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6 Best New Songs of the Week

Photo: Maya Robinson

Every week, members of the Vulture staff will highlight their favorite new songs. They might be loud, quiet, long, short, dance-y, rawkin’, hip, square, rap, punk, jazz, some sort of jazz-punk-rap fusion — whatever works for the given person in that given week. Read our picks below and please tell us yours in the comments. Enjoy!

FKA Twigs, “Lights On”
All of FKA Twigs’ potential energy — which has been building for the better part of a year — is finally released in the form of her debut, LP1. Rightfully one of the best-reviewed albums of the year, LP1 is packed with great tracks, but I picked “Lights On” because of its particularly nimble vocals, which both perfectly fit and perfectly don’t fit over a shifty bass line.  —Jesse David Fox (@JesseDavidFox)

Ella Henderson, “Ghost”
“Ghost” already hit No. 1 across the pond on the U.K. Singles chart, but you’ve likely just recently heard it. That’s cool! We’re sometimes behind, so let’s make up for lost time. The Ella Henderson track sounds a little like Sam Smith and a little like Florence Welch, but familiar in a way that only catchy music can be. (Maybe that’s because it’s written by One Republic’s hit-maker Ryan Tedder?) —Lindsey Weber (@LindseyWeber)

The Knocks, “Classic” (featuring Powers)
Perfectly sunny — possibly because it sounds an awful like Len’s “Steal My Sunshine.” (But like, in a good way!) Roll down your windows; we’re going for a drive.  —LW

Mr. Twin Sister, “Blush”
Out of the ashes of the solid-but-unremarkable Twin Sister rises a new band with a slightly different — but much worse — name: Mr. Twin Sister. Fortunately, the band sounds better than ever on their newest single, “Blush.” If there were a movie set in the lounge of a space brothel, it would be playing this song over the clinking of space Champagne glasses.  —JDF

Vince Staples, “Blue Suede”
Vince Staples first made a name as an associate, though not technically a member, of Odd Future. Then he broke through with his Shyne Coldchain Vol. 2 mixtape, which came out in March. Now, sporting a Def Jam record deal, Staples has released the undeniable single “Blue Suede.”  —JDF

Jessie Ware, “Say You Love Me”
Man, Jessie Ware is back with a vengeance. Her new album, Tough Love, comes out in October, but every single single she’s released so far has been 100 percent killer. Now we have “Say You Love Me,” which kind of sounds like a ‘90s R&B power ballad that Babyface would write and kind of sounds like “Falling Slowly.” And OMG, that breakdown! —JDF

Best New Music of the Week