Playlist: 10 tracks you need to hear - Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Will Young (original) (raw)

Listen to ten of our favourite tracks from the past week (presented here in no particular order), including Ed Sheeran and Martin Garrix, Rihanna, Will Young, Jamie xx and Ella Eyre.

1. Martin Garrix ft. Ed Sheeran: 'Rewind Repeat It' (TBC)
What better place to premiere a monster collaboration than at the world's biggest music festival. That's exactly what teen DJ Martin Garrix did at Ultra in Miami over the weekend, unleashing the behemoth that is 'Rewind Repeat It' featuring Ed Sheeran. The anthem plays to each of their strengths, allowing Sheeran's stirring tone and ear for a keen pop melody expand over Garrix's euphoric build-up and hands-in-the-air chorus.

2. Will Young: 'Love Revolution' (out now)
Will Young made the surprise move to Island Records for his sixth studio collection, after leaving Sony whom he had been with since winning Pop Idol back in the day. With a new team comes a new direction, and the singer-songwriter has gone all Throwback Thursday for 'Love Revolution'; a slice of foot-tapping '60s soul that borrows a few lines from Tomcraft's 2003 dance anthem 'Loneliness'.

3. Rihanna: 'Bitch Better Have My Money' (available now)
If the Paul McCartney-featuring acoustics of 'FourFiveSeconds' had Unapologetic fans waking up in a cold sweat, 'Bitch Better Have My Money' quickly puts any fears of a mellow R8 to bed. Rihanna might have promised a more soulful album, but that doesn't mean she's lost her personality in the process. 'Bitch Better Have My Money' determines that the singer's new album will still bring plenty of fun.

4. Jamie XX: 'Loud Places' (available with pre-orders of In Colour, out June 1)
News of Jamie XX's anticipated debut solo record snuck out this week, quickly followed by a new track from the album. The producer has recruited his XX bandmate Romy Madley-Croft for 'Loud Places'. The result sees Romy puzzling "Didn't I take you to higher places you can't reach without me?" as an increasingly claustrophobic whirl of background voices, hypnotic percussion and clean piano chords battle for sovereignty.

5. iSHi ft. Pusha T & Tinie Tempah: 'Push It Remix' (out now)
iSHi - real name Eshraque Mughal - is the Swedish producer behind some of Tinie Tempah's biggest hits, including 'Written In The Stars'. The British rapper, however, is repaying the favour on a new remix of iSHi's debut single 'Push It'; a jangling hip-hop number with an infectious beats that also includes the talents of Pusha T.

6. iLL BLU ft. James Morrison: 'Lonely People' (released May 25)
Ahead of his return to music later this year, British troubadour James Morrison has teamed up with iLL BLU for a career first. We're not used to hearing the singer-songwriter flanked by funky house beats and bass, but 'Lonely People' proves that his voice suits the soundscape superbly. With added flourishes of brass and italo piano lines, it's a vibrant anthem ready to soundtrack the summer months.

7. Ella Eyre: 'Together' (released May 17)
Ella Eyre's last single saw her chastising a cheating ex and determining to "let that motherf**ker burn". The London singer's in a notably cheerier mood for her new track 'Together'. Channeling the drum and bass bravado of her Rudimental pals, Eyre flaunts her powerhouse vocals to celebrate "unity and realising that we're better off together than alone".

8. Of Monsters And Men: 'Crystals' (from Beneath The Skin, out June 8)
Icelandic indie folkers Of Monsters And Men have returned with a new album just in time for summer. "Cover your crystal eyes/ And feel the tones that tremble down your spine" the band determine in lead single 'Crystals'. Rousing "woah" refrains and a tribal drumline sees the group amping up the scale, introducing their second album with a more anthemic sound.

9. SLO: 'Fortune' (released May 4)
Jess Mills is back as SLO and will release a brand new four-track EP in May. Lead track 'Fortune' indicates a more wistful sound from the singer-songwriter, as her hauntingly hypnotic vocal pirouettes over a sonic pallette of diffusing guitar lines and sandy beats produced by Zero 7's Henry Binns.

10. Tourist: 'Holding On' ft. Josef Salvat & Niia (released May 24)
Tourist has teamed up with Aussie singer-songwriter Josef Salvat as well as US singer-songwriter and pianist Niia for a new track. "I thought it would be an interesting way to convey something that might have been slightly one-dimensional had it only been through one persons perspective," Tourist said of the duet.

What are your favourite tracks on this week's playlist? Leave your comments in the box below: