Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this segment.
This past week, slowthai dropped the final single from his new album TYRON, the Skepta-assisted ‘CANCELLED’, a hard-hitting banger that sees him directly addressing last year’s incident at the NME Awards. Taylor Swift announced the first of her re-recorded albums and released a new version of ‘Love Story’, staying true to the spirit of the original while making subtle improvements both instrumentally and vocally. Jana Bahrich delivers an impassioned performance in Francis of Delirium’s cathartic new single ‘Let It All Go’, while Madi Diaz’ latest is an evocative, slow-burning ballad. Arcade Fire’s Sarah Neufeld announced her new album Detritus with the meditative ‘Stories’; BABii celebrated Lunar New Year with the mystical ‘SHADOW’; and finally, Bon Iver’s ethereal ambient textures accompany Ross Gay’s effervescent spoken-word track ‘Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude’.
Best New Songs: February 15, 2021
Francis of Delirium, ‘Let It All Go’
Song of the Week: slowthai feat. Skepta, ‘CANCELLED’
BABii, ‘SHADOW’
Ross Gay and Bon Iver, ‘Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude’
Sarah Neufeld, ‘Stories’
Taylor Swift, ‘Love Story (Taylor’s Version)’
Madi Diaz, ‘Man in Me’