music / Hip-Hop

10 songs you need in your life this week

A guide to the tracks we love right now. In no particular order.

By Steffanee Wang, Brandon Callender

Photographer Renell Medrano

July 03, 2019

10 songs you need in your life this week

J Balvin, Bad Bunny, "ODIO"

It’s not summer without scumbag R&B tunes. J Balvin and Bad Bunny come together for “ODIO,” a song that’ll make you get over your ex in one listen. —BC

Rosalía, "Milionària"

One half of a new two-side, the joyous and palma-driven “Milionària” is a money-worshipping anthem that Rosalía delivers tongue-in-cheek, with a wink: “Fucking money, man!” —SW

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, f. Pusha T, Killer Mike, "Palmolive"

After a tumultuous five years, Bandana has finally arrived. On “Palmolive,” Freddie Gibbs delivers coke raps over plucky strings; imagine him smugly saying every line with his feet kicked up on a desk, counting stacks by hand. —BC

Daniel Caesar f. John Mayer, "SUPERPOSITION"

Daniel Caesar considers the quirks and ironies of existence on the gently soaring, John Mayer-assisted, "SUPERPOSITION." "The things that inspire me / They make me bleed," he sings. —SW

Clairo, "Closer To You"

Clairo feeds her delicate vocals through a warbley vocoder on the spare, Rostam-produced "Closer To You." —SW

Brittany Howard, "History Repeats"

Alabama Shakes’ lead vocalist Brittany Howard sings about how repeated mistakes hold us back on her funk-inspired solo single, “History Repeats.” The lyrics loop too: “History repeats and we defeat ourselves / Come on everybody, one more time again.” —BC

Bobby Krlic, "Fire Temple"

The Haxan Cloak, whose soundtrack for the gorgeous horror movie Midsommar is under his real name, crafts such an exquisite, bucolic scene with "Fire Temple" that it's unnerving. —SW

Kelela, AQUAPHORIA

Kelela's AQUAPHORIA is the skin-cleansing, soul-purifying mix that will, hopefully, through ambient osmosis, bless your life. —SW

Flohio, "Hell Bent"

Against sparkling production, U.K.'s Flohio delivers tenacious, snaggled bars on "Hell Bent." —SW

Hovvdy & Lomelda, "Out There"

Hovvdy & Lomelda's glitchy and romantic "Out There" is, according to my colleague Sal, "tastefully Auto-Tuned highway-gazing." Good for road trips. —SW

Ambient, Electronic, Experimental, Folk, Hip-Hop, Pop, R&B, Rock, Songs You Need In Your Life