Best Songs of the Week (Jan 13th, 2017)

With so much good music, it's easy to miss out on some great tracks. So we've rounded up the best songs from the past week. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

Sampha fans have been waiting and waiting for him to finally release his debut album. Though the wait has been long, each time he shares a new single it becomes clear that perfection just cannot be rushed, and that detail works to the ease the pain of the wait. Thankfully, his February 3 release date for Process is rapidly approaching, and Sampha has returned with his latest and most beautiful single yet.

The new record, "(No One Knows Me) Like My Piano" is as heartbreaking as it is comforting. This song about the piano in his mother's home was written just months before her passing and every ounce of emotion poured into it can be felt intensely. Sampha has always had a passionate voice but he taps into something deeper here.

"(No One Knows Me) Like My Piano" is the sort of song that is guaranteed to make you cry, sob even, but it's too beautiful to take off repeat. As he reflects on fond memories of his late mother, Sampha creates an intimate moment that is somber, but sweet—a balance that is difficult to achieve.—Adrienne Black

I've been waiting on new Sjowgren since the Bay Area group dropped the undeniable "seventeen" over a year ago. Honestly, "now & then" started kind of slow for my taste on first listen. There's nothing super unique about it, and it takes almost a minute before the chorus comes in. But fuck, when that chorus kicks in, it is so satisfying.

It will be interesting to see how sjowgren's career plays out—most emerging acts have very distinct styles, whether it's in the production, vocals, or the overall vibe tied to what they're doing. It's usually pretty easy to spend a few minutes with an act and get a feel for where they fit. That's not there with sjowgren. The music is kind of traditional, rock-tinged pop, but what they're lacking in an easily identifiable "brand," they're making up for with absolutely excellent songwriting. In the long run, that's going to pay off.—Jacob Moore

Back in October, Syd, the lead singer of The Internet, announced that she planned to experiment with new sounds on an upcoming solo album. In a Beats 1 interview with Pharrell and Scott Vener, she explained that her upcoming project would be more pop-leaning than the music she creates with her band. The album, titled Fin, has officially been completed and is set to drop on February 3.

This week, Syd gave clamoring fans the first taste of Fin by releasing the moody lead single. A confident ode to the success she and her tight-knit circle of friends have found in their careers, “All About Me” shows a fiercer side of the vocalist. The menacing instrumental is provided by her bandmate Steve Lacy, who admitted on Twitter that he made the beat during class instead of paying attention to his teacher. The track is led by haunting synths and frantic, skittering percussion, departing starkly from the sonic textures present in The Internet’s music. The track’s accompanying music video features cameos from Syd’s bandmates and Odd Future affiliates, further emphasizing the song’s theme of friendship.

We’re excited to see how the rest of Fin shapes up.—Charlotte Freitag

I'm late to this one. I've been hearing the name Injury Reserve for months, and I never really dove into their music. Last week on Twitter we asked people what they were listening to, and Injury Reserve's fan base rides hard for their team. That's what made me finally get into the Arizona-based hip-hop trio, and their Floss project is making a strong impression. Unlike so many other rising rap acts, these guys aren't mimicking trends or sounding like 2.0 versions of other hot rappers. There are some throwback elements to what they're doing, but nobody's putting all the pieces together quite like this. Check out "All This Money" as a starting point.—Jacob Moore