tunesalad

[tunesalad]

Sarah Kinsley - Knights

I'm so glad I've found her through her very fresh debut album, Escaper, she's giving off major Mitski (even opened for her) and Florence Welch vibes with a slight folk hint at some songs. Also I really adore the playfully dark wittiness in her writing.

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aespa - Supernova

All those "ah, oh, ayy" parts are my favourite seconds in music this year so far and not even kidding, it's sooo damn catchy.

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FKA twigs - Eusexua

Look, I enjoyed the Caprisongs detour too, but this is the direction I absolutely love. Electronic leaning, dark, glitchy, messy, experimental, Koreless & Eartheater as co-producers and most importantly you instantly know it's an FKA twigs track, while also showing a new facet of her at the same time. January cannot come soon enough.

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Blondie - Dreaming

I used to listen to this song a lot, but somehow it vanished from the rotation, but now, thanks to the Anora trailer, it's back on again. "Dreaming is free" is such a good line.

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XG - GALZ XYPHER

I loved Cocona's flow and Maya's cadence + speed a lot, but I'm biased towards that Saoko beat and I probably vibe the most with what Jurin did. Million Cash from Maya is also a heavy hitter. Anyway, trilingual rap is always gonna be a flex.

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Sharon Van Etten - No One's Easy to Love

Just love the contrast of the light and dark sounds on this groove so much.

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Lava La Rue - STARFACE's Descent (ft. tendai)

They promised "a conceptual psychedelic sci-fi romance album, centered around the narrative of an eponymous gender-fluid musical space alien sent to planet Earth to study the reasons why humans are so self-destructive" and overdelivered. The details and nuances on STARFACE sound like the work of an artist in their prime, not by someone in their 20s just releasing their debut album.

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nasthug @ Boiler Room

Currently my favourite set and easily a Top5 of all time. Goes hard from the start dropping a lot of familiar samples but in a different context from Cyndi Lauper to Bizet's Carmen while she also mixes in Man's Not Hot and SpongeBob without making it a meme for a second. Insane crowd and great taste all around.

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Maika Loubté - Rainbow Light Eyes

Glad I found her through Carole & Tuesday, where she was "played" Cybelle musically.

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Griff - Cycles (LIVE @ Roundhouse)

Her debut album, Vertigo just dropped and it's a vibrant pop record with a hint of '80s charm that I hope will get her some well-deserved, wider recognition.

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Brunette - Superstar Illness

Three languages and a switch up? Just the right stuff for my attention span deficit ass brain.

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Thee Sacred Souls - Weak for Your Love

I love it when I find great songs through other great songs. Vince Staples' Black & Blue brought me here.

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Mondo Grosso - Labyrinth

There's not many music videos out there I vibe with this much. The night market, the dancing, the one take, her clothes... the whole thing is just iconic.

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Childish Gambino - Lithonia

No wonder it's one of the most unexpected songs of the year, when Göransson/Uzowuru together leads Glover down the psychedelic rock sidetracks.

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James Blake & Lil Yachty - Midnight

This song just underlined my feelings that James Blake is Sufjan Stevens tailor-made for me.

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BIBI - Sugar Rush

"No artificial sweetener You gon' eat it up 'til yo' teeth hurt I don't need a man for no dessert I got popsicles in my freezer"

Just give this poet the Nobel Prize in Literature already.

[tunesalad]

Nathy Peluso - Aprender a amar

I have two favourite surprise albums this year so far and GRASA is one of them. Check it out if you crave something eclectic and ROSALÍA-adjacent.