Robyn’s comeback single Dopamine is an addictive rush of arena-ready pop

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.

Robyn – Dopamine

The music stars are challenging us right now. Dave dug deep into his conflicted psyche for his third album The Boy Who Played Harp, and there’s not a sprinter in sight. Charli packed up Brat to collab with John Cale and scream over walls of distortion for the potentially horrible Wuthering Heights movie. Rosalía’s hip-shaking reggaeton feels like a distant memory, now that she’s delivered her spiritual neoclassical odyssey sung in not one, not two, but 13 languages. ​“The more we are in the era of dopamine, the more I want the opposite,” she told The New York Times. This is all well and good. It’s exciting when mainstream artists take risks and push the envelope. But human beings also need bangers. Big, bombastic, arena-filling, radio-dominating, girlfriend-on-shoulders bangers. Here’s where Robyn comes in handy.

Dopamine, the Swedish pop legend’s first release since her pristinely excellent 2018 album Honey, sounds like Daft Punk and Moroder soundtracking a rocket launch. As the ascending synths throb and shimmer, Robyn sings about fiendishly craving the rush of lust and new love with melodies which sparkle with euphoria. The rush of dopamine is fleeting. But every time you press play on this track, it hits you again. DR

FKA twigs – Sushi

On Sushi – taken from new album Eusexua Afterglow – twigs sings about whisking someone away for a very posh week: sushi Monday, dancing on Tuesday, karaoke Wednеsday, Paris on Thursday and pilates on Friday (we’d probably sit that one out). Sampling Walk 4 Me by Tronco Traxx, what starts as a cool, sugary tune bubbles up into a proper party track which takes lots of twists and turns: industrial flourishes, breakbeat, pitched-up vocals and loads of bass. This one will have you pining for the weekend. JW

Ms* Gloom – Got It in Tha Mix

If you’ve spent a lot of time surfing the underground music algorithm this year, you’ll have heard Ms* Gloom’s glacial remix of LV Sandals loads of times. Now’s a good time to get to know the LA-based artist, as this year she’s been gradually revealing more of her identity and building on her catalogue of stargazing synthpop. Got In in Tha Mix is a little bit Crystal Castles with a sprinkle of Purity Ring and a dash of Bronski Beat. There’s romanticism in the reverb-smothered lyrics and in the last minute or so, an emotive trance track comes up for air. DR

Ken Carson – Margiela

Right now, Ken and his Opium buddies are opening massive mosh pits across America on the much-hyped, long-delayed Antagonist 2.0 tour. And so, strategically speaking, now is probably a good time to drop new music. On Margiela, the Atlanta rapper is once again slurring his words about luxury fashion and debauched sex as if it’s just part of his daily routine. Set to kaleidoscopic synths and filtered through molasses-thick layers of AutoTune, it all sounds pleasingly strange. DR

D‑Block Europe – Colosseum ft. Bay Swag

D‑Block Europe’s 29 track mixtape PSTD 2 is their ninth full length project. So at this point, you don’t really expect to hear anything new. But on Colosseum, the former FACE cover stars effortlessly blend their syrupy trapwave style with NYC’s sexy drill subgenre, which is represented here by the silky production and slippery flow of Queens artist Bay Swag. DR