Every week, members of the Vulture staff highlight the best new music. If the song is worthy of your ears and attention, you will find it here. Read our picks below, share yours in the comments, and subscribe to the Vulture Playlist for a comprehensive guide to the year’s best music.
2 Chainz, “MF’N Rightâ€
2 Chainz back?! I can never be mad at a surprise mixtape from Mr. Hair Weave Killa, which is exactly what he blessed us with last week. IT. SLAPS. I’m not gonna make any wild suggestions that 2 Chainz ever fell off, but he certainly lost momentum after B.O.A.T.S. II. So it’s great to see Mike WiLL Made-It and Zaytoven bring out the best in him: This is the music you drive around in your drop top to and front like you’re the drug lord 2 Chainz also pretends to be all over this track. The beat is just filthy, and it never really explodes the way you expect it to. It’s all one big beautiful tease I’m hoping means more heat is still to come. —Dee Lockett (@Dee_Lockett)
Bloc Party, “Only He Can Heal Meâ€
Kele Okereke has denied that the new Bloc Party album Hymns is religious, but it’s hard to escape this song’s explicitly spiritual lyrics. It’s a story about redemption and faith, and the way Okereke sings it, it doesn’t sound corny. This is a stunning departure for the band, and it works, even if you find the subject matter a little heavy-handed. —Lauretta Charlton (@laurettaland)Â
Flume feat. Vince Staples and KuÄka, “Smoke and Retributionâ€
When we talk about Vince Staples, somehow his versatility goes unnoticed a lot of the time. In addition to last’s year’s phenomenal Summertime ‘06, he made one of the year’s best songs you probably never heard of, called “Ghost,†with With You. (a collective including Major Lazer co-founder Switch). I love when rap and electronic music collide, and I’m quickly finding that Vince Staples is the best at making it sound so seamless. He guests on “Smoke and Retribution†(off Flume’s upcoming sophomore album), absolutely floating over Flume’s crushing synth constructions alongside Australian singer KuÄka (doing her best Aluna Francis impression). All the pieces fit right where they belong. —DL
Majid Jordan, “Day and Nightâ€
Do yourself a favor and go watch Majid Jordan’s interview on Hot 97. It’s a rare glimpse at Majid Al Maskati and Jordan Ullman, the two semi-mysterious minds behind Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home.†They’re so charming! And hilarious: Stick around for Majid’s story about how his dad Google-stalked 40 before he let Majid fly to Toronto and work with him. Adorbs. When you’re done, come back and listen to “Day and Night,†a sleek, disco-infused number about that special someone, off their debut album out this week. Drake gives these dudes a lot of looks — they’re signed to his label and curated an entire hour of his OVO Sound radio show last week — and they’re totally worth it. —DL
Jessy Lanza, “It Means I Love Youâ€
The Canadian producer-singer rearranges familiar pieces in surprising patterns on this low-key electro-pop banger, which simultaneously nods to John Carpenter soundtracks and “Hotline Bling.†Like Grimes and Dev Hynes before her, Lanza is strong bet for the new underground voice pushing pop forward on the whole. —Jillian Mapes (@jumonsmapes)
Matmos, “Excerpt Threeâ€
Matmos’s new album is made up of sounds generated entirely by a washing machine. When Martin Schmidt came up with the idea, he was drumming his fingers on a Whirlpool Ultimate Care II in his home studio, and from there, he said, “the shit just writes itself.†He makes it sound easy, but listening to “Excerpt Three,†it’s clear that he and partner Drew Daniel basically ate, slept, and dreamed the wash cycle before assembling these amazing textures and sounds. They feel both mechanical and organic. Bravo, guys. I’ll never look at laundry day the same way. —LC
Dawn Richard, “Not Above Thatâ€
We’re approaching sad times: Dawn Richard is about to release the last of her stellar Red Era trilogy, RED*emp*tion, the follow-up to last year’s acclaimed Blackheart. (If you haven’t been keeping up: Yes, this is the same Dawn Richard from Danity Kane of Making the Band fame; she is now an underground dance-pop star.) And of course she’s closing out this career-redefining chapter with her umpteenth future-pop banger, “Not Above That.†Like the best dance-floor smash, it starts off like a whisper, building up only to then strip away layer after layer of synth and bass until it reaches rave-level sound barriers. It’s unpredictable and pure fun — the kind of song your Saturday night deserves. —DL
Zayn, “Pillowtalkâ€
When I played this song for my boyfriend, he immediately said he didn’t want to hear it ever again, but that’s too bad because I’ve decided that I like sexy, emancipated R&B Zayn, and he’s just gonna have to deal with it. Relationships: They’re a paradise. They’re a war zone. —LC