Some of the best shows I’ve seen this year were Cannelle at Market Hotel and horsegiirL at Lollapalooza, so it just makes sense that their new collab “have u eva” is carefully fine-tuned for maximum dance floor damage. Don’t miss the kawaii-meets-industrial music video, where the duo trot, canter and stretch in matching pastel wigs. — Vivian Medithi

There’s something medieval, bucolic, and fantastical about “Rolen,” a song that sounds like little else on Cruel Santino’s expansive new concept album K.O.T.B - The Bomberman Chronicles. Helena Gao’s vocals add exquisite texture to the world Santino created. —Steffanee Wang

MJ Lenderman’s cover of Neil Young’s song doesn’t feel like a typical rendition of this folk classic. The ringing tone of his steely guitar-picking pricks your ears up when he liltingly delivers with his signature melancholic yet rough voice. This version is somehow filled with even more longing than the original track. —Yuuki Lubin

One of our favorite U.K. singers returns with this dreamy and danceable new tune that’s apparently inspired by “Airplanes” by B.O.B and Hayley Williams. It makes me wonder if Dexter is going to tap into a Jorja Smith-esque dance music era, which I'd personally be extremely here for. — Tobias Hess

New York City singer-songwriter Cleo Reed’s last album CUNTRY was one of my favorite discoveries of 2025. The first song from their forthcoming project Is This How Empires Die? is a musically and lyrically dense guitar-driven monologue that finds Reed riffing on climate change, war, and this here American nightmare. — TH

“Fantasy” is Black Belt Eagle Scout’s first song since 2023 — and her first release since becoming a mother and being diagnosed with MS. Knowing this adds a solemn weight to the otherwise breezy and weightless tune that sees her dreaming about being “free and listen[ing] to the trees.” But, as she notes, “nothing compares to this job” that ties her to the ground. A beautiful and melancholic c’est la vie. —Steffanee Wang

This charming diddy from New York band Star’s Revenge — led by Sunflower Beam’s Olive Faber and Geese’s Emily Green — has a dangerously catchy chorus and one of the most slick guitar lines I’ve heard all year. — TH

If you love Sahbabii or Young Thug at his most melodic, you need to put Rroxket in rotation. The Atlanta rapper is carrying the torch for his hometown’s most off-kilter flows, and “ATM” with producer HariRoc perfectly highlights the woozy charm of his latest release, High School Flunky. — Vivian Medithi