The best new tracks, picked by our staff

Photographed by Eddie Whelan

Rated by The Face: a playlist featuring Jockstrap, George Riley, Yasin & Pa Salieu.

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Jockstrap – Greatest Hits

Jockstrap are the most experimental act in an eccentric UK indie scene that includes black midi, Ethan P Flynn and Black Country, New Road, but the duo’s music is usually easy on the ear. Despite the strange song structures, glitchy drums and eccentric humour, their songs are smothered with opulent strings and the warmth of Georgia Ellery’s singing, which conjures up a feeling of vintage movie star glamour that your nan might like. Greatest Hits – a highlight from Jockstrap’s (very good) debut album I Love You Jennifer B – throws a bit of euphoric piano house into the mix, strutting along with a baggy groove which could probably get Bez going. DR

Mura Masa – e‑motions ft. Erika de Casier

Erika de Casier lends her feather-light vocals to the latest drop from Mura Masas upcoming album demon time. Perfectly paired with a laidback UKG swing, de Casier’s do, do, do, do” hook has shades of Shanks & Bigfoot’s classic Sweet Like Chocolate, while angelic harp samples provide a slice of melodic bliss. Basically, the 2.0 version of PinkPantheress’ Masa-produced hit Just For Me. OP

Biig Piig – Kerosene

The first taste of Biig Piig’s next project, Kerosene, is, as she puts it, her own hot girl summer anthem”. It’s sweaty-bodies-dancing-at-3am steamy, with a disco house groove and distorted cries of oh daddy” layered over the chorus. Biig Piig returns to her signature, breathy cool-girl drawl for the verses, seductively asking the daddy in question to Come set it all alight”. Perfect for making eyes across the dancefloor. OP

Ari Lennox – Outside

Ari Lennox’s new album age/​sex/​location is all about life online. Gen Z might not know about typing in a/​s/​l?” into forums to discover someone’s real identity, but millennials sure do. Blocking You, POF [Plenty Of Fish] and Leak It all deal with elements of the world wide web – so Outside stands out as something of a counterpoint to her musings on online relationships. Over a bubbly, funk-fuelled bass, Lennox drops in seductive lines about the importance of self-love, whether you bought your body” or worked your body”, while paying lip service to Diana Ross, Eve and Tracee Ellis Ross’ character Joan Clayton on the 2000’s sitcom Girlfriends. FM

Yasin & Pa Salieu – Magazine

Having topped the Swedish charts a number of times, Yasin is one of the country’s biggest rap stars. The 24-year-old is also a significant figure in a notorious scene that’s been partially blamed for Sweden’s rising crime rates, spurring a debate that will be familiar to UK drill fans – is the music causing the violence, or is it just a reflection of life in neglected communities? Yasin seems eager to attract British fans – this summer’s Six Vs EP featured UK artists like Backroad Gee, wewantwraiths and Unknown T. On Magazine, he teams up with Coventry’s Pa Salieu, who sounds particularly impassioned as he belts out poignant lines (“Grew up in a system that don’t love me”) over a crisp trap beat and glassy guitar licks. DR

dreamcastmoe – Much More ft. ZDBT

This is the kind of sensual slow jam we’ve come to expect from the DC musician who, since 2017, has established himself as a distinctive figure in contemporary R&B. moe’s sound is soulful, grounding and emotional, though never saccharine. In July, dreamcastmoe released his Sound Is Like Water Part 1 mixtape, and Much More sits on the project’s second instalment, which was produced by musical multi-hyphenate ZDBT. You see me fall /​I’ve been down much more than this /​But I bounce right back,” moe sings as the track soars into a powerful ballad about getting up, dusting yourself off and starting all over again. JW

SV – What’s The Point

If you crossed SV in the street, chances are he’d catch your eye. Always wearing sunglasses and a flat cap – and usually chomping on a massive cigar – the London-via-Lagos artist has a slick trademark style that’s reflected in the cool and confident production of this sun-kissed hip-hop track. SV draws from a deep and diverse range of influences ranging from Hendrix and Hov to Scorcese and Ingmar Bergman. Even so, the sample of Salford punk poet John Cooper Clarke feels like an intriguing curveball. DR

George Riley — Desire

Having worked with the likes of Frank Ocean, John Glacier and Travis Scott, Vegyn’s production work has become a respected trademark for up-and-coming musicians, and he’s enthusiastically collaborated with 24-year-old artist George Riley, whose eight-track project Running in Waves is released via Vegyn’s label PLZ Make It Ruins. The project’s brief closing track Desire sees the 24-year-old come to terms with the past and face up to her flaws via diaristic lyricism: There are many things /​I’m asking of life /​You could say I’m wasting time,” against a tranquil wall of synths. JW

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