The best new tracks, picked by our staff

Want to keep up with the best new music?

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

Billie Eilish – Lunch

Billie Eilish decided to not release any singles ahead of her new album Hit Me Hard and Soft, so that fans will digest the body of work as a whole. But if she’d stuck to a more conventional roll-out, then Lunch surely would have been the lead track. Over a slick drum beat, offbeat ska chords, swampy guitar licks and a bassline that blows up towards the end of the track, Billie delivers an instantly gratifying hook and unsubtly suggestive lyricism (I could eat that girl for lunch /​Yeah, she dances on my tongue /​Tastes like she might be the one) to ensure she’s got everyone’s attention. JW

Wu-Lu – Blunted Strings

Wu-Lu, the band centred around South London musician Miles Romans-Hopcraft, are known to merge punk, rugged hip-hop and drawn-out post-rock. But testament to Romans-Hopcraft’s distinctive musical character, it always just sounds like Wu-Lu in the end. Blunted Strings, taken from the new EP Learning To Swim On Empty, is an introspective trip-hop track which is artfully scruffed-up with that trademark Wu-Lu grit. DR

Nemzzz – ATM

Manchester’s most-hyped new rapper has just wrapped up a sold-out UK tour, which included guest ppearances from Central Cee and K‑Trap. What better way to celebrate, then, than by dropping a fresh new single? ATM​’s instrumental features ice cold strings and a sombre piano, while Nemzzz spits swaggering bars about being owed a serious payday. Given the success of his debut mixtape Do Not Disturb, that sounds about right. JW

BlazeYL – Inconsiderate

BlazeYL’s alt rap group House of Pharaohs have been making waves since around 2017, but somehow the southeast Londoner has only just got round to releasing his debut solo mixtape, The Cost of Being. To be fair, the drop is well timed, because Blaze has recently been prominent in London’s re-energised underground rap scene. The bouncy, bleepy neo-grime beat of Inconsiderate was cooked up by in-demand producer El Londo and Kare (who’s filled the dancefloor at a few of our events). If this is what the so-called grime 3.0 movement sounds like, then we’re here for it. DR

Shy One – Gyallis Spiral

As a stalwart of underground UK club nights and the host of an excellent NTS show, Shy One knows good dance music inside out. The producer’s new tune Gyallis Spiral, released on Glasgow label Numbers, fuses elements of various genres (is that a squelchy acid bassline? Maybe there’s a smidgen of gqom in there too?) in a way which makes them feel fresh. You’ll probably be able to hear this one at various London day festivals this summer. DR