The best new tracks, picked by our staff

Rated by The Face: a playlist featuring John Glacier, Jawnino, Daine and Zlatan.

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John Glacier – Money Shows ft. Eartheater

Hackney rapper (and former Face cover star) John Glacier is one the most distinctive voices in underground music. On her 2021 album SHILOH: Lost For Words, her diaristic raps were paired with woozy beats by Vegyn, while last year’s JGSG saw her team up with New York’s cutting-edge rap production crew Surf Gang. On Money Shows – the first single from her upcoming EP Like A Ribbon – she delivers her poetry over scratchy guitar chords courtesy of Kwes Darko and ethereal backing vocals from NYC experimentalist Eartheater. “[The song is] about identities and running threads that never quite meet – different realities running at the same constant,” John wrote on Instagram. It’s about showing up but most importantly remembering to live.” JW

Jawnino – It’s Cold Out (Extend Mix)

The underground London rapper Jawnino is known to join high-energy cyphers with his Npop affiliates, but it seems like he’s leaned into mellower territory for his forthcoming 40 EP, which is dropping via the reputable New York label True Panther Sounds. Like recent single 2Trains, It’s Cold Out (Extended Remix) – which is a longer version of a fan favourite that dropped in 2019 – sounds like work of a man who spends a lot of time walking around the city alone at night. Bring me a fix /​Got enough spare for a chicken and chips /​Half a pint and maybe a Twix,” Jawnino raps over gentle synths and a skittering club beat, before acknowledging his personal growth in the new additional verse: Soul searching slowly searching /​Same face but a different person.” DR

Daine – Shades On ft. Kreayshawn

Wanna feel old? Kreayshawn dropped her blog-era hit Gucci Gucci thirteen years ago. That’s apparently enough time to warrant an early-2010s revival. There are whispers of swag culture returning, people are also wearing fake glasses again and Odd Future recently reunited (well, sort of). Melbourne-based pop artist Daine has, therefore, timed their collab with Kreay well. It’s hard to tell what’s more brazen about Shades On – the garish electro bassline, or the the explicit ketamine references – but both qualities of the song hark back to a very different time. DR

UTO – Art&Life

French duo UTO have every kind of pop” imaginable in their wheelhouse: electro-pop, Britpop, synthpop, trip-hop you name it. Art&Life, is very much an amalgamation of these genres. The single brings Portishead to mind, with its dreamy vocals and crescendoing, jittering beat that simply transcends and begs to be replayed. The premise of the song is simple, exploring the parallels between, well, art and life, and how these two intertwine in the most all-consuming way. JW

Zlatan – Bust Down ft. Asake

Zlatan might not have the same international crossover appeal as Afrobeats stars like Burna Boy, Wizkid or Davido – all of who he’s collaborated with – but having pioneered the zanku wave and racked up millions of streams with all his recent singles, there’s no doubt that he’s a significant player in the Nigerian music world. On his uplifting single Bust Down, Zlatan thrives with a formula perfected by his guest Asake: blending Afropop with emotive choral backing vocals and the percussive throb of an amapiano log drum. DR

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