We’ve got quite the international set of tunes for you this week! The artists featured on this list hail from places including Japan, The Netherlands, and South Korea. While the tunes cover a lot of geographic space, they cover an even more vast stretch of the genre map, from drone metal to funky hip-hop. Yet that’s the great thing about music — you can learn about all these different places, sounds, and styles, and no need for a valid passport.
10. Cubicolor feat. Tim Digby-Bell – “Mirror Play”
The Netherlands’ Ariaan Olieroock and Peter Kriek joined forces just over two year ago as Cubicolor, and the duo quickly started climbing the evocative deep progressive ranks. After being championed by Pete Tong as an “Artist To Watch” in 2015, Olieroock and Kriek saw massive support from the genre’s mainstage closers and garnered 2.5 million Spotify streams for their “Falling” single alongside Duologue’s Tim Digby-Bell. The trio has once again united for “Mirror Play”, where Digby-Bell’s haunting vocals pierce the producers’ dominant atmospheric low-end and subtle key/acoustic guitar interplay. The single is set for release this spring via Above & Beyond’s aurally expansive Anjunadeep imprint. –Derek Staples
And courtesy of our friends at Soundstage Direct, you can get discounted vinyl with the code: CS12
09. Jackie Lynn – “Alien Love”
When I first heard news about Jackie Lynn, I wondered whether the secret of her identity would be kept throughout her album’s release. The new alter ego of Circuit Des Yeux’s Haley Fohr appears in press photos with a red wig, cowboy hat, and ventilator face mask, and the rollout included a detailed backstory of an outlaw cocaine dealer on the run with her partner in crime, Tom Strong. But duh: With that unique voice, there’s no way you could keep that secret. Luckily, Fohr’s voice is expansive and expressive enough to convey an entirely separate identity on her first single as Jackie Lynn, the propulsive “Alien Love”. Along with some limber bass, retro synths, and a tinny drum machine loop, Fohr does her magic, specifically letting her resonant voice color in the empty spaces with evocative detail. For more of this impeccable character work, Jackie Lynn will be available June 10 on Thrill Jockey Records. —Adam Kivel
08. The Julie Ruin – “I Decide”
“I Decide”, pulled from The Julie Ruin’s forthcoming sophomore album, Hit Reset, is a statement on an often-overlooked basic human right — to dictate one’s own narrative. Penned by punk pioneer Kathleen Hanna, the single continues her ethos of upbeat feminist songwriting: “You might be a thorn I witnessed, to pain I just need to co-exist with, but I … I’ll decide.” Grab Hit Reset July 8th via Hardly Art. –Derek Staples
07. William Tyler – “Gone Clear”
Photo by Nina Corcoran
Anyone who’s traveled into the depths of America’s landscapes knows that the quiet areas of nature — be it an expansive stretch of desert or the thick fog that can fill a forest — are undescribably magical. There’s a life of its own that takes over, telling you to sit down and listen. You don’t know what for at first, but suddenly it overtakes you. The world becomes sharper, the dirt around you breathes, and the air seems full of fresh smells. As if by holstering that very magic, William Tyler accomplishes similar feats on “Gone Clear”, the lead single off his upcoming LP, Modern Country, out June 3rd. The song, like the rest of his work, is an artful exploration of instrumental music, showcasing his rich fingerpicking with new accompaniment from percussive add-ons. Listen to it in full and close your eyes; then try to tell us you didn’t spend six minutes totally caught up in the beauty of our planet. — Nina Corcoran
06. Action Bronson feat. Jah Tiger and Meyhem Lauren – “Bottleships”
Earlier this week, Action Bronson, rapper turned culinary aficionado, went on Late Night with Seth Meyers to whip up some octopus to promote his Viceland food series, Fuck That’s Delicious. During the show, he mentioned his follow-up to 2013’s Blue Chips 2 with upcoming mixtape Blue Chips 7000, and a day after he dropped a track off the mixtape, a reggae-inflected cut, “Mr. 2 Face”, featuring regular collaborator Meyhem Lauren. Proving once again that you can never go wrong with a Herbie Hancock sample, the song riffs off the thick bass funk of “Watermelon Man” as subtle plucked guitar strokes coalesce with Jah Tiger’s infectious “I’m Mr. 2 Face” hook. –Alejandra Ramirez
