "Smuckers." Tyler not only drops some of his best lines on the album (I'm particularly partial to his "and the shit gon' pop like that n*gga that was never there" line), but he managed to pull out an impressive, throwback feature from Kanye. Feels like old 'Ye, too; Yeezus blesses the track with lines about real life shit like "checking Nike" and how being crazy is probably his best asset.

Things actually take a beautiful turn when the beat changes about three minutes in, giving Tyler and Weezy a jazzy instrumental to clap at each other to. It could be taken as a playful battle, each bar making the other MC step up and knock it out. Highlights? The feeling of Tyler's "another n*gga like I, you won't find one/cuz, n*gga, I'm a god, a divine one" is nothing to be fucked with, but it's Weezy who dips back with an impressive batch of lines:

"My trigger finger wise, but my nine dumb

Middle finger blind, so it's fuck A-N-Y one

Fuck, skate, and die, son

A hundred way to die, son

I'm staring at a tramp-on-lean, make my eye jump"

WHAT?!?! This could be one of the best tracks to drop in 2015. Call Tyler what you will, but he won with this one.—khal

Related: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Tyler, the Creator

This song is cool for a lot of reasons, but most of all, I have an obsession with songs that make you feel like a secret agent, and this is almost there. It's a little too trippy to be serious secret agent shit, but it's definitely somewhere in the psychedelic secret agent realm. It is the debut song by Leisure, a New Zealand band who we know nothing about... because secret agent shit.—Confusion

London singer Jones came out with her stunning first song "Deep," but could she follow it up? "Indulge" isn't quite as immediately arresting, but it is nonetheless excellent. The production is lush but restrained, allowing her voice, and the beautifully romantic words she's delivering, to shine. What's next for Jones, we don't know, but her debut EP, which features "Indulge," "Deep," and "You," is definitely a great debut.—Constant Gardner

In a few weeks I'll be 27. By no means, does that mean I'm old, but just that I'm getting older. Some of the stuff I used to like doing, I can't even picture myself doing anymore. Last week I actually left a bar because they turned on a fog machine and it irritated my eyes. 22-year-old me would've loved that shit but me now? Not fucking here for it.

Alessia's "Here" is like my internal dialogue during moments like this, put to music. Between this immediate relatability in her message and her insane talent as a vocalist, Alessia's debut single has all the making of a hit.—Katie K.

If you thought that Fetty Wap just “got lucky” with his current massive hit “Trap Queen,” you were wrong. Plenty of artists can make a catchy hook, but Fetty Wap has a knack for creating the kind of melodies that draw listeners in. Without even knowing any of the words, the melody will find its way into your memory and have you humming along before you know it. By the time you realize what’s happening, it’s too late because you’re already hooked.

This new single “Promises” proves that it’s not just about having a great beat. Although having Baauer and Dubbel Dutch create a backdrop that instantly makes people feel good obviously doesn’t hurt, it’s clear that the real magic comes from Fetty Wap’s ability to create the perfect balance between an addictive tune and a great, simple hook.—Adrienne Black

If you judge "Love Again" by its opening piano chords, you might make the mistake of writing it off as another blasé Sam Smith one-off. But from the second JMSN dives in and those far-off hand claps start to build, it's clear we're dealing with something wholly unique. Gorgeous harmonies follow close behind, and every detail of the song starts to appear in sharp detail: the voices, the occasional sharp, reverbed snare hit, and then a string section floats in to round things out.

It's between the violins that you realize Sango is involved, and that we might be looking at the deadliest production duo this side of the millennium. Ta-ku and Sango haven't even dropped a beat yet, and yet they've managed to create one of the catchiest, smoothest tracks in either of their catalogues. But don't worry—the drop does come, it's just not where or what you might expect.—Graham Corrigan

If you aren't up on Mick Jenkins, move him to the top of your list. The Chicago rapper first blew us away with his The Water[s] mixtape, and now he's back at it with the similarly aquatically-themed The Wave[s]. But don't be fooled: Jenkins' music is anything but watery. He possesses a sharp tongue and brain bursting with ideas, hope, and discontent.

"Alchemy" finds him back in familiar territory. With Lee Bannon & ThemPeople providing production that sounds like the lovechild between Kendrick Lamar's "Swimming Pools" and Shlohmo, Mick Jenkins dives into the beat like a whirling dervish, gnashing his teeth and dissecting the evils around him: "Don't greet me as god/I ain't no deity," he raps, but keeping that harsh realism intact is going to be harder and harder as Mick Jenkins' audience inevitably balloons in 2015.—Graham Corrigan

I wasn't even realizing that D.R.A.M. was up on producers like Sango, who linked up with The SEVENth to bring an airy, James Blake-y left-field flex to his latest release, "Excessive." This is my type of hype. That singing that isn't really great, but packs way more emotion into the song than your usual crooning. Those snappy drums paired with booming bass will have me hitting repeat for hours on end.—khal

A$AP Rocky is back. His new album At.Long.Last.A$AP is on the way, and while "M'$" is not quite as grippingly immediate as "Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2," it's definitely a creeper. That "talking 'bout Ms" hook has been low-key stuck in my head all day, and Mike Dean and C-Note provide a sort of updated version of the dirty, hazy, bass-heavy production that was all over LiveLoveA$AP. Combine those elements with Rocky's effortless Uptown charisma and you've got a winning package on "M'$."—Constant Gardner

Australia just keeps the good music coming. "Soldier" is Myami's debut single, and it's a fresh piece of pop music that avoids the trappings of current trends. Instead of trap drums, minimal synth work, or vocal effects, Myami opts for a hand-clapping, foot-stomping track with a huge chorus and an arrangement you can imagine being played live.—Confusion

Related: The Best Artists of March

Could he follow up "White Iverson"?

Short answer, a resounding yes. Post Malone's previous song, "Tear$," was solid, and showed that he had a clear sound and aesthetic, but it didn't hit with the same clarity or resonate with millennial angst in the way "Too Young" does.

The hook is massive, the bass booms, and the whole package is distinctly Post Malone. 2015 is going to be big for him.—Constant Gardner

The way the internet responds to anything Kanye-related these days is getting a little unhealthy. It's a full-body spasm of excitement and reverence that hinges on hysteria. If only he would put out a bad song, maybe we could all calm the fuck down. But alas, he has not.

"U Mad" isn't even 'Ye's song, but he steals the spotlight from Vic Mensa with a ponderous verse unpacking his woes in the courtroom. The production on "U Mad" was a group effort, but that, too, has the Yeezus seal of approval. It's a booming track that's sure to appear all over your nights out for some time to come.—Graham Corrigan

Related Vic Mensa: "It's Chicago Over Everything"

"Call Me Maybe" was the most annoying song of 2012. I believe that there is such a thing as too catchy, and "Call Me Maybe" is the quintessential example. But still, there was something really likable about this smiley new girl who seemingly came out of nowhere with this massive international hit.

Carly Rae Jepsen is still making intrusively infectious pop (see: "I Really Like You"), but on "All That," she slows things down and takes it to the '80s with a little help from producers/c0-writers Dev Hynes and Ariel Rechtshaid. This slow burner flirts with Prince and Michael Jackson vibes, and it's something I never expected from the artist who I was calling "that 'Call Me Maybe' girl" a few years ago. Hopefully this isn't the only song she worked on with Dev and Ariel.—Confusion

Watch Carly Rae Jepsen perform "All That" on Saturday Night Live.

Young Thug's Barter 6 was bound to be polarizing. It didn't matter if he kept the Carter 6 name, or if Wayne co-signed him, or if he shot the cover of the album fully clothed—listeners were going to have an opinion. But fuck it, that's what makes it exciting. If your music's released and the timeline's not debating it, you did something wrong. Sure, people will love Barter 6 and people will definitely hate Barter 6, but they're all talking about Barter 6. Thug already won regardless.

Considering the project hit the internet only yesterday, it's still too early to definitively state whether this love or hate is warranted. But one track clearly sticks out because it delivers a rarely seen side of Thug. "Amazing" doesn't follow the pattern we're used to on most of his previous material. He partners with Cash Money singer Jacquees, who adds a depth and accessibility to Thug's otherworldly but infectious hooks. "Amazing" shows that same mainstream side we saw from Thug on "Hookah," proving he doesn't have to sacrifice his oddities for popularity.—Katie K

Tame Impala took some time away from the limelight, and have come back stronger than ever. There had been rumors that their new album—this week revealed to be titled Currents—would be more electronic-based, and while eight-minute long first single "Let It Happen" went heavy on the synths, the band are back to swirling psychedelic beauty on "Cause I'm A Man." It's less scuzzy and fuzzy than anything from Lonerism, and it's a colorful reminder of their mighty songwriting abilities. Brilliant stuff.—Constant Gardner