SOUNDCHECK
Kelela’s Jersey Club Rave & 9 Other New Songs Out This Week
MIA pays homage to Bella Hadid and K-pop OGs TVXQ! return.
Every week, we bring you SOUNDCHECK — your destination for the best new music that hit the web over the course of the week. Because you should always be prepared when someone passes you that AUX cord. This week's roundup features 10 of our favorite emerging and established artists.
“Happy Ending (A.G. Remix)” - Kelela
East London DJ A.G. turned Kelela’s serene “Happy Ending” into a trapped-up Jersey Club cut made for throwing it back.
“Bella Hadid” - MIA
MIA’s latest release is a Christian EDM Christmas mixtape you can only stream on this website. Despite that Mad Libs descriptor, it’s surprisingly digestable and includes a twinkly dance interlude dedicated to none other than Bella Hadid (at the 12:30 mark).
“Boycott Scream 7” - Sad13
Anyone who spent their holidays thinking about the atrocities going on around the world will resonate with Sadie Dupuis’ “Boycott Scream 7”: “Hark how bells ring just like an alarm/ Love of war is life without a heart.”
“Stayin’ Alive ! Chris Version” - Christine and the Queens
No one asked for a Bees Gees “Stayin’ Alive” cover but Christine and the Queens delivered one anyway, and the funk and old-school swagger is off the charts.
“f@k€ (feat. Kingdom)” - Shygirl
Any lulls in your New Years night out will immediately be eradicated by pressing play on this punishing (in a good way) dance break from Shygirl.
“Rebel” - TVXQ!
TVXQ! was one of the first K-pop boy groups to ever do it and two decades into their career they’re marking that milestone with “Rebel,” a song that sounds like Billie Eilish meets “Carol of the Bells.”
“Portrait” - Hovvdy
Hovvdy’s so lovely “Portrait” sounds like missing your hometown — it’s rare, but when it happens, it hits you deep and completely.
“Obstruction” - Abby Sage
With her childlike vocals, Abby Sage’s off-kilter pop dances on the edge of beauty and horror.
“WHY? (PSA) - Baby Storme
The messaging is a bit heavy handed on Baby Storme’s “WHY? (PSA)” but the song is a genuine bop and shows her to be a promising songwriter.
“Silver Thread Golden Needle” - A. G. Cook
Clocking in at a whopping 10 minutes, A. G. Cook’s “Silver Thread Golden Needle” is self-indulgent, surprising, and truly sublime.