1. Kanye West's "Real Friends" is so good, when it dropped you could hear it playing inside each room, office, and individual cubicle throughout The FADER's office. On loop.
2. Erykah Badu's just-dropped flip of the new Kanye, which she called "TRILL FRIENDS: BADU WHODINI rough mix," is essential too.
3. Explosions In The Sky's newest mediative rock instrumental, "Disintegration Anxiety," is yet another sign that "2007," as an aesthetic, is coming back in a real way.
4. Kendrick Lamar debuted the lyrically raw "Untitled 2" on the Tonight Show. It's one of the realest late night performances we've seen in a minute.
5. Total Freedom's latest mindfuck missive, "Down Actions, Low Key Childish TF," blends Kelela's great "All The Way Down," the indelible melody from Linkin Park's "In The End," and some aggressively sensual baile rhythms.
6. Isn't it nice when a song just sounds like its title? Enter "Morning After Coffee" by angel-voiced cellist Kelsey Lu.
7. Grimes collaborator and rapper-to-watch Aristophanes debuted a trippy new one, "Dreams of Caves," featuring production from Tokyo-based Hamacide.
8. "Game Time," the self-produced second single from Iamsu's new project, shouts-out Wendy's, so it's automatically good. Does anyone want to go to Wendy's later?
9. The flimsy, gorgeous, Arthur Russell-indebted "Be Apart" is peak Porches. Is Pool out yet?
10. Backyard Band's funky Go-go cover of "Hello" has invigorated our love for a song we thought for sure we'd left in 2015.
11. "I Can't Give Everything Away" is the final song on the late, great, absolute legend David Bowie's final album. Hard to listen. Harder to not.
Listen to Songs You Need in Your Life on Apple Music.
