And no one can say they're wrong. But for all the vulnerability contained within these lyrics, Ware’s vocals are the grandest revelation here, capturing the beautiful discomfort of such a feeling. “Man’s Not Hot,” which originated as a freestyle on BBC Radio 1Xtra, is the brainchild of British comedian Michael Dapaah, who builds the track around one wry observation—why are young toughs always mugging in parkas?—and withholds the punch line long enough to practice his gun noises and turn “donut” into an insult. There's always the want-you-back phase, and when that inevitably arises, we now have Haim to turn around a shitty feeling. It creates a fidgety, nervous energy that carries the track as you wonder if Dunphe is going to let loose. A song with a title like this could have been bad. Cardi B’s first single can unseat Taylor Swift. Every once in awhile there’s a song that, from its opening notes, you know is going to be something you play on repeat. Somehow, she morphs a clichéd theme—daydreaming about hunks—into something that feels fresh for the Internet Age. In the music world that's an eon—especially for a young band with as much forward momentum and buzz as Fleet Foxes had in 2011. Also its chorus that has lyrics about spreading wings and taking chances will be more fun to sing with friends. But beyond hearing these artists on one song, it’s great knowing that this song—which will soon be played just about everywhere—includes a Pharrell verse warning about drinking the Donald Trump Kool-Aid. “I bought a Rollie', but I coulda bought a Viper / Everybody got tigers, so I wan' go get a liger / I'm so different from these niggas, I won't be like 'em,” he sings in the chorus of "Liger." All rights reserved. It's hard, exactly, to pinpoint what he's talking about. As a humble music student from Maryland, Maggie Rogers rose to fame after catching Pharrell's ear with her enigmatic pop song “Alaska.” The upbeat electro track showcased Rogers’ keen intuition as a songwriter and arranger. And that's especially important in the case of "Bad Liar," Selena Gomez's new song that samples Tina Wymouth's bass line from Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer." It's certainly Drake at his most unabashedly cheesy. Kelly Clarkson's “Breakaway,” which speaks of small town dreams is appropriate for your graduation. Then that beat hits like you’ve just been dropped in the middle of the most dizzyingly lit club. The connection isn't always obvious, but "Sportstar" has a dreamlike connection to Ocean's newest music. Ruiz confronts and challenges her audience, encouraging us to decolonize our minds while examining our own complicity in oppressive structures rooted in white supremacy. It's possible to get so lost in the song's many wordless emotions that you can miss the drums, which almost ceaselessly shred for the entire quarter of an hour. Harris makes big, dumb, fun music that's either just big, dumb, and fun or just a sappy breakup track about Taylor Swift. The year 2017 wasn’t an easy one—for any reason. Eva Hendricks’ voice has the capricious shape of an inner monologue, squeaking out each wry line: “Swimming in your pool, I am pregnant with meaning/Could I be more appealing, writing slurs on the ceiling?” It’s sardonic, self-deprecating, and utterly serious all at once. –Kristin Corry, Listen: Yo Gotti, “Rake It Up” [ft. Nicki Minaj], Earlier this year, as the White House bungled the implementation of its “Muslim ban,” sparking airport protests and civil rights lawsuits, Downtown Boys were holed up in Steve Albini’s Chicago studio cutting their Sub Pop debut, Cost of Living. Instead she exists in a fascinating middle ground. When The Knife announced its dissolution after the triumphant Shaking the Habitual, it seemed like the conclusion of a very weird and very thrilling part niche of electronic music. On “IDK About You,” Dreijer takes full command of what sounds like a frenetic hook up. Roughly translated to English, "Pa'lante" means "onwards, forwards." Who knew Jay-Z still had it in him to write a line as personal and beautiful as "Cried tears of joy when you fell in love / Doesn't matter to me if it's a him or her?". –Marc Hogan. But “The Embers” fans her artistic statement of self-belief into a glowing, quiet-loud opus that evokes both classic Modest Mouse and recent Hop Along. Maybe that's the easiest explanation of Tyler, the Creator we'll ever get. In a rougher version, at the end of Vagabon’s 2014 EP Persian Garden, the same song was titled “Sharks.” You could argue the original title made more sense, because Tamko sings here—laconically, unforgettably—about being “a small fish” in a sea of voracious predators. But his is how he labeled More Life, his batch of 22 new songs. It's doom that feels all too real. And then Mary Jane Dunphe, a singer who always sounds like she’s announcing herself to the world, announces herself to the world, and CCFX sounds for a moment like the type of brilliant post-punk act that arrives like a summer storm to reorganize your thoughts about rock music. But at the same time, it's hard to doubt the sincerity of his music, which is often preachy about the many failings of humanity. Charlie Puth, "See You Again" focuses on bidding farewell to friends. By the second half of the six-minute track, which uses a sample of Pedro Pietri's 1969 poem "Puerto Rican Obituary," it transitions into a celebration of culture.