Searching for some inspiration to help you take on another work week? We got you covered with this week’s 10 Cool New Pop Songs playlist, which features new tracks from artists like Mura Masa, Banks, Boyish, Cavetown and more.
Slide any of these gems into your personal playlist to get energized to take on the week — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.
Mura Masa with Lil Uzi Vert, PinkPantheress and Shygirl, “bbycakes”
For Mura Masa’s latest one-off, the acclaimed dance artist-producer matched Lil Uzi Vert with queen of the teens and online sensation PinkPantheress for this flurried, plinky hit featuring English artist Shygirl. Bookended by a lighthearted laugh, the playful nature to this track perfectly plays up the childlike vocals from PinkPantheress and Shygirl. — Lyndsey Havens
Maria Becerra, “Felices x Siempre”
Twenty-two-year-old Argentine artist Maria Becerra, who got her start as a YouTuber, is proving that her full-time pivot to music is paying off with latest single “Felices x Siempre.” From the simple backbeat to the light tropical flares throughout, the way in which this breezy track saunters on is not only refreshing but also allows listeners to fully realize the passion in Becerra’s delivery. — L.H.
Banks, “Holding Back”
“I just feel more wild and free,” Banks said in a statement of her upcoming fourth album SERPENTINA. She immediately proves that to be true on single “Holding Back,” arguably the most full-sounding and energized song from the artist to date. From the vibrant choral opening that hits just as the beat kicks in, to the song title itself, everything about this song celebrates the feeling of letting go. — L.H.
Goth Babe and Blood Cultures, “Driving South”
Alternative electronic-pop artist Goth Babe, the project of Griff Washburn, tapped experimental indie pop group Blood Cultures for this sparkling song that sounds tailor-made for cruise-control — from the floating, trancelike production to the way in which each lyric seems to linger like a puff of a smoke. — L.H.
Denzel Curry ft. slowthai, “Zatoichi”
This pond-hopping collab between Florida rapper Denzel Curry and British MC slowthai negotiates the difference between ethereal vibes and frenetic flow. Fitting that it’s titled “Zatoichi”: like the fictional Japanese masseuse and swordsman, it deftly splits the difference between blissful relaxation and blinding bouts of aggression. – Joe Lynch
Tears for Fears, “The Tipping Point”
Tears for Fears struggled with “broken” material and Curt Smith almost left the group before he and longtime collaborator Roland Orzabal found their groove with their new album The Tipping Point. Thank God they decided to soldier on; Among other highlights, the title track is a moody, propulsive synth-pop gem as hypnotic as anything released during their ’80s heyday. – J. Lynch
Boyish, “Congratulations”
Brooklyn indie duo Boyish continue to entrance with latest single “Congratulations,” a muscular slice of dream-pop that feels joyous and skittish (“I wanna tell you I’m scared / Of the way you’re holding me so f–king close”) at the same time. – J. Lynch
Cavetown ft. beabadoobee, “Fall In Love With a Girl”
Life is too short to be spending time with the wrong person — at least that’s what Cavetown and Beabadoobee gently warn on their collaborative effort, “Fall in Love With a Girl.” The languid, guitar-driven track positions Cavetown as the observer of a girl in a relationship with a guy that makes her deeply unhappy, with Beabadoobee encouraging the girl to seek love as her true self with another woman — a sentiment that’s equal parts sweet and simple. – Starr Bowenbank
Hannah Diamond, “Staring at the Ceiling”
Hannah Diamond adds to PC Music’s sonic footprint with “Staring at the Ceiling,” a downtempo track from the hyperpop label which finds the singer reflecting on the heartbreak caused from a relationship gone wrong. Artful use of AutoTune highlights the coldness Diamond feels inside as she falls apart, while hints of bubblegum bass shine through towards the end of the track, as if encouraging the listener to dance through their own pain. — S.B.
Kilo Kish, “No Apology!”
Kilo Kish mixes music and media in “No Apology!” — the third single from her forthcoming album, American Gurl. On the synth-laden track, which takes inspiration from the maximalist pop production of the ’80s, the singer brazenly asserts herself, and, in her own words, is “not denying the core truths of who you are for fear of others or yourself.” — S.B.