Best Songs of the Week

When I first heard Kyle's verse on The Social Experiment's "Wanna Be Cool," I had a very visceral reaction. His flow was solid, the rhyme scheme was tight, but... that voice. I couldn't decide if I loved it or hated it—the over-accentuation grated my ears at first, but I found a couple phrases running through my head again and again ("is being cool that cool?"). It's been four months since Surf, and Kyle is about to release his solo album, Smyle.

He enlisted the Experiment's ringleader Chance The Rapper for its lead single—the chorus, to be specific—and the resulting track finally convinced me: I'm down with Kyle, especially when he brings more Surf alumni along for the ride (Jordan Evans & Matthew Burnett handled production on "Remember Me"). The song's content is pretty heavy, and Kyle even tweeted that it was "one of the hardest songs [he] ever had to write." But it all goes off without a hitch, and it's hard not to walk away smiling from "Remember Me."—Graham Corrigan

Music discovery is the backbone of Pigeons and Planes. It's what binds all of us as writers, and it's what connects us to our readers. We're here to bring you good new music, artists that we believe in, songs we think could truly impact you.

As a writer, I've been lucky to be part of this musical discovery, but I've been even luckier to see growth in these musicians. It's an incredible thing to be able to hear how much more polished a new artist can become from track to track. It's this exact place Anna Of The North lies with the release of her new song, "The Dreamer." While her debut "Oslo" was exceptional, this new one shows real growth in her craft.

"The Dreamer" is massive while still being graceful; and while Anna has come a long way, it's clear she still has so much more to show us. And that's unbelievably exciting.—Katie K.

Jamie xx's "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" just won't go away, even as the summer sun that is its natural accompaniment wanes, and October's grey skies and storms sweep in. I, for one, am not mad at all. The original version of "Good Times" was fantastic, and each of the subsequent remixes have brought a new energy, from the all-out party vibes of the all-star dancehall remix to Wiki's gritty New York edge.

Skepta also reached a certain level of summer 2015 ubiquity with "Shutdown," and for this remix he didn't just lay down a new verse but remixed the beat—Skepta, like so many of the best grime artists, is a talented producer as well as MC—and brought Frisco along for the ride, too. You know what this is? It's a celebration, bitches.—Constant Gardner

Related: Jamie xx: Sharing The Good Times, here

Kacy Hill's "Foreign Fields" is a slice of quiet genius on its own—she nailed that intimate James Blakeian piano vibe—but what Kacy didn't have in the original was Blake's electronic wizardry. Enter Yung Gud, the Swedish beatmaker responsible for much of fellow Sadboy Yung Lean's production. Gud adds icy, cavernous cavernous that absolutely explodes around the two-minute mark, and "Foreign Fields" blooms into an after-hours dance track as a result.

As is always the case with Yung Gud, it's the little things that take this production over the top: the eagle screams right before the drop are comedy magic, but they also fit perfectly within the remix's dramatic builds. If Kacy Hill can pull talent like this in for the rest of her album, you're listening to one of tomorrow's biggest stars.—Graham Corrigan

Usually whenever I listen to a full album or project, towards the end of it my brain has already become accustomed to the overall sound of things. So when I got to track 13 of Finding Novyon’s recent #TheFoodNetwork mixtape, I was pretty shocked. The majority of the tape is filled with head-bopping beats, with a few deeper grooves thrown into the mix. However, none of the previous tracks prepared me for the abrupt hit of “Taste Testin’ / The Commodity.”

As soon as “Taste Testin’ / The Commodity” began, I immediately said, “Whoa, what is this?!” as I ran back over to my laptop so I could turn up the volume and run it from the top. The opening beat is embedded with that stank face-inducing funk that feels like a blast from the past, but soon the blend of additional bounce and Finding Novyon’s fast-paced flow give the rhythm a necessary ounce of modern freshness, seamlessly tying all the contrasting elements together. This track is definitely the outlier of the bunch, but it’s my favorite for that exact reason.—Adrienne Black

For 20-year-old New Yorker Tor Miller, there is perhaps no better-suited label than Glassnote Records, the home of acts like CHVRCHES and Phoenix. There's an indie sensibility to "Carter & Cash"—its focus is on solid songwriting rather than over-the-top production—but the catchy chorus and accessible nature hint at mainstream potential for the young artist.—Confusion

The term "supergroup" should be used with caution, but let's throw caution to the wind for a moment—WOKE is a supergroup. The superfunk combination of Flying Lotus and Thundercat is reason enough to get giddy, but add the psychotic and delicious rhymes patterns of Shabazz Palaces to the mix ("A fact is flare, plenty flavors, many layers/The anti-square, many laying in my lair"), and you're verging into legendary territory. Oh, and George Clinton came along for the ride. Like I said: supergroup.

"The Lavishments of Light Looking" is a sonic adventure, and one of the best Adult Swim Singles of the year. Hopefully this becomes much more than a one-off.—Graham Corrigan

Boston rapper Cousin Stizz is killing it with consistency. There’s nothing flashy about him—no in-your-face hooks, over-the-top production, or extravagant deliveries. Where Stizz succeeds is effortless style, low-key catchy choruses, and unwavering quality.

His Suffolk County mixtape cemented his spot as one of the best up-and-comers out right now, and “The Wave” keeps the momentum up with a hypnotizing flow. If you don’t know Cousin Stizz yet, stop sleeping.—Confusion