Best Songs of the Month (Aug 2017)

With so much good music steadily coming through, it's easy to miss some of the best. To help prevent this, we've rounded up the best new songs of the week. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

Brockhampton's videos are getting more and more inventive, and "Gummy" may be their creative peak so far. The track is equally as ridiculous, matching the absurdity of the visuals with reckless abandon. These kids are determined to best themselves, and if "Gummy" is any indication, the forthcoming sequel to Saturation will be even better than the first.

As to be expected, everyone brings their A-game, offering a distinct flair that sets each member apart while showing once again what makes them work so well as a whole.—Joe Price

Reo Cragun's new Growing Pains mixtape is packed with booming production, soaring choruses, and irresistibly catchy hooks, but "On My Way" is the song I can't stop playing right now. It doesn't hurt that it has one of the most epic music videos of the year. Mountains, waterfalls, and horses all add a dramatic flair to an already great song, and if you need some motivation, just listen to this track and you'll feel like a fucking hero.—Jacob Moore

Kodak Black is a divisive character in music, but sometimes it feels like the people who hate him just aren't listening. He has done some questionable shit and if you don't want to listen to him because of that, I get it. But too often he gets grouped in with mindless rappers with nothing to say, and that's just not the case.

Kodak is self-aware, thoughtful (at times), and has a unique way with words that blurs the line between slang and poetry. On top of all that, he's one of the best hook writers in rap right now, his beat selection is on point and full of surprises (see: "Me For Me" from Project Baby 2), and he's consistently putting out some of the best projects that balance hit singles with enough range to show off his versatility. Check out "Unexplainable," my personal favorite after one listen to the mixtape, and listen to the entire Project Baby 2 here.—Jacob Moore

In the wake of Alice Glass' departure from Crystal Castles, one of the most exciting prospects was Glass pursuing more personal music removed from Ethan Kath's often overbearing production. "Stillbirth" gave us a taste of what to expect, but "Without Love" feels like the true departure we've been waiting for. Elements of Crystal Castles still linger, but things a little clearer, and easier to digest this time around. The vocals aren't buried deep within the mix, instead standing as the real highlight of the track. Alice Glass is an underrated lyricist, and now she's showcasing her songwriting skills more clearly than ever.—Joe Price

For new fans of XXXTentacion who hopped on board after the viral success of "Look At Me!" this new album 17 is going to be a jarring change of pace. He announced that this album is meant for people battling with depression, and the album opener "The Explanation" makes his intention clear: "If you are not willing to accept my emotion and hear my words fully, do not listen. I do not value your money, I value your acceptance and loyalty. Here is my pain and thoughts put into words. I put my all into this, in hopes that it will cure, or at least numb your depression. I love you, thank you for listening."

The first voice we hear on the second track, "Jocelyn," is not XXX but a singer named Shiloh Dynasty. More on that story later, but "Jocelyn Flores"—which XXX has explained is about a friend who committed suicide—is a somber song that sets the tone for what is sure to be one of the most complicatedly polarizing albums of the year.—Jacob Moore

Every time you turn around there seems to be another artist sampling a smash hit from the '90s and flipping it into a moment of their own. Problem is, most of these flips are trash. But Florida rapper Ski Mask the Slump God is the exception. When he flipped Missy Elliott's "She's A Bitch," Ski blew minds with incredible flows and an equally as impressive video.

This time, "Get Ur Freak On" is the Missy sample and the song is ASAP Ferg's "ILoveYourAunt." Ferg held his own on this one but Ski absolutely destroyed his verse.—Eric Isom

At this point, most fans know Denzel Curry for his wild, aggressive delivery and seemingly unlimited energy. Songs like “Ultimate” and “Gook” work on the strength of his raw intensity alone, so it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that he’s able to put together complete songs and has a sneaky ear for melody.

His new single “Skywalker” shows off his full range of abilities better than almost anything we’ve heard from him so far. Centered around a unique melody that calls to mind one of his influences, André 3000, Curry is able to harness his energy in a digestible package that's already stuck in our heads. It’s the kind of song that’ll endear him to new listeners without losing what made him so special in the first place.—Eric Skelton

Watch Denzel Curry (aka Zeltron 6 Billion) on Trending Topics here.

Kelela is back! She broke out in 2013 with the fantastic Cut 4 Me mixtape, pushing R&B forward by working with the experimental electronic producers of Fade To Mind and its London-based sister label Night Slugs. On “LMK,” from her upcoming album Take Me Apart, Kelela keeps pushing her sound forward with confidence and poise, but it’s also one of her most accessible tracks to date.

On the new album, Kelela states: ”Despite it being a personal record, the politics of my identity informs how it sounds and how I choose to articulate my vulnerability and strength. I am a black woman, a second-generation Ethiopian-American, who grew up in the 'burbs listening to R&B, jazz and Björk. All of it comes out in one way or another."

Take Me Apart is out October 6.—Alex Gardner

Every time Action Bronson opens his mouth, he reminds us of his taste for the finer things in life. We’re used to his culinary indulgences by now, but it’s tough to think of a more exquisite life experience than hearing Bronson talk shit over bouncy production with his buddy Big Body Bes like he does on "TANK." Throughout Blue Chips 7000, everything that comes out of his mouth sounds luxurious.

Delivered with elegance in a way that only Bronson can, he’s able to make lines about flying “a plane to Russia with a hard dick and a tank top from Target” sound like a rare cultural treat. Beautiful.—Eric Skelton

Watch Action Bronson on Trending Topics here.

Although we've been waiting four years for a new King Krule album, he hasn't exactly been quiet in that time, releasing music under a multitude of aliases (including a whole album under his own name, Archy Marshall), collaborating with other artists, and performing around the world. Now King Krule is back with a...whisper?

New song "Czech One," released along with the announcement of a world tour, is slow-moving and mournful, Marshall's vocals projecting a sense of unease and uncertainty over jazzy keys and horns. The video is special too, and King Krule is well and truly back.—Alex Gardner

After the viral success of "Caroline," Aminé has successfully removed all speculation that he'll turn out to be a one-hit wonder. On his debut album Good For You, he balances his trademark humor with introspection and profound observations about the world around him. The album's production is buoyant throughout, making it an excellent soundtrack for the remaining weeks of summer.

Good For You begins with the soaring opening strings of "Veggies," one of the album's standout tracks. After the scintillating orchestral intro, Aminé sings over an understated guitar riff and soft percussion. Halfway through, the song erupts into a funk-driven affair with punchy 808s. "Veggies" sets the tone for the rest of the album flawlessly, its lyrical content triumphant, introspective, and cheeky all at once. He weaves seamlessly between singing and rapping, showcasing his vocal versatility. Ty Dolla Sign lends his voice to the end of the song, bringing the album's stunning introduction to a strong conclusion.—Charlotte Freitag

Watch Aminé cook banana bread here.

This song actually came out nearly a month ago on Jelani Aryeh's ​Suburban Destinesia EP, which we only recently discovered from a random email submission. Jelani is a 17-year-old from suburban San Diego, inspired by artists like Kevin Abstract and Frank Ocean to make music that crosses genre boundaries. He uses elements of rap, pop, rock, and R&B on his debut EP, an honest collection of songs about growing up and trying to find your place in the world. 

"Where We Go" is one highlight, and you can listen to the whole Suburban Destinesia EP and learn more about Jelani here.—Alex Gardner

London MC AJ Tracey comes with energy on every track, but give him a beat like this, and you know he's going to go crazy. "Blacked Out" is produced by grime legend Sir Spyro and AJ more than does it justice, while the video is immediately striking too. The best moment, though, might be this bar: "Wearing tracksuits listening to 'That's Not Me,' but we all know that's not you."

"Blacked Out" comes from AJ Tracey's Secure The Bag! EP, out October 6.—Alex Gardner

Syd maintains this song is best heard in the midst of an eclipse, but here we are, still listening in full sun. "Bad Dream/No Looking Back" is the singer at her sultriest, murmuring romantic confusion over impeccable production from Gwen Bunn ("Bad Dream") and Ricci Riera ("No Looking Back"). Both halves of the song are excellent, but the best news came in a tweet: "Always Never Home drops September 8th," the singer said, confirming that 2017 will have not one but two solo projects from Syd. Life is good.—Graham Corrigan

Music from the elusive MF DOOM is always a welcome occurrence, and now Adult Swim are set to release just that for 15 weeks straight. The Missing Notebook Rhymes series kicked off with "Negus," a Sean Price track from an upcoming posthumous collection of his music called Imperious Rex. The two rap kings are perfect partners on this track, all gruff vocals and raw bars.—Alex Gardner

Yellow Days is an 18-year-old kid from the U.K., but you wouldn’t know it by listening to him sing. His scratchy vocal delivery carries the emotional weight of someone who has been through decades of pain. Basically, it sounds like he's seen some shit and gained a perspective that eludes most teenagers. But somehow, Yellow Days' music feels genuine—in spite of his youth. "Hurt In Love" is one of the finest examples of this yet, as the young singer/producer pours himself out over warm psychedelic guitars and crisp percussion in a heartbreaking way you can feel in your gut. —Eric Skelton

Earlier this month, Twelve'Len shared his latest track "Almost There" with a short message detailing that this was a gift for his fans who have been supporting him from the beginning. There's a light, sunny quality to his music and his newest release continues down that same path. Twelve'Len recruits Allan Kingdom to complete "Almost There" and the production sets a tone that feels uplifting and inspirational. As the duo sit and reflect on everyday scenarios, the song feels relatable for those who might not be achieving all their goals yet. Keep going though, you're almost there.—Adrienne Black

There are a small handful of artists I trust to never let me down. Sango is one of those artists. 

The title of Sango's latest track "Meio Da Noite" translates to "middle of the night" in Portuguese. Opening with the sound of vehicles speeding off into the distance and crickets chirping in the background, the mood is set well before the beat drops. Sango lets the track build at a subtle pace until it reaches a steady bounce that has just enough power to relieve a decent amount of stress. Once again, Sango proves the language barrier of his samples are insignificant because the language of rhythm and dance is universal.—Adrienne Black

Moses Sumney is a special artist. When we first heard from him in 2013, it was his voice that was immediately captivating. As he has evolved and approaches the release of his debut album Aromanticism, Sumney's arrangements and creative approach to songwriting and structure are now just as impressive as his voice.

"Quarrel" is another gorgeous song, with production from Cam O'bi and Joshua Willing Halpern, and performances by Paris Strother (KING) on synths and piano, Thundercat on bass, and Jamire Williams on drums. Moses Sumney's Aromanticism is out September 22 via Jagjaguwar.—Alex Gardner

Nessly has proved his credentials with releases like 2016 project Solo Boy Band. One thing that makes the rising Atlanta act a little more special is his ear for collaboration. Nessly is not afraid to take a left turn and work with a fresh producer or an out of the box artist. His most recent collaboration is with Toronto's Killy on "No Mistakes."

What made "Killamonjaro" special to me was Killy's charisma, and this record is the closest he's come to matching that level of confidence. Both he and Nessly cruised through this Alecto & MikeHector produced record and I'm sold on any song that mentions "slime" in its chorus, so this was a no-brainer.—Eric Isom

Lil B The BasedGod is the rawest rapper alive, no question. If any other rapper dropped an album that's nearly two hours long, I would slander them and possibly never listen to their music again. When Lil B does it, it's a blessing. I remember being a hyper teen in 2010 first seeing Lil B post about Black Ken and thinking about how amazing it would be. Now, seven years later he finally dropped it on his 28th birthday, and it's just as fire as I expected it. Lil B may be one of the biggest trolls in the game, but he can actually rap.

"Getting Hot" is my favorite but Lil B delivered on all 27 tracks and made August 17, 2017 a historic date in hip-hop history. Shout out to Kanye, Iggy Azalea, Rhode Island, Vince Staples, Diddy, and many more for inspiring this classic body of work.—Eric Isom

When LCD Soundsystem announced their return in 2016, it was easy to feel as jaded as James Murphy's lyrics. Was this simply a festival headline cash grab or something more? This year, our questions have been answered with new music which has been uniformly excellent. "Call The Police" and "American Dream" showed different sides of the band's skillset, and "Tonite" surprises once again.

From the analog sounds and disco groove to the video, this song feels like a throwback, but Murphy is in fine form, especially as the song builds to its climatic final moments.—Alex Gardner

Terrible Records have an impressive track record of working with rising artists, and Toulouse is the latest excellent addition to their roster. The Nigerian-born, New York-based artist will release his debut EP Extended Plea on September 15, and "Hurtin" shows just why we've been intrigued by his music from the start. Soaring vocals and a creative arrangement are perfect partners on one of Toulouse's most polished songs to date.—Alex Gardner

New music from Miguel is always welcome, and Travis Scott's last collaboration with an R&B singer--"Love Galore" with SZA--is one of the summer's best songs. That led me to have high hopes for Miguel and Travis's new collaboration, "Sky Walker," and they don't disappoint.

It's not one of Miguel's more experimental songs, but he sounds great over the crisp production and Travis proves once again that he's more versatile than he's often given credit for. No word if this is from a new Miguel album, but for the meantime enjoy the Director X-helmed video below.—Alex Gardner

At the top of the year, Jazz Cartier shared his previous single, the upbeat "Tempted." Though the track is taken from his forthcoming project Fleurever, Cartier made it clear that there was no set release date and there wouldn't be one until he felt it was complete. Months later, Cartier returns with a brand new track that he says is "a little something for my fans until Fleurever comes."

The latest track from Cartier, "Nobody's Watching" is a hard-hitting collaboration with Mike WiLL Made-It. Cartier has a naturally menacing voice that is equally low and alluring, and as a result, "Nobody's Watching" bumps pretty hard, and becomes more addictive as the song goes on. Not only does this deserve to be played loud and on repeat, but if this is a preview of what's to come on Fleurever then we're in for a treat.—Adrienne Black

Gucci Mane is not slowing down. There have been multiple albums, a book, and a tour, and now a new album is on the way. Mr. Davis is out September 15 and new single "I Get The Bag" is another winner. Maybe Gucci brings the best out of Migos—"Met Gala" with Offset was flames, but this time it's Takeoff's turn to soar with one of this track's two verses. Gucci seems to be having fun too, and when Gucci's happy, we're happy.—Alex Gardner

Lil Uzi Vert and Pharrell teamed up to create a vibrant collaboration we had no idea we needed. A standout track from Luv Is Rage 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2015's Luv Is Rage, "Neon Guts" finds Uzi stepping outside his stylistic comfort zone; Pharrell's trademark production differs greatly from the trap strains Uzi has favored in the past.

Pharrell opens the track with an anthemic hook led by the refrain, "I got a colorful aura like I got neon guts," establishing the triumphant tone of the song. Uzi and Pharrell proceed to trade deft, confident verses, playing off of each other with natural chemistry. "Neon Guts," and the rest of Luv Is Rage 2 for that matter, display Uzi in top form and attest to his versatility. Rap's rockstar continues to deliver.—Charlotte Freitag

Canadian R&B singer Daniel Caesar shared his debut album Freudian last night, and it's full of the sexy bravado that made his breakout single "Get You" so mesmerizing. One of the album's highlights is "Take Me Away," a slinky collaboration with Syd. Daniel sings lustfully about a new love interest atop a sultry guitar, meandering synths, and slow, understated percussion. As the song draws to a close, Syd offers scintillating harmonies, her voice melting into Daniel's.—Charlotte Freitag

Rich Chigga is glowing. And while his meteoric rise through the music industry is plenty of reason to smile, "Glow Like Dat" finds the rapper born Brian Imanuel at his most romantic. Flowing over quivering guitar and sharp drums, we join Rich Chigga in a field of flowers, ruminating on the obsessions of love. "You live in my head without a doubt," he sings, painting a portrait of teenage romance still in bloom. Any suggestions of Rich Chigga as a comedy-first artist should be put to bed with this self-produced beauty.—Graham Corrigan

​Watch Rich Chigga on Trending Topics here.

The eighth step of NoMBe's plan to release his debut album month-by-month, one song at a time, has arrived—and it's another jam. Ushering in the end of summer, the genre-defying L.A. artist lays down silky vocals over electric guitar-laden production for a song begging to be thrown on in the background as you soak up the end of the warm weather months. Then, Nigeria-born, Brooklyn-based rapper Thutmose comes through with some well-paced, chilled out rhymes to really take it over the top. Can’t wait to hear the next piece of They Might've Even Loved Me next month.—Eric Skelton

In May, California rapper/singer Buddy teamed up with Montreal producer Kaytranada for their collaborative Ocean & Montana EP. Just a few months later, Buddy returns with yet another EP, this time titled Magnolia. His previous EP aimed for a light-hearted mood with rhythms listeners could dance to, while his latest release takes on a harder angle with heavy-hitting beats.

On Magnolia Buddy teams up with Kent Jamz from OverDoz for their collaboration "Last Time." The two complement each other perfectly, trading verses and bouncing between rapping and singing. "Last Time" is a reflective track but a bouncy one with a deep groove that dances the lines between being a smooth R&B record and hard-hitting hip-hop track. Buddy continues to showcase his versatility and just how much he has to offer.—Adrienne Black

The evolution from Spooky Black to Corbin has been fascinating to witness, especially considering how he was first perceived as a massive goofball that just so happened to have a great voice. Now he's putting that voice to work on something a lot more mature sounding, and the results are pretty goddamn great. Produced by Shlohmo and D33J, Corbin sounds better than ever on "Mourn," and we can't wait to hear how this promising direction will play out on the full record.—Joe Price

OMB Peezy is flat out one of the hardest rappers out today. With great technical skill and youthful rebellion, Peezy stands out amongst the new wave of up and coming rappers. "The Hard Way" is the latest release from the Alabama rapper, and on the new single he makes it known that there are consequences if you decide to cross the 20-year-old rapper.—Eric Isom

Despite only releasing the first Saturation around two months ago, Brockhampton didn't give everything away before the sequel arrived. There's a number of moments on Saturation II that blow away even the highest points on its predecessor. Tracks like "Sweet" and the incredible "Gamba" in particular, proving once again that they've got what it takes to make both a manic posse cut and a beautiful pop song, placing them side by side without swerving too hard.—Joe Price