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.

Clip – NEEDmyFIX

On top of collaborating with Alice Glass, going to cool fashion shows and generally traipsing around New York as one of the city’s It girls, Clip’s also been busy working on her own stuff. NEEDmyFIX sounds more chilled-out than its title suggests, with ghostly vocals washing over glacial beats. Lyrically, Clip works her way in, around, and out of a toxic relationship. JW

Raheaven – My Bad

North London singer Raheaven laments some silly romantic decisions on My Bad – you know, sleeping with a guy who doesn’t really care about you, that kind of thing. Still, her vocal agility and deft runs make it easier to listen to than that mate who’s gone back to their ex again. With echoes of Kehlani and a chilled, laid-back beat, Raheaven is helping keep British R&B alive and kicking with this one. OP

Mya Mehmi – Pain 4 U

Mya Mehmi is renowned in London’s nightlife scene as a dance floor-filling DJ and a member of the Pxssy Palace crew. Last year, she also caught our attention with Parivaar (Interlude), a dimly-lit R&B track which paid tribute to her late uncle. This time, Mya delves deep into a messy relationship over a slick throwback hip-hop beat, pairing it with a black-and-white video which evokes nostalgia for MTV​’s early ​‘00s golden era. ​“This song is basically about being in love with a prick,” Mya explained in the press notes. ​“It lets you in on a very toxic past relationship of mine, from the start of it where we found solace in each other’s company and bodies, to the end where he got arrested and left me longing for him. Ultimately it speaks on willingly choosing to being devoted to someone who you know is harmful for you.” DR

Jim Legxacy – nothings changed (!)

“I play your favourite songs, I’m dancing with a ghost,” sings Jim Legxacy on this first release of 2024. It’s one of many-heart wrenching lines on nothings changed (!), a song that was his younger sister’s favourite until she passed away last year. In the months since her death, Jim reworked the lyrics in tribute, producing a poignant and strikingly wise study of grief. Opening with simple plucked guitars and breaking into an uplifting afrobeats rhythm towards the end, when paired with a music video featuring home videos and footage of his family dancing, you soon realise that this is not a song to feel sad to; it’s a celebration. OP

Bikôkô – La Mano ft. Crystal Murray

There’s a lot going on in this new single from Spanish-Cameroonian musician Bikôkô: Senegalese Sabar percussion, spoken-word, rumbling piano keys and a quick appearance from Parisian genre-shifter Crystal Murray. Produced by the prolific Kwes Darko, on La Mano Bikôkô bemoans the sometimes gruelling standards artists are held to in the music industry: ​“You thought you were about done for today? /​Nothing stops in here until I say until I say”, she speak-sings. Hopefully she can put her feet up for a while after she drops her forthcoming EP, A 1 IS BETTER THAN A 0. JW

Spresso – Day Out

Having scored big flicks like Under The Skin, Zone of Interest and Jackie, Mica Levi is one of the most revered composers in contemporary music. On a more underground level, their output is gleefully scrappy. Case in point: Spresso, a band Levi launched last year with fellow experimentalist Alpha Maid and drummer Zach Toppin. Day Out, the lead track from Spresso’s new Rockstars EP, features a fizzy metal guitar riff, zoned-out vocals and a rhythm section which sounds like it’s about to collapse but never quite does. For the video, directed by Finnbar Porteous, the song’s wobbly stomp is paired with slo-mo footage of a debauched afters in Spresso’s hotel room. DR