- Lorde: Melodrama
Lorde's latest masterpiece is worth every bit of the four-year wait since Pure Heroine came out. Our dear Ella has clearly grown up in the past few years, and it shows in the new characters and worlds that she weaves into her more textured storytelling. She collaborated with Jack Antonoff of Bleachers for this one (Jack also worked with Taylor Swift on 1989; more on him in a bit). On paper, their musical styles seem to be a perfect fit, and we're happy to say that the reality is even better than the expectation.Â
Spin these and cry: "Hard Feelings/Loveless,"Â "Supercut"
- Bleachers: Gone Now
It's been three years since their first album came out, but in between Strange Desire and Gone Now, frontman Jack Antonoff has stayed busy with collabs with Taylor Swift, Lorde, Troye Sivan, Banks, Grimes, and many more artists. Still, the world is a much better place when there's new Bleachers music—where else can we get our fill of confessional, almost rambling lyrics set against '80s-inspired, impeccably produced beats?
Sing along to: "Don't Take the Money,"Â "Goodmorning,"Â "I Miss Those Days"
- LANY: "13"
Written and recorded on July 13, 2016 (hence the title), this pre-breakup song is from the band's new album scheduled for release later this month. The first few singles from the same album ("The Breakup,"Â "It Was Love,"Â "Good Girls") have all been A+ too, and we can't wait for the rest of the songs to drop and for their Manila shows in August!
- Oh Wonder: "High on Humans"
You're familiar with Oh Wonder's origin story: They wrote, recorded, and released one song every month for a year, culminating with their self-titled debut album. For their second album, Ultralife, the duo takes a slightly different route, releasing a new track every two weeks or so, with the full album due on July 14, just a week before their Manila show. Their latest single, "High on Humans," was inspired by spontaneous interactions with strangers, and will motivate you to take out your earphones and strike up a conversation with your commute seatmate instead.
- Phoenix: Ti Amo
Trust the French rock band who's been industry for almost two decades to come out with earworm-y, synth-laced, house party-ready tunes. There's a lot to love in their new album so make sure you give it a spin or ten in time for the band's much-awaited return to Manila on August 15.Â
Dance along to: "J-Boy,"Â "Lovelife,"Â "Telefono"
- Halsey: hopeless fountain kingdom
We found love in Halsey's hopeless fountain kingdom—different shades of it, from a love you regret ("100 Letters"), to a love you sabotaged ("Sorry"), to a love you want to replace ("Eyes Closed").
- James Reid: "Cool Down"
Of course we can't end this list without a shout-out to our boy James Reid. He's been working on his music for the past few months, and we finally get a glimpse of it with this brand-new single. "Cool Down" is a sexy love song about not getting enough of his "princess"—one guess as to who it could be about. Heehee, stay in love, you guys!
What's on your playlist now? Make sure to follow us on Spotify for fun mixes every week!