Tell us what you’re listening to this weekend
New releases from Kehlani, NewJeans, and Peso Pluma are on our radar. What's on yours?
Music Features Songs for You
In a year that has seen high-profile album rollout after high-profile album rollout, the first official weekend of summer feels comparatively lowkey. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of new music to check out and listen to this week. Here, some A.V. Club staffers have picked out a few new things on our radar—let us know in the comments what you’re listening to, and what we need to put on our own playlists.
Albums
Kehlani – Crash
If singles “Next To You” and “After Hours” are any indication, the fourth album from Bay Area pop star Kehlani promises to be their most eclectic yet. Ahead of the release of Crash, Kehlani said that her vocal support of Palestine over the past nine months caused some potential collaborators to “ghost” her requests to work together; regardless, the album does feature collaborations with Jill Scott, Young Miko, and Omah Lay. [Drew Gillis]
Peso Pluma – ÉXODO
The singles preceding ÉXODO were massive, at least from a streaming perspective, so there’s a good bet that you’ll be hearing Peso Pluma’s album a lot this summer, whether you go to one of the many festivals he’s playing or not. The new tracks feature collaborations from the likes of Cardi B and Quavo. [Drew Gillis]
Songs
The Dare – “Perfume”
If it feels like The Dare sprung up overnight, he kind of did. After his four-song EP The Sex EP dropped last May, the artist born Harrison Smith has become a bit of an avatar of a so-called “Indie Sleaze” revival, started a minor moral panic with his album art, and earned an opening slot (and a name-drop) in Charli xcx’s BRAT shows. As he prepares to head out on tour, Smith has shared this new one—the first single from a debut album out this fall. [Drew Gillis]
Tinashe and Jane Remover – “Nasty – Match My Tweak remix”
Tinashe is letting this viral moment pass her by. After a dance trend helped bounce “Nasty” from her core audience onto the Hot 100, the artist is keeping the momentum up, sharing an EP of remixes earlier this week. Most interesting is her team-up with Jane Remover, whose production gives the original track a jittery, chaotic makeover. [Drew Gillis]
Mermaid Chunky – “chaperone”
UK band Mermaid Chunky just announced their debut album out on September 13, and they’ve brought a new song along to give us a taste of what we might expect—sort of. “chaperone” careens between modes, carrying flickers of LCD Soundsystem and Model/Actriz as it crescendos into a new wave payoff. And that payoff is a hell of a lot of fun. [Drew Gillis]
Diljit Dosanjh – “Born to Shine” and “G.O.A.T.”
For most non-South Asians, Diljit Dosanjh is a new artist, even though he’s currently on a sold-out show tour across North America and made his late-night debut on The Tonight Show on June 17. But he’s been winning hearts with his music for years now, so it’s cool to see his mainstream success span globally. Naturally, the two tracks he performed live on Fallon are a great entry point into his craft, or perhaps his recent collabs with Saweetie and Sia, respectively, might do the trick. For my money’s worth, “Naina” and “Lover” are some of his best songs to date. [Saloni Gajjar]
NewJeans – “Supernatural” and “Right Now”
An honest-to-goodness new jack swing song being released in the year 2024? It’s more likely than you think. NewJeans continues their streak as one of, if not, the best-produced group in K-Pop with “Supernatural” and “Right Now,” the latter of which impossibly combines a laid-back bossa nova instrumental and a Jersey club beat. [Drew Gillis]