Skrillex gives Caroline Polachek a techno makeover on Hit me where it hurts x

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.

The Hellp – Modern Man

For listeners old enough to remember the SEGA Megadrive and the Nintendo SNES, there’s a twinkling videogame sound on Modern Man which feels pleasurably nostalgic, triggering flashbacks of collecting coins as Super Mario, or Sonic the Hedgehog crashing into a cluster of golden rings. And if you appreciate Blink-182 as much as Chandler from The Hellp does, you’ll love the dopamine-driving pop-punk melody. Despite the title of Modern Man – which appears on The Hellp’s polished new album Riviera – part of this band’s appeal is that they’re restoring some treasured rock’n’roll traditions: they’re unapologetically cool, and they’re unironically emotional. Salute. DR

Skrillex – hit me where it hurts x ft. Dylan Brady & Caroline Polachek

Skrillex is 37-years-old and he’s been making music since forever, but pretty much every track he releases these days sounds like it was created with the energy of a wide-eyed adolescent who’s just fallen in love with dance music (this is a good thing). Following his album F*ck U Skrillex U Think UR Andy Warhol But Ur Not!! <3 – which was released on April Fool’s Day – Sonny has dropped a walloping EP which really does sound very impressive on the headphones. On the title track, he’s teamed up with Dylan Brady from 100 gecs (wonder what’s going on with them? Feels like ages since they dropped) to funnel a classic Caroline Polachek melody through a breakneck techno beat. It works. DR

SINN6R & TeeboFG – Me&You

You could describe the explosive sound of SINN6R’s new album #FEDERAL as deep-fried drill. Over beats have been battered with distortion, the South East Londoner raps with the steely-eyed clarity of a Harlem Spartan. But on Me&You, featuring the aesthetically-aligned UK underground star TeeboFG, SINN6R makes it clear he’s not going to get distracted from his pursuit of pleasure: ​“I pop pills, don’t pop shells,” he insists on the hook, ​“I like raving.” DR

Wesley Joseph – If Time Could Talk

On If Time Could Talk, Walsall artist Wesley Joseph sings a song about yearning for a fleeting romance that has all of the passion and none of the right timing.​“I thought about you all week /​I’d take another chance /​If only you would just slide through”, he insists over atmospheric production and a catchy piano loop. Co-produced by Nicolas Jaar, it’s the artist’s first release since 2023 and carries with it a bittersweet, liminal feeling like sticking your head out the Uber and watching the sun rise between buildings. In the self-directed music video, Wesley sits atop a white piano as it moves through country roads, blowing his jacket open in the wind. TL

Triage – Lisaless

Dedicated FACE readers may remember that Bella and Emily from Triage were shot by Hedi Slimane for our New London portfolio. If you don’t remember, no offence taken, and now is a good time to familiarise yourself with the scrappy indie-punk five-piece. Lisaless – which was mixed and mastered by renowned lo-fi musician /​former Bar Italia drummer Eterna – is possibly the band’s best-sounding track yet. While a plectrum scratches the strings, the guitars and bass prowl behind breathy boy-girl vocals, before the the track erupts into a good old fashioned racket. DR

Pollyfromthedirt – Kalm

Since the release of his most popular song Theres no such thing as england back in March, Pollyfromthedirt has dropped a handful of great tunes, most of them about the dreariness of growing up in the UK. Kalm – taken from his debut EP The dirt pt.1 – is a well-formed oddity featuring Polly’s manipulated, looped vocals and isolated, sparse guitars. The elusive, mask-wearing, Darlington musician cuts an interesting figure in the leftfield indie scene – here’s hoping a Spanners gig is in the works. JW