Best Songs of the Week

Broderick Batts' "Kate Moss 1986" (our pick for the latest New Wave) is his best work yet. He's flirted with pop-friendly sounds before, but this one is all-out. It's catchy as fuck, mood-enhancing, and totally addictive. It's snowing outside right now, and I'm kind of hungover, but blasting this one in my headphones has me feeling excellent. Thank you, Broderick Batts. Hear more from the dynamic Florida artist here.—Jacob Moore

It might take a minute or two for John Keek's experimental jazz stylings to sink in—he doesn't give you big hooks or repetitive melodies that popular music demands. Instead, Keek has woven an unmistakable sonic quilt over his last two tracks. His voice, saxophone, and slippery time signatures are making waves in the music world (King Krule has taken notice), and with an EP in the works, the best is yet to come.—Graham Corrigan

While the internet has largely unearthed and upended the artist development process, it's also made a great sport of watching young talent blossom for those with patience and long histories of SoundCloud likes. Over the past three years, Brockhampton has evolved from a ragtag group of rappers, producers, musicians, and designers united on KanyeToThe.com into a self-proclaimed all-American boy band, a courageous group of creative young people toiling to translate their dreams and fears into unclassifiable music.

Though Matt Champion's solo output over the last few years has been sparse, the Brockhampton rapper's new single "Punks" suggested time well spent in the service of honing craft and vision. It's a melancholy ode to its namesake, a rock-tinged monument to skipping town before sunrise and starting anew somewhere. "Punks" presents a mission statement in a mere two minutes and 25 seconds, a succinct encapsulation of Champion's attempts to find gold in the gutter.—Jon Tanners

Florida rapper Kaiydo masters the art of simplicity on "Arcade." A lot of teenage artists take years to learn this—it can be tempting to give in to ambition and try to do too much, but Kaiydo succeeds by keeping "Arcade" stripped down to the essentials: great production, an effortlessly infectious chorus, and a relaxed, confident delivery.—Jacob Moore

Bonkaz come up has been swift and unstoppable, driven by regular releases, fire freestyles, and impressively varied cosigns. He started 2016 quickly, dropping Mixtape of the Year, which comes with a Stormzy feature, a lot of quickfire rapping, and really cohesive feel. The highlight is "Run Out The Ends," on which Bonkaz provides a warning to snitches over a crazy beat from Show N Prove. There's so much talent in the UK right now, and in South London specifically. Don't sleep.—Constant Gardner

Young Thug's new album I'm Up is still sinking in, but "For My People" is easily an early standout. It features everything I love about Thug: wild imagery ("My pocket look like a book with a worm in it"), a fantastically erratic flow, and melodies on melodies. But the beat on this one is next-level, too. Spacy, cascading clicks and a deep low-end act as the perfect backdrop for Thugger's wild delivery.—Jacob Moore

Toronto's Jazz Cartier impressed with his debut project Marauding In Paradise, and his live shows are already legendary, but how would he keep up his momentum? How would he handle the tricky proposition of capitalizing on his early hype with a second project? Long story short, with ease.

With his new project Hotel Paranoia, Cartier delivers an ambitious and varied body of work. If you're not feeling the raw energy and heavy beat of "100 Roses" just skip to the next song and you'll get a bouncy, melody filled jam with twinkling production. Jazz is still at the beginning of his career, but the levels are very, very high.—Constant Gardner

Despite the sheer mass of music produced by Future, he continues to reach new levels.

"Fly Shit Only" is off the rapper's EVOL tape, which dropped earlier this month and earned Future his third #1 release in just seven months. The single is a study in juxtaposition—Future's watery, rapid-fire flow is countered by methodical electric guitar and heavily filtered synths. It's a step removed from the trap beats that have become his calling card. If rock music is the next step for Future Hendrix, we won't complain.—Graham Corrigan

Ever since Trapo released his debut project The Black Beverly Hills back in November, he’s had my undivided attention. His ability to make personal stories of doubt and insecurity into songs that are not just relatable, but thoroughly enjoyable, make him seem far beyond just 17 years old. Though his impressive debut was just a few short months ago, Trapo returns with a new single, “Bad Gal”—sounding ready to continue his hot streak.

On his latest single, Trapo rhymes over a sped up sample of Jill Scott’s 2000 single “He Loves Me,” which seems fitting as the conclusion of “Bad Gal” is overcoming the negative energy surrounding him by learning to be more comfortable with himself. The more this song continues to play on repeat, the more therapeutic it begins to feel. I thought I was too old to relate to 17-year-olds at this point, but Trapo has proved me wrong once again.—Adrienne Black