It hurt to hear that Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan are "on a break," but the consecutive arrival of new solo projects from the pair has been an exciting reminder that each is as exciting on his own as they are in tandem. One of the highlights of Quan's tape—which is dedicated, kind of, to his little family—features him imagining asking for his girl's hand in marriage, or at least monogamy. I love the way you are, he grovels, and you can basically hear him smiling. — Zara Golden
Earlier this year, a pair of 21-year-old friends called Them Are Us Too quietly released Remain, a compelling dream-pop album that's indebted to Disintegration-era The Cure, early 4AD records and, like, the temperamental moodiness of human existence. Despite its morbid accompanying video, Remain opener "Eudaemonia" feels oddly uplifting; somewhere under enveloping layers of blurry synths, distorted guitars, and heart-fluttering singing about nostalgia and delusional love, I actually hear some hope for the future.— Patrick D. McDermott
No disrespect to Casey Veggies, but DeJ Loaf's supporting role is what got me really excited when I heard this song on the radio late the other night. She sings Let 'em know that you're versatile, let 'em know that you run shit in advance, and though she's singing about her bedroom behavior, she might as well be referencing her career trajectory, from her teeth-baring first hit to these new shades of sexy she's been trying on. — Zara Golden
The new video for Sevyn Streeter's "4th Street," a song that celebrates the R&B singer/songwriter's Florida hometown and the kinds of people that live in it, could easily have been be super sappy, but it's actually pretty affecting; maybe it's because Earth needs a little earnest sentiment right now, or maybe it's because Streeter seems so genuine throughout. 3 missed calls from my best friend/ Ain't want a a thing from me, just calling to check in/ Just wanna tell you that you're special, she sings early on, sounding breathy and sweet over finger snaps and tender chords. If it doesn't reflexively put a grin on your face, you might be a monster. — Patrick D. McDermott
Not to spoil your moment of realization, but that's Adele on the chorus, her voice spinning backward so it sounds something like "Lovers say it's bleeding." An email from Plaster Cast helps explain the sample. "I'm kept warm and alive by the light of a presence that's powerful, distant, and seemingly indifferent to my own expressions," they said. "I feel compelled to show an appreciation but also to recapitulate the indifference I feel coming my way." That distant force—it's just as much the singing star as it is the cosmos, I think. This song's nothing to either, but to me they're nothing without it. — Duncan Cooper
The title of Chelsea Wolfe's new track feels like a perfect image for her music; there's something dreamy and celestial about her voice, but on the whole her sound is as hard as nails. "Iron Moon" has a split personality: it's half scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners psychedelic metal, half delicate folk ballad. It's refreshing to see someone who's not afraid to lean hard on her contradictions. The result is something completely transcendent. — Molly Long
When I heard The Weather Station's "Shy Women" for the first time last month, I felt like I had found the elegant, fragile folk music I'd been waiting for years for someone to make. Her new song, "Tapes," is just satisfying and even more gorgeously languorous. Her voice is the aural equivalent of watching a sparrow coast across a gray sky. She may be rooted in an old American folk tradition, but her melodies are so effortless that they keep sounding fresh. — Molly Long
First off, maybe don't watch the extremely literal lyric video for this song because it will forever after be difficult to ignore the occasionally corny lyrics that pocks this song. But do listen, because "Infinity," a new track that will be slotted into her forthcoming compilation album Mariah Carey #1 To Infinity, finds Mariah in totally fine form. She can still nail her trademark vocal runs, and she's all sass and sense of humor singing about her breakup. It's no "#beautiful," but it'll do. — Zara Golden