Erika de Casier makes a move with the slinky trip-hop track You Got It!

There’s loads of music out there, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up.

Rather than letting the algorithm dictate your music taste, you can listen to Rated by THE FACE – a playlist that’s lovingly curated and updated by our (human) editorial team every week.

PinkPantheress – Girl Like Me

PinkPantheress’s new mixtape Fancy That goes in hard on the ​‘00s nostalgia. Lead single Tonight samples strings from Panic! At the Disco, while Stateside references Estelle and Kanye’s American Boy. On Stars, Pink samples Just Jack’s 2007 hit Stars in their Eyes for the second time in her career. And on Girl Like Me – my favourite track on the tape – you might recognise elements of Romeo by Basement Jaxx, the commercial dance giants who mentored Pink in the studio while she cooked up these radio-ready tunes. ​“When you’re not there, I smile a lot, I feel emotionally out of a job,” Pink sings wistfully over a chunky house beat. This kind of sugary melancholia is classic PinkPantheress. It’ll hit the spot after a couple of Smirnoff Ices this summer. DR

Erika de Casier – You Got It!

There are few artists that scratch the ​‘90s itch as well as Erika De Casier does. Her surprise, independently released new album Lifetime shows the Danish singer at her most slinky and soft-toned. Evoking the soft purr of Martina Topley-Bird, on You Got It! Erika promises the world to her lover over reverb-smothered strings and booming trip-hop drums. Heady stuff. TL

Isaiah Hull – A is for Africa

Isaiah Hull’s had an intriguing career so far. Opening for Skepta at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in 2016 and supporting the likes of Kae Tempest and Saul Williams, the Mancunian poet-rapper has made a name for himself as a powerful and intelligent lyricist. A is for Africa, Isaiah’s debut release for Young, is an electrifying political statement. Available exclusively​as a monochrome music video, it shows Isaiah delivering a thrashing performance under flashing lights as he runs through the alphabet, assigning words to each letter, ​“L is for the love I’ve got for you/​M is for melanin, murder and millions”. Released on Tuesday 6^th May, the track marks the 60^th anniversary of the death of Una Marson, the Jamaican feminist activist/​writer and the first Black woman to work for the BBC. Speaking about the track, Isaiah says, ​“I want you to show A is for Africa to anyone who asks you about me, asks how he’s doing or where he’s been. This song isn’t hiding or shy, it doesn’t need a degree to understand, we made it and laughed, it is for the children.” TL

James Massiah – Carbine (Devilish mix)

I locked into James Massiah’s NTS show a couple of weeks back, and I loved every track. The poet-rapper’s own song Carbine caught my ear thanks to its retro sci-fi synths and James’ profound bars, which swiftly fluctuate between hedonistic and apocalyptic like a TikTok swipe. This vibe is consistent across James’ new eight track project Bounty Law, which he somehow found time to record alongside running London’s coolest poetry night. DR

RIP Swirl & Ydegirl – TMN

As someone working in music journalism, I probably shouldn’t be endorsing the Spotify algorithm as a source for music discovery. But more and more, the algo has been serving me tracks by the Berlin-based artist RIP Swirl, whose back catalogue ranges from lo-fi house beats to pensive post-rock, and I’m always pleased to hear it. Swirl has teamed up with Danish experimental songwriter Ydegirl for their forthcoming EP Emo Regulation, which features the icy breakup track TNM. ​“I’m slowly, slowly turning to stone /​These are my last words before my lips close,” Ydegirl sings quietly over grungey guitars, which seem to explode with rage in the chorus. DR