The best new tracks, picked by our staff
Rated by THE FACE: a playlist featuring J Hus, PinkPantheress and Destroy Lonely, Hannah Diamond and Erick the Architect.
Music
Words: Jade Wickes, Olive Pometsey
Want to keep up with the best new music? Listen to this weekly playlist, lovingly curated by THE FACE’s editorial team.
Troye Sivan – Rush
As FACE Assistant Editor Jade Wickes pointed out last week, “’tis the season of hot, trashy bangers”. And boy, did Troye Sivan get the memo. A sticky, sweaty ode to the joys of sticky, sweaty sex, Rush starts off strong with house beats and a disco-inflected bassline, before launching into the chorus’ chant that will have the whole crowd – and the entire internet – shouting along: “I feel the rush /Addicted to your touch”. Louder, boys. OP
Hannah Diamond – Affirmations
Hannah Diamond champions the benefits of self-love on her latest track, but this isn’t your typical “love yourself” statement of positivity. Instead, Diamond focuses on the practice of building up confidence via affirmations, inspired by a dedicated “wall of self-esteem” in her bedroom. “I’ve got five things written on my wall /I need to remember them all” she sings over typically glitchy, 8‑bit-style production. “I don’t have to be somebody else /The best version of me is myself”. OP
J Hus ft. Naira Marley – Militarian
If this song hasn’t hooked you within the first three seconds, well… you’re no fun. Featuring former FACE cover star Naira Marley and jazz saxophonist Venna, Militarian is one of the stand-out tracks on J Hus’s highly anticipated third album, Beautiful and Brutal Yard. The summery earworm makes tongue-in-cheek references to the pair’s respective fanbases: Militerians for Hus, Marlians for Marley. Meanwhile, the latter’s languid delivery is offset by Hus’s matter of fact flow and lyricism: “We gon risе, we gon’ never еver fall again /Tonight I feel like I’m born again /I’m prepared to go war again /I was mad but the gyal made me calm again”. We’re ecstatic he’s back. JW
Lucagotbbm – STAY UP
Wrestling with the overwhelming urge to party all the time but also get day-to-day shit done? That’s what STAY UP, the latest single from 21-year-old South West Londoner Lucagotbbm, is all about. His trademark? Seamlessly flitting between pop-punk and drum and bass. This song yo-yos between both genres, as acoustic guitar bursts into distorted, melancholy but nonetheless energetic vocals. Having worked on loads of (as yet) unreleased songs over the last five years, we can expect plenty more releases from Luca over the coming months. JW
PinkPantheress and Destroy Lonely – Turn Your Phone Off
“This song has been on my mind since I leaked it in 2021 – I was just waiting until the perfect opportunity to drop it,” PinkPantheress tweeted las week. “im [sic] privileged to share this track with lone, love his artistry, love a random collab lol.” Indeed, the viral pair complement one another’s sound nicely on Turn Your Phone Off – PP, the UK’s sonic purveyor of reluctant romance, lends herself well to the signature emo rap of Atlanta’s Destroy Lonely. “I wish we could go back to how it was /Got me feelin’ like I’m drowning, I’m unconscious /Feel like time freezing /Every time we touch”, he pleads in a charming autotuned warble, as one half of a couple who just can’t quite cut ties. JW
Erick the Architect – Parkour
Parkour packs a lot into its three minute and 21-seconds runtime, including dramatic shifts in tempo and vocal pitch – super high, then super low before meeting in the middle, as Brooklyn musician Erick the Architect starts spitting bars that reflect on a come-up tinged with romantic hardship and mental resilience in the face of, well, life. “Opponents in a noose and what I do is future proof /Donned in shiny suits, I done came up from the roots” he raps, confident in his ability to deliver music that will stand the test of time against a slightly menacing beat. Produced, would you believe, by none other than his good pal James Blake. JW
SUCHI – Birdy Bell
For her first release in over a year, Oslo-via-London-via-Manchester’s SUCHI has dropped the compulsive Birdy Bell: a techno track interspersed with a lurching beat and the odd galvanising vocal, before erupting into a bona fide dancefloor heater. Backed with a remix courtesy of prolific Miami producer Nick León, this is the perfect festival warm-up song. JW
