7 tracks we loved this week: Daughter, Thomas Rhett, Sara Bareilles, and more (original) (raw)

Will Smith ended his decade-long music drought with fire, bilingual verses on a Bomba Estéreo remix, and Lady Gaga teamed up with Nile Rodgers for a Chic cover, but that’s not all we’re obsessed with this week:

Daughter, “Doing The Right Thing”

Elenra Tonra introduced herself as an atmospheric, heartbreaking folk singer on Daughter’s 2013 debut, If You Leave. With the help of guitarist Igor Haefeli and drummer Remi Aguiella, the trio builds cavernous sonic spaces for lyrics of heartbreak and anger to breath. They’ll return in January 2016 with their follow-up and this week shared “Doing The Right Thing” off the collection. Inspired by Tonra’s grandmother’s battle with alzheimer’s, Tonra laments losing your memory from the perspective of the aging mind. It’s heavy, but heartfelt. The only thing perhaps more affecting, is the above video. Grab some tissues, you’ll need ’em! —Madison Vain

Sara Bareilles, “She Used To Be Mine”

Hey, how much of your heart is left after watching that Daughter video? Well, Sara Bareilles — yeah, the “Love Song” singer — would like to wring out the rest of it. “She Used To Be Mine” is a beautiful introduction to her upcoming fourth full-length. It’s delicate, nostalgic, and wonderfully theatrical. —MV

WOKE, “The Lavishments of Light Looking” ft. George Clinton

WOKE, the new project from soulful DJ Flying Lotus, bass wizard Thundercat, and progressive rappers Shabazz Palaces, is cooler than anything we anticipated this week. Oh, and they also got Parliament’s George Clinton to guest on this cut, reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar’s “Wesley’s Theory”—which featured Clinton, Thundercat, and FlyLo. —ERB

Joey Bada$$, “Aim High”

Alchemist and Harry Fraud team up to produce the Brooklyn rapper’s love letter to rising above, in more ways than one, we’d imagine. The cut even gives a shoutout to independent mothers who never have to “work for the man” over a casual thump and some loose beats. And car company Scion sponsors the slightly psychedelic single, so the profanity use is low. —DRF

Thomas Rhett, “Die A Happy Man”

Rhett’s infectious new album Tangled Up genre-bends and blends at nearly every turn but a particular highlight is when he strips it down to the pluck of an acoustic guitar and a simple ditty about finding that one to say forever to. —MV

Kyle, “Remember Me?” ft. Chance the Rapper

Everything in Chance the Rapper’s orbit these days is a must listen. Enter California-based rapper Kyle, the feel-good voice who made “Wanna Be Cool” a standout on this year’s Surf, and dropped his new album Smyle today. Chance stops by “Remember Me?” to provide a mournful hook over plaintive piano melodies—but, with his heartfelt and skilled verses, the spotlight is all Kyle’s. —ERB

Coast Modern, “Hollow Life”

Imagine if Milky Chance and alt-J had a lovechild, and that lovechild wasn’t the most insufferable thing on adult alternative radio. That’s a rough approximation of Coast Modern, which appropriates the clanking percussion and quirky vocals of those bands and their imitators, but infuses the mix with a refreshing dubbed-out dancehall vibe. This is a band we can get behind for a late-afternoon slot at Coachella. —ERB