MOX assembles an army of the biggest Northeast rappers for “All Stars” such as Meba Ofilia, Khasi Bloodz and Borkung Hrangkhwal. Rico Nasty and Ravyn Lenae announce their upcoming records. In other news, Fontaines D.C.’s LP, Skinty Fia
and rapper Tay Money’s EP, Girls Gone Duh
are out now.
1. Megan Thee Stallion – Plan B
Megan is back with a solo single after some time. Called “Plan B”, it is a remake of the classic 90s rap song by Jodeci called Freak’n You remix
Megan brings straight heat to the lyrics by dragging her exes, with verses that are so acidic it will make one blush. The single is from her upcoming album, and is already on its way to be a smashing success. Recently, it debuted at #5 on Spotify.
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2. PinkPantheress – Where you are (feat. WILLOW)
Two young artists collab on a hotly anticipated song. While PinkPantheress stormed the indie scene with her mixtape named ‘to hell with it’ last year, Willow Smith did the same with her album, ‘Lately I Feel Everything’. With “Where you are”, the singers attempt to fuse the sounds that both had come to be known for. PinkPantheress brings her soft vocalization and dreamy lovelorness in the songwriting, while Willow brings her signature pop-punk voice and darker lyrics to the track. What we get, as a result, is an eclectic little mix of two different styles that the girls are known for. Whether the difference between the two styles compliments this shape-shifting song or only drags it down is for the listener to decide. But, of course, the overall song generally retains a garage sound due to this being PinkPantheress’ song.
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3. Stunnah Beatz, Meba Ofilia, Khasi Bloodz, G’Nie, Borkung Hrangkhwal, Young Dirrt – All Stars
One of the biggest songs to be released by MOX (Movement of Expression), “All Stars” is an ambitious crossover. Having some of the most promising rappers and producer from North East India hop on board this project, the rap song is akin to an ensemble superhero movie. With a duration of over six minutes, every rapper brings their honed skills to this potluck. While Meba Ofilia raps about empowerment and her musical journey, Big Ri takes on social causes like censorship. D Bok revisits a drug-fuelled past. Borkung Hrangkhwal is superb as he raps fast and yet makes his lyrics loud and clear. G’Nie takes it back to the social issues including racism and Northeast identity before Young Dirrt wraps up the track by rapping about Air Jordans and being the best man in his own wedding. All around, sick bars.
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4. Rico Nasty – Vaderz (feat. Bktherula)
Rico Nasty has announced an upcoming mixtape. Returning to her punk-influenced SoundCloud rap from early days, Nasty and featuring artist Bktherula play off of each other engagingly. Bktherula, however, sometimes isn’t on beat, an issue that is normal among newer artists. But that doesn’t take away from the fun of this recklessly chaotic track.
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5. 070 Shake – Skin and Bones
The production is marvellously atmospheric with rapper 070 Shake talking about how she feels when she is with her love. Listening to the moody track feels like riding a bike in the night through a long tunnel. And when the song switches up towards the end, it
feels like we made it out of the tunnel and drove right into the ocean, baptizing ourselves in the water.
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6. Sub Urban, BENEE – UH OH!
“UH OH!” is a pop song reeking of vengeance, with an anger that is more slowly simmering than an outburst. Benee here sounds more like Billie Eilish than ever before, especially Eilish in her When We All Fall Asleep… era. Sub Urban’s signature chord progressions are visible here although we hope to see him go past the creepy, horror-influenced sound to explore other moods.
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7. Ravyn Lenae – M.I.A.
The R&B singer flaunts her Doja Cat sound especially from the Planet Her era. Lenae’s upcoming album, Hypnos, will be out on 20th May with “Light Me Up” and “Skin Tight” as the other numbers forming the record.
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8. Gaby Paul – Melt Into Honey
The indie pop artist returns with a quitened bedroom pop song produced by herself. Sounding like her past effort, “Bedroom Velvet”, “Melt Into Honey” settles down as the signature sound of Paul, with sirenlike vocals that are intentionally unclear and hazy like an early FKA twigs song.
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9. Josie Man – by the end of the night
This is a slow pop song backed by a piano and a minimalist streak. Man sings about the need to distance herself from everyone when she feels emotionally vulnerable and cries, a theme common for the “coming-of-age” genre. There are rumours of a new EP from Josie Man with “by the end of the night” being one of the singles. The Londoner’s last body of work was alovingboothang which came out back in February 2020. Ever since, the singer has been dropping stand alone singles. We cannot wait for this lovely artist’s new music!
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10.Lykke Li – Highway To Your Heart
The Swedish songwriter leaves her usual trap music behind to go back to her roots. The pure pop music here combined with Li’s hazy vocals and subject matter mesh to make a sensual, bittersweet song. It’s truly a welcome return.
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11. Fontaines D.C. – Roman Holiday
“Roman Holiday” is one of the more slow burning songs by the Irish rock band. Their third LP, Skinty Fia, is out now. While their previous songs were known for their observant and witty lyrics about the state of modern society, this track has lyrics which are more open to interpretation and phrases are repeated like a chant. Still, the vibe here is soothing and nostalgic, something fans of post punk will enjoy.
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12.Nina Nesbitt – Dinner Table
“Dinner Table” is all about storytelling through lyrics. There is so much we learn about Nesbitt’s mother and grandmother and their intergenerational love and personality
inheritance through the singer’s straightforward songwriting. It’s sentimental in the best way.
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13.EASYFUN – Audio
Under the PC Music label, producer EASYFUN makes a zany electro/hyperpop/house song blend for all the electro heads out there.
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14.Mckenna Grace – You Ruined Nirvana
The young musician has astounding voice control in this pop rock song. With hints of Paramore, Taylor Swift and a bit of Olivia Rodrigo, the artist references Green Day and Nirvana to make an angsty breakup song. With her youthful energy and attention garnering song titles (one of her songs is called “Do all my friends hate me?”, Grace is a promising pop rock artist to look out for.
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15.Mitski – Glide (Cover)
Mitski covers the classic song from the Japanese film, All About Lily Chou Chou. The Mitski cover appeared last year in Kogonada’s sci-fi drama, After Yang, during the credit roll, but only became available on Spotify this week. Mitski doesn’t add anything new to this song, but she doesn’t need to as the sound is exactly down her lane. But her voice does provide that heart-piercing intensity which the original did not necessarily have.
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16.Monaleo, Flo Milli – We Not Humpin (remix)
This remix is a banger with both Monaleo and Flo Milli in top form. The beat is so hypnotic it makes us automatically smile and move. The outro is hilarious. Check it out to know what we mean.
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Check out the “New Songs Sunday” playlist on Spotify.
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