Photos by Atiba Jefferson; Bella Newman; Courtesy of Raq baby
Each week, The FADER staff rounds up the songs we can't get enough of. Here they are, in no particular order. Listen on our Spotify and Apple Music playlists, or hear them all below.
Grant Chapman, “Angel Smile”
The first single from drummer-producer Grant Chapman’s forthcoming LP Angel Smile was created, like the rest of the album, solely using found samples. The song begins with a split-second scream and ends with 10 seconds of acapella growling that echo into the void. The rest is an upbeat, sparkly, slightly glitchy synth groove, the intro scream often cutting in to disrupt a lilting vocal sample. —Raphael Helfand
10.4 Rog, “grownups”
Los Angeles beatmaker 10.4 Rog has always switched up his style between projects, but on his contribution to Finals Blog’s new Finals + Friends: Rumored To Be Among The Best, he leaves the lo-fi world entirely for a high-bpm club track with a beat that builds from a simple click into a rich composite of slick hi-hats, snappy snares, rattles, and a booming kick. —RH
Kassie Krutt, “Reckless” (COIDO Remix)
Last fall, Kassie Krut’s “Reckless” became an anthem for the smoking-section subset of society, with Eve Alpert’s spelling out of “K-A-S-S-I-E-K-R-U-T-T-T-T” becoming Krut-heads’ “I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T.” COIDO’s remix of the track — from the new, expanded version of the group’s self-titled debut EP — turbo-boosts the original song’s stark breakbeats with huge, ominous synths and hedonistic drops meant for massive rooms. —RH
Oxis, "Papaoutai"
Oxis is building a unique world armed with nothing more than a guitar, MPC, and an endless array of fish names ("Halibut," "Long Sardine" etc). One exception is this cover of Stromae's " Papaoutai." Oxis pulls it apart and isolates the longing at the heart of the song. Singing in French and wrapping her guitar around her voice like climbing plants on a rural home, Oxis creates a sense of intimate minimalism that marks her as a fresh voice in the overcrowded world of singer-songwriters. —David Renshaw
Fez The Kid, "Body Mover"
Bristol's Fez The Kid comes through with an effervescent heater filled with skittering drums that bob and weave their way through the sound of steel pans and old school dial tones. Freshly released on Nia Archives' new label, Up Ya Archives, it's perfect for bopping along to, refreshing drink in hand, at a sunny festival this summer. —DR
Drain, "Nights Like These"
DRAIN are one of the hardcore scene's most beloved bands, the kind that unite audiences and make friends in every mosh pit they create. Their new song "Nights Like These" is an ode to such brotherhood. "We’ll make our own fun our own way," Sammy Ciaramitaro bawls as he looks back over good times with the gang. —DR
Addison Rae, "In The Rain"
This is the best song on Addison, don't fight me on this. From its driving beat, her mist-like vocals, to her tender, uncomplicated musings on a heavier subject ("Misunderstood but I'm not gonna sweat it") it hits every note that makes her music feel so fun, real, and refreshing. —Steffanee Wang
Raq baby, “Goodbyerz”
If you’re pining for prime Lil Uzi, Atlanta’s Raq baby has a new song that will bring you back to the LUV days. The creaky melodicism of the vocals on “Goodbyerz” is almost 1:1 with the Philly superstar, though Raq baby never attempts the Paramore-inspired crescendos Uzi favored. Things are kept deliberately more low-key and focused, with a surprising humor sprinkled over the burbling, moody beat: “Only hang with savages, certified party poopers,” he raps with a grin, just after vividly detailing a generational history of drilling. Did those bars happen, or were they side effects of the dreamy instrumental? —Jordan Darville