Every week, Vulture highlights the best new music. If the song is worthy of your ears and attention, you will find it here. Read our picks below, share yours in the comments, and subscribe to the Vulture Playlist for a comprehensive guide to the year’s best music.
Ariana Grande ft. Macy Gray, “Leave Me Lonely”
Well, guys, the time has come to put Ariana Grande on Bond song watch. “Leave Me Lonely,” off her delightful new album, certainly sounds like an audition for one. It’s high drama, vintage in aesthetic, comes complete with soaring vocals, and showcases a scene-stealing performance from the much-missed Macy Gray, who comes through channeling Nina Simone. There isn’t a single bad thing to say about this song, which is why I expect it might just win Ariana her first Grammy in a year’s time. —Dee Lockett (@Dee_Lockett)
YG ft. Drake and Kamaiyah, “Why You Always Hatin?”
The last time YG and Drake linked up, they created an instant club classic with a gangsta lean in the form of “Who Do You Love?” I still have that song in rotation, and it’s been two years. Finally, YG has returned, with Still Krazy expected to drop in June! This latest single is also the biggest so far, with YG and Drake moving on from wondering if they’re loved, to why everyone’s constantly hating on their success. For reference, since YG’s last album, the man has been shot at twice. Thankfully, he’s still with us, and he’s even recruited Oakland newcomer Kamaiyah for the hook. Naturally, you’ll wonder what Drake has to say now, and you’ll be happy to know that, in one verse, he refers to Steph Curry as “Ayesha’s nigga.” And now you know what had Ayesha so amused that one time they all hung out at In-N-Out. —DL
Steve Gunn, “Park Bench Smile”
The lyrical content of “Park Bench Smile,” a swirling display of fingerpicked guitar and reverb, is nebulous at best. Gunn sings about “pushing on a cosmic plan,” and things only get less clear from there. Thankfully, much like the song’s lyric video, which plasters the words in front of a fixed shot of a subway car streaming past, the overall effect of “Park Bench Smile” is dizzying enough that concrete explanations aren’t necessary. A flurry of interlocking guitar parts take over, and it’s just enough to tune out the rest of the world. —Samantha Rollins (@SamanthaRollins)
Tegan and Sara, “Stop Desire”
I don’t know how many ways I can say this: Tegan and Sara are the best pop songwriters of their generation. And they just keep further mastering the art the deeper into their career they go. I first heard them debut this song live a couple weeks ago, and if you’ve never seen an entire audience sing along, word-for-word to a song most of them are just hearing for the first time, then you need to get to a T&S show ASAP. I can’t imagine writing hooks this infectious comes easy, but Tegan and Sara make it sound like a breeze, as usual. Every party deserves this song.—DL
Joey Purp ft. Chance the Rapper, “Girl @”
Shame on me for sleeping on Joey Purp. You might know him as part of Chance’s SaveMoney Militia, hence the feature. But he’s primed for the spotlight, thanks to this certified summer slapper. The beat comes from Fort Knox (who features on Chance’s “All Night”), but it sounds like a Neptunes relic, which, if you’re gonna imitate anyone, you can’t go wrong with Pharrell and Chad. Production alone could make this song a hit, but between Purp’s playful flow filled with anecdotes about chasing women and Chance rapping “reading Ta-Nehisi Coates humming SpottieOttieDope,” this song delivers so much more. —DL
Wild Beasts, “Get My Bang”
I’m always on the lookout for a new groove — a beat I can lose myself in without putting much thought into the movement of my body. Hot damn, I think Wild Beasts got one. It’s off the band’s upcoming fifth album, which was apparently conceived of during writing sessions with Disclosure, if that tells you anything. Once again, Hayden Thorpe’s sounding lusty as hell, singing about all the ways he gets his bang (for his buck, or, y’know, not). Which is to say this is one of those sexy rave jams you play closer to the end of the night. —DL
Cousin Stizz, “Gain Green”
Coustin Stizz is probably the only Boston rapper I currently listen to, but if there are others in Beantown who sound like him, please make yourself known. Because it won’t be long before he blows up. I say that because “Gain Green,” off his upcoming mixtape, debuted on Drake’s OVO Sound Beats 1 show over the weekend, just after the new YG premiered. That’s how highly Drake and his OVO crew already think of this dude. (Drake even made one of his earlier songs go viral.) It’s very obviously about weed and money, but it’s also about embodying a glass half-full attitude at all times, which, bless. —DL
Whitney, “No Matter Where We Go”
We are quickly approaching summer roadtrip season, which means you’ll soon need to start assembling playlists. Even if your roadtrip looks something more like an outing to Target than a trip to Big Sur, every drive needs a soundtrack. Look no further than Whitney’s latest, “No Matter Where We Go,” off their upcoming debut album. Its summer-light lyrics are: “I want to drive around with you with the windows down, and we can ride all niiiiight / Hey mama, don’t slow down.” Say no more. —DL
