The best new tracks, picked by our staff

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Listen to this weekly playlist, lovingly curated by THE FACE’s editorial team.

It’s been over 10 years since the Sad Boys and Drain Gang first shared their particularly gentle take on cloud rap with the world, but it still feels like these sensitive Swedes are at the cutting-edge of underground music. As of 2024, they’re turning heads at fashion week parties and boosting lesser-known artists’ streams with collabs and cosigns, while Drain Gang’s dedicated fanbase – semi-ironically known as the Drainers – has become a subculture of its own. So Lean and Bladee’s surprise alt-rock album Psykos is sure to send the Sad Boys subreddit and Discord server into overdrive. The propulsive pop-punk track Sold Out opens with sample of Celtic FC fans chanting affectionately for the Swedish striker Henrik Larsson (“So please don’t take my Larsson away /​You are my Larsson, my Henrik Larsson /​You make me happy when skies are grey”) before the boys sing about their own feelings of love and loss. How very sweet. DR

FACE cover star Nia Archives lays her heart bare on the latest single from her upcoming album, contrasting tender lyricism with the pulsating jungle beats she’s known and loved for. ​“My lover, please, don’t make me cry /​Don’t wanna find the good in bye,” she sings, before the track swells into the chorus. Then the beat picks up, as winding guitars get louder and Nia’s vocals become more impassioned. Sticking to the same melody throughout, it’s a track to sing along to on the dance floor, a new and improved iteration of the euphoric sad banger. OP

Mount Kimbie and King Krule take their time on their new collaborative single Empty and Silent – the track clocks in at just over six minutes, with ambient synths soon erupting into bouncy, upbeat guitars. ​“My phone vibrates, my only companion /​Last night, I woke at 5am /​Along the water was still /​All the lights of the street lit the cobbles /​I felt so good” echoes the instantly recognisable voice of King Krule. This is a poetic, feelgood ode to the everyday. Don’t take it for granted. JW

Lava La Rue gets into the groove on their latest drop, which also happens to be the first taste of what’s to come on their debut album Starface. A mash-up of funky basslines, breezy, psychedelic guitar riffs and Lava’s signature laidback flow, Push N Shuv layers the old and the new, pairing vocals they recorded five years ago with an evolved approach to eclectic, genreless production. Don’t be deceived by the deceptively sunny melodies, though. This song is all about being messed around by a romantic partner – or being thrown ​“away like some rubber gloves,” as Lava puts it. ​“Use me once wanna use me once,” they rap. ​“But me nah bother with no drama /​All this Push N Shove.” OP

The cult Berlin duo are set to release their first album in six years on 14^th May, with features from the likes of fellow electronic music legend Skee Mask. Redemption, then, marks their return with more than a bang: a deliciously heavy bassline and scuzzy elements of acid-techno run through the track’s veins, bursting with an electric energy that FJAAK are sure to unleash during the slew of festival slots they’re playing this summer. JW