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.

A.G. Cook – Britpop ft. Charli XCX

A.G. Cook’s debut album 7G was an epic 49-tracker split into seven parts. The pop experimentalist’s third album Britpop also has an ambitious conceptual framework, with 24 songs which are divided into three sections: the first exploring his signature electronic style, the second featuring songwriting apparently inspired by Britpop, and the final exploring futuristic sounds. With fluttering synths, a chirpy club beat and a vocal sample from FACE cover star Charli XCX, this title track sounds absolutely nothing like Blur or Oasis. But fellow FACE cover star Nia Archives is splicing Britpop with jungle breaks, so maybe 2024 is the year that the bombastic, guitar-led genre gets totally reimagined. DR

John Glacier – Emotions

East London poet-rapper John Glacier makes a statement on Emotions, the standout track on her new EP Like A Ribbon. ​“You best believe it, I’m the hottest in the game,” she says with calm confidence, while waves of euphoric synths rise and fall behind her. JW

Nourished by Time – Hand on Me

Following on from his acclaimed album Erotic Probiotic 2, the esoteric Baltimore musician is back with the Catching Chickens EP, out 22^nd March via XL Recordings. Hand On Me, the project’s lead single, features characteristically chirpy synths and bass wobbles, and lyrics with a touch of anxious humour: ​“The future is my passion /​When I don’t know what is happening”. JW

Seafood Sam – Can’t Take the Hood to Heaven

Breezy strings set the tone for Seafood Sam’s latest, a sumptuous track that pairs the rapper’s laid-back delivery with rich instrumentals. ​“I used to shy from the light, now I sunbathe in it /​When it’s my time, I need more than 15 minutes,” he raps, as the strings crescendo and give to syrupy guitar riffs. OP

Erika de Casier – Oooh

Erika de Casier is one of the only artists who manages to keep the never-ending ​‘90s and Y2K revivals sounding fresh. Take her latest album Still, which merges tropes from R&B’s golden era with wispy vocals and futuristic production tweaks. This highlight track Oooh is a sexy, assertive ode to hooking up with someone for the first time. OP

King Isis – Monki

Here’s some good trivia: King Isis is the great-great-granddaugher of Omega King, one of Chicago’s first Black opera singers. The Oakland artist has certainly inherited those musical chops; on their latest single, Monki, Isis goes down a grungier musical road than her usual brand of acoustic alt-pop. ​“Baby won’t you lay me down /​I’m begging for your mercy now”, they sing pleadingly, as guitars erupt in the background. JW

Potter Payper – Kid in a Court

You could credibly argue that Potter Payper is the best rapper in the UK right now. Since returning to the scene in 2020 with his Training Day 3 mixtape, the prolific East London legend has had an incredible run. While collecting the Album of the Year award (for last year’s Real Back in Style project) at the MOBOs this month, Potter announced his ​“straight-talking” new mixtape Thanks for Hating. ​“Back then I had more rock than Mykonos shores,” he spits furiously on Kid in a Court, proving that he’s not yet running out of vivid punchlines to describe his misadventures in the drug trade. DR