Best Songs of the Week

Jules Born quietly released one on 2014's most eclectic project with Memoryabilia, an EP that blended genres so comfortably that neatly categorizing it is impossible. “Maybe we should just call it urban contemporary,” Jules said of his style. “I don’t even know what urban means. Black music that’s not R&B and not hip-hop, I guess. Should I just own that?”

The New Jersey artist's latest single, "Fine Doubt," is a continuation of what he does best—it draws from genres across the board, but it's natural, welcoming, and one of the best songs of the week. Look out for his next project, Days End Confused, in spring of 2016.—Confusion

For many artists, the goal is to try to create an instant banger that will grab everyone’s attention. It always seems to be the low-key tracks, however, that find a way to creep into your memory with memorable lines or melodies. Trapo’s “Modelo” falls into that second category.

Trapo begins the song with a very subtle, but evident energy—a perfect medium that most listeners relate to. His delivery is easygoing but every once in a while he’ll add necessary emphasis to make his most prominent lyrics stick out. Halfway through the song Trapo delivers the line, “We don’t got bottled water/ so stop acting bougie and drink out the faucet,” with such force that it almost demands listeners to rewind the track so it can be heard one more time.

That kicker alone would have been good enough for me, but the repetitive and catchy hook—”Trapo got that holy water”—is what I personally found myself singing over and over long after the song had ended. As low-key as this song may seem on the surface, it’s very easy to imagine an energetic crowd shouting these words right back at Trapo.—Adrienne Black

Ryan Hemsworth stepped in for a special guest appearance on his Secret Songs series, and it's a doozy. "Angel" is off Hemsworth's upcoming collaboration with Seattle producer Lucas, Taking Flight. As the two titles indicate, this one's all about the ascension—an airy beats glides over distorted percussion, the latter's rough edges sanded down by some truly heavenly vocal harmonies.

It's the first time Hemsworth has premiered new music via Secret Songs, and here's hoping it starts a trend. The description claims "Angel" was inspired by "childhood and pop punk," which is also a pretty apt way of describing Hemsworth in general. More, please.—Graham Corrigan

Kelela is back! Not that she left, exactly, but more that we've been waiting a while now for her second official project. Announced at the beginning of the year, the Hallucinogen EP was originally scheduled for release in May, but was pushed back, and now we've finally got our second sample, "Rewind," which follows the Arca-produced "A Message."

"Rewind," which Kelela produced with Kingdom and Nugget, feels like a future Fade to Mind party classic—airy, hopeful vocals about love on the dancefloor paired with a thumping beat. It's recognizably Kelela, but an exciting evolution of the sound she presented on Cut 4 Me. So far, the new EP is sounding stunning.—Constant Gardner

Hallucinogen drops October 9.

Taken on its own, Rotterdam singer Sevdaliza's "That Other Girl" is an alluring look at an affair—sensual, unpredictable, and an all together engrossing listen thanks to a seductive performance and forward-thinking production.

Taken with its incredible 3D video, "That Other Girl" becomes its own world, a multi-faceted art piece that invites deeper interrogation while also being simply mesmerizing. A labor of love, Sevdaliza teamed up with experimental visual artists Pussykrew last December to craft an uncanny, surreal world of amorphous, melting objects, outsized outfits, and contorted bodies. While this sort of extreme treatment might overwhelm some songs, it only serves to intensify "That Other Girl." A perfect marriage of a great song and imaginative imagery. If you're in the U.K., you can catch Sevdaliza in action at our first No Ceilings London show.—Jon Tanners

Kacy Hill wowed us with "Experience" at the end of last year, and then signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music, but then disappeared into the shadows. We're happy to wait if the rest of the music we get is this good. For "Foreign Fields," Kacy teamed up with the incredibly talented Jack Garratt, and the resulting song brings together the best of both their worlds, starting slow with gentle piano and building to a frenzied, glorious ending.—Constant Gardner