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 week, we got another exciting preview from Madlib and Four Tet’s upcoming collaborative project, the downbeat and hypnotic ‘Dirtknock’; Arca and Radiohead collaborator Oliver Coats teamed up on the stirring and sublime 9-minute track ‘Madre’, while Hand Habits’ latest, ‘4th of july’, is richly moving and expansive despite its relatively short runtime; New Pagans delivered the fiery and anthemic ‘Christian Boys’; Bristol songwriter Clara Mann shared her second official single, the beautifully intimate ‘Thoughtless’; and finally, Cassandra Jenkins turned what could have been a meandering spoken-word track into something poignant and compelling with her latest, ‘Hard Drive’.
Best New Songs: January 25, 2021
Arca feat. Oliver Coats, ‘Madre’
Song of the Week: Hand Habits, ‘4th of july’
Cassandra Jenkins, ‘Hard Drive’
Madlib, ‘Dirtknock’
Clara Mann, ‘Thoughtless’
New Pagans, ‘Christian Boys’