The best new tracks, picked by our staff

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Listen to this weekly playlist, lovingly curated by THE FACE’s editorial team.

Camila Cabello – I Luv It ft. Playboi Carti

When Camila Cabello recruited Young Thug for her 2017 global smash hit Atlanta, it felt like she was inviting a cutting-edge rapper to spice up a sultry but commercially-safe slice of Latin pop. This time her ATL collaborator is Playboi Carti, who’s currently trying to be as edgy as possible (his latest song is called Ketamine), and Cabello has taken a few steps left to meet him halfway. Over whirring synths courtesy of Rosalía’s regular producer El Guincho, I Luv It sees Cabello reel off a hyperactive hook reminiscent of Charli XCX and boldly interpolate Rihanna and Gucci Mane. So far, the track is proving to be divisive – it’s been heralded as a callback to the so-called indie-sleaze era and described as ​“deranged concoction of expensive nonsense”. It’s hard to predict how this one will settle over the summer, but it’s good to hear such a major pop star try something weird. DR

Doechii – Alter Ego ft. JT

“Nah, nah, nah-nah, nah /​These hoes ain’t phasin’ me, phasin’ me,” sings Doechii on her latest drop Alter Ego, a demented playground taunt that’s made all the more unhinged by the track’s thumping house beat. But what else would you expect from a song that opens with a sample of Edna Mode (yes, from The Incredibles)? Featuring fellow Floridian and City Girl JT, the pair take to state’s swamps for the music video, firing guns and twerking on dirt bikes as they tell the world that ​“you dead to me”. OP

cellm8 — mmm k.x

Elusive electronic music duo cellm8 have seemingly popped out of nowhere. Similar to Two Shell, they favour anonymity and communicate in unusual ways – in this case via iMessage (drop a line to 07 – 999-CELL-M8 if you fancy a chat). mmm k.x harnesses cellm8’s penchant for text-speak, channelling it in a bittersweet banger about trying to figure out how someone feels about you. It’s the kind of tune you’d have sent to your mate via Bluetooth back in the day. JW

Beyoncé – Bodyguard

Beyoncé tries 27 shades of country on her new album Cowboy Carter, paying homage to the genre and then remixing it. A standout moment is Bodyguard, on which Bey takes a soft rock approach – more Fleetwood Mac than Dolly Parton (although Dolly does make an appearance on the album’s next track). Sure, the lyrics are a bit on the nose – ​“Inhalin’ whiskey when you kiss my neck” – but it’s the backing vocals, all ooh-ee-oohs and breathy aahs, that are the most fun to sing along to anyway. OP

1010Benja – Twin

Most 1010Benja fans would argue that he’s a little underrated. Maybe the eccentric Kansas City musician hasn’t been prolific enough for the modern music industry, in which artists feel obliged to feed the ravenous appetite of streaming services in order to sustain their relevance. 1010Benja first caught buzz with a couple singles back in 2017 and 2018, before releasing the excellent three-track EP Three Times in 2021. Now, he’s finally dropped his debut album Ten Total, on which he fluctuates between restless rap, breezy radio rock and oddball balladry. On the epic R&B track Twin, Benja flexes an impressive vocal range that shouldn’t be ignored. DR

Mary in the Junkyard – Marble Arch

Mary in the Junkyard’s singer/​guitarist Clari Freeman-Taylor wrote their new single under the actual Marble Arch landmark in central London, scribbling the lyrics in the back of a copy of Angela Carter’s novel Wise Children. Fittingly, the heavy, haunting song is about ​“the intense relationship between sisters, and leaving home and not wanting to come back.” Marble Arch will join a string of great singles on Mary in the Junkyard’s debut EP, This Old House, which is out 9^th May. JW