The best new tracks, picked by our staff

Want to keep up with the best new music?

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

Drake – Slime You Out ft. SZA

The discourse around Slime You Out has been dominated by controversy, because Halle Berry apparently did not grant permission for Drizzy to use a photo of her covered in green gloop at the 2012 Nickelodeon Kids Choice awards. The song itself, which is the lead single of Drake’s forthcoming album For All The Dogs, is a sultry R&B track in which SZA counterbalances some of Drake’s eyebrow-raising bars. Among the producers credited is BNYX, the rising star who struck gold with Drake on his recent loosie Search & Rescue. DR

Cleo Sol – Heaven

The title track from Cleo Sol’s new album Heaven is a syrupy soul ballad, a declaration of unconditional love that’s presumably inspired by the London artist’s first child, whom she gave birth to in 2021. ​“You’re sent from Heaven /​I just hope you follow your dreams,” she tells the apple of her eye over a subdued yet funky bassline. The beauty is in the track’s simplicity. With paired back lyrics and production, Sol’s emotive vocals are all that’s needed to convey her love. OP

ODUMODUBLVCK – MC Olumomo

Last year, the respected Nigerian culture platform NATIVE announced that they’d formed a partnership with Def Jam, empowering them to take their record label to the next level. The first release from this joint venture is the forthcoming EZIOKWU mixtape by genre-blending Nigerian rapper ODUMODUBLVCK (pronounced by ​“O‑doo-moh-doo-black”). The tape’s new single merges drill, afrobeat and a sun-kissed flamenco guitar sample. DR

Headie One & K‑Trap – Park Chinos

UK drill fans have been trying to speak a joint Headie and K‑Trap project into existence for ages. This Friday, Strength to Strength will finally arrive. First single Park Chinos, produced by revered Brixton beatmaker Carns Hill, is the sound of two heavyweights who’ve truly mastered their craft, reeling off shady references and punchlines like it’s their second nature. DR

Raza Tariq – IDEA (NO WAY) ft. Gabriel Dedji

“Raza is the first ever pop star,” states a sample on IDEA (NO WAY), a collab between The Polymaths members Raza Tariq and Gabriel Dedji. If you’ve read The Polymaths’ feature from our latest print issue, that grandiose statement won’t come as much of a surprise. By his own admission, Tariq is ​“the greatest artist in human history” and IDEA (NO WAY) is ​“the islamic jersey club earth-shaking song of the summer”. Can’t argue with that confidence – and, to be fair, the track’s beat will genuinely rattle your eardrums in the best way possible. Paired with snarling vocals, it’s the sound of two artists with an appetite for ripping up the rulebook. OP