Pigeons & Planes Presents: Best Songs of the Week

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 songs from the past week. Here are the songs you can't afford to skip, in no particular order.

Empress Of returned with a vengeance this week—"Go To Hell" is the first track off her unnamed sophomore album, and it was co-written by Chairlift's Caroline Polachek. Empress Of handled production, and she's only gotten better since 2015's Me. Bouncy synths and careful percussion keep the Brooklyn artist's spotless vocals front and center, and it results in an addictive anthem. "This song is very much about a specific thing that happened to me that hurt me," Empress Of told FADER, "and now I laugh with joy every time I hear it, this is the power of music."—​Graham Corrigan

Queens rapper Deem Spencer is one of my favorite artists making music right now. It's a crazy time in hip-hop and music in general, when branding and charisma sometimes outshine the art. Deem doesn't seem concerned with all that. His music feels brutally honest, and while his charisma is offbeat and understated, the impact lies in how real it all feels. The flashy smash hits come and go, but songs like "soap" have been in rotation all year, and "eve's titties" is sure to be another one that stands up as more than a passing moment.—Jacob Moore

It would have been so easy for Tyler, the Creator to continue to rap about doing indecent things to dead bodies. This isn't a criticism by any means; there was a weird charm to it ("She" is a very romantic song, after all). But the draw behind Tyler's latest song "Boredom" lies in the fact that "Boredom" isn't that at all.

On a laid back beat and featuring Corinne Bailey Rae, Rex Orange County, and, once again, Anna of the North, Tyler laments boredom, something that he may no longer be privy to as a successful multi-hyphenate. There's something bittersweet about a person who's missing that stillness in life, and in that, Tyler, the Creator has created something pretty damn beautiful.—Joyce

It's been a while since longtime friends and collaborators Lana Del Rey and ASAP Rocky last linked up, but their chemistry hasn't faded. The pair released two new collaborations this week, both of which are set to appear on Del Rey's upcoming album Lust For Life. One of the tracks, "Summer Bummer," also features vocals from Playboi Carti, who punctuates the track's moody soundscape with his instantly recognizable ad-libs.

"Summer Bummer" finds Lana returning to the 808-heavy hip-hop production she favored earlier in her career, a stark change from the acoustic-leaning sound she's spent the past few years cultivating. She sings languidly about an all-consuming summer fling atop a murky, menacing beat. Rocky's verse fits the vibe perfectly, complementing Lana's ethereal vocals.—Charlotte Freitag

First of all, there are plenty of options from Cousin Stizz's new project that could have landed in this list, but "Pullup" immediately stuck out to met. We're already well aware of Stizz's ability to create laid-back, slyly catchy music. But "Pullup" featuring Buddy shows us an intriguing new side of Stizz.

First off, the production for "Pullup" isn't what I expected from Stizz. The slower tempo combined with a subtle bounce makes the perfect foundation for a R&B record. Although we don't think of the Boston artist as a singer, he carries all the notes here. Aside from "Pullup" just being a solid song on its own, the unexpected factor of this single makes me wonder what other talents Stizz has up his sleeve.—Adrienne Black

The boys are back. Mount Kimbie and King Krule have a storied history of collaboration, most notably 2013's immortal "You Took Your Time." But they've outdone themselves with this one—"Blue Train Lines" skews more experimental and punky than their previous work, with seedy organs and persistent hi-hats accompanying an especially raw, yelping verse from Krule. It builds and builds, then the whole thing opens like a raincloud—Krule starts screaming, the drums unravel , and the bass kicks like lightning. Mount Kimbie's next album, Love What Survives, is out in September.—Graham Corrigan

With each passing year, we learn a little more about the person behind Yung Lean, Jonatan Leandoer Håstad. Years on from the release of tracks like "Ginseng Strip 2002," Leandoer has proved himself as an artist eager to experiment. This much is already evident from Warlord and his output as part of punk duo Död Mark with Gud, but with his side project Jonatan Leandoer127, he goes a step further, reminding us that there's a lot more to him than initially thought.

His music under the name is bare, striking, and a whole lot different from what we've come to expect from him up until now. As on Warlord, the emotional aspect is a lot more serious, and the resulting music is his most personal to date. "Hell Rain" isn't explicit in depicting misery, but it's the type of track that goes for feeling over logic. He might have been labeled an internet curiosity by many, but "Hell Rain" thankfully reminds us that people are often wrong, too.—Joe Price

A month ago, I was in this same spot writing about how incredible SZA's album cut "The Weekend" is. In just a few minutes she unpacks secrets and vulnerabilities in a way that hit far too close to home. Regardless of how emotional it made me, I couldn't take it off repeat.

Fast forward a few weeks later and Long Beach-based producer Zikomo has flipped the track on its head and embedded an entirely new energy within its core. There's not much I love more than a remix that completely repackages the original track. Rather than focusing on those reflective lyrics, Zikomo's new switch up in the tempo urges me to stop sulking and dance my pain away instead—a much preferred solution.—Adrienne Black

At this point Bobby Raps is a St. Paul legend, and his latest project, Mark, shows why. He's already made it clear that he's an immensely talented writer, but on Mark he's just as good at performing, too. While tracks like "Desensitized" showcase his rapping abilities, some of the most impressive moments come from when Bobby sings. Sometimes it's annoying when people are good at so many things (looking at you, Donald Glover), but it's not a bad thing when we get songs as good as "Black Ice."—Joe Price