Chy Cartier enters goth mode for her gnarly track Different Kettle

Elias Rønnenfelt & Dean Blunt – 2

Right at the beginning of the year, Iceage singer Elias Rønnenfelt and the enigmatic legend Dean Blunt dropped their excellent collaborative EP Lucre as an individual track on YouTube. Thankfully, it’s now also on Spotify and split into seven songs. Dean’s voice is nowhere to be heard on Lucre, so I’m presuming he produced it. Vegyn is also credited as a featured artist – but like any project involving Dean Blunt, details are scarce. 2 is my favourite track on Lucre, due to the catchiness of that jangly guitar riff (is it a sample? I think so. I wish I could say for certain) but also because of the way Elias’s drunken Scandi drawl is punctuated by ​‘ooh-oohs’, bringing to mind Gold Lion by Yeah Yeah Yeahs – which, contrary to popular opinion, is an even better song than Maps. DR

Mei Semones – Dumb Feeling

Mei Semones is the Brooklyn-based singer merging Bossa nova, samba, jazz and indie. Her latest release Dumb Feeling, which comes ahead of her debut album Animaru (animal in Japanese), sees the 24-year-old switch deftly between Japanese and English, singing sweetly over a lush arrangement of two violins, a double bass, drums and a guitar. The accompanying video shows the singer running around New York taking the subway, doing laundry and practicing with her band – all in a crochet rabbit hat. Dreamy. TL

Biig Piig – 9 – 5

Biig Piig has been polishing and expanding her sound since 2017, dipping her toe into indie, drum ​‘n’ bass and hip-hop. For her debut album 11:11, the Irish musician has settled on her most pop-forward sound yet. Nowhere is that more apparent than on 9 – 5 (Piig’s a fan of numbers, clearly), on which she conveys a sense of romantic optimism (​“I don’t wanna jinx it and speak too soon /​But I’m really in this /​My life with you”) with her breathy vocals and funky beat. You’ll have this one stuck in your head after one listen. JW

Fimiguerro – It’s Cool ft. TeeboFG

F1lthy is arguably the definitive rage rap producer. Having crafted a lot of the corrupted beats on Playboi Carti’s genre-defining album Whole Lotta Red and Ken Carson’s 2023 classic A Great Chaos, as well as Yeat’s scuzzier tracks and Lil Yachty’s warbling viral hit Poland, he’s more than earned the title. The Philly native also has connections to the London scene, having DJed at the underground club night Virus a bunch of times. He’s now blessed local alt rappers Fimiguerro and TeeboFG with his trademark distortion-smothered synths. As expected, It’s Cool is druggy, debauched and boosted with enough bass to stress out your neighbours when you press play. DR

Chy Cartier – Different Kettle

Yep, she’s dropped again. Just three weeks ago, UK rapper-of-the-moment Chy Cartier kicked off 2025 with her hard-hitting single Not The One, and she’s already back with this even gnarlier track. Announcing that she’s looking like a goth in her Rick Owens, Chy proceeds to tear her way through stuttering drums, horror-flick strings and alien synths. It’s a wild ride, and it’s all over after less than two minutes. DR