Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.
These 10 tracks from artists including Cuco, renforshort, SG Lewis, midwxst, Citizen Queen, NIKI, Lil Silva, Morgen, Jalle, FLO and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.
Cuco, “Aura”
With less than two weeks to go before the arrival of his upcoming album Fantasy Gateway, Los Angeles native Cuco continues to carve out the sonic landscape of the LP with the arrival of new single “Aura.” The dreamy track — which features jazzy acoustic guitar moments, ’70s inspired electric guitar, synths and trumpets — sees the artist continuing to wax poetic about his dearest love, this time asking: “Do you wanna come home with me?/ Do you wanna get lost with me tonight?” The romantic lyrics and arrangement of the track further cement Cuco as a defining figure in the alternative pop space, in which he stands out with his bilingual approach to songwriting. – Starr Bowenbank
Citizen Queen, “Waste My Time”
After having a taste of success with emotive track “Y” in 2021, girl group Citizen Queen returned this year — minus former member Hannah Mrozak — with a more R&B approach to their music. Recently released track “Waste My Time” sees members Cora Isabel, Kaedi Dalley, Kaylah Sharve’ and Nina Nelson effortlessly harmonizing and recalling the past eras of girl groups, with Dalley’s impossibly rich tone on full display. The lyrics show that the girls know their lover is taking up too much of their headspace, but they don’t care — they like it, and long for more. – S. Bowenbank
SG Lewis, “Something About Your Love”
Do you feel a very specific yearning for the summer of 2013, when Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories and Empire of the Sun’s Ice on the Dune were filling dance floors with sleek retro anthems? SG Lewis has something to turn the clock back nine years: “Something About Your Love” shimmers for five minutes and change, with blissed-out falsetto coos and tambourine shakes that you’ll want to spin around to for even longer. – Jason Lipshutz
FLO, “Immature”
Think of “Immature,” the stellar new single from London-based pop trio FLO, as “No Scrubs” for a new generation — Stella, Renée and Jorja rattle off reasons to brush off a weak dude, peppering in crying-baby sound effects and finding strength in their solidarity. “Immature” is rooted in R&B, but FLO use the track to showcase the wide space their talents occupy — and suggest that a mainstream crossover is coming soon enough. – J. Lipshutz
Morgen, “Mom Jeans”
Following her Unaccompanied Minor project last year, 18-year-old singer-songwriter Morgen sharpens her wordplay and accentuates her sense of melody on “Mom Jeans,” a charming take on style and body positivity. The faux-rap second verse could be grating in the wrong hands, but Morgen swoops in and out of her flow with a confidence that invites her listeners to the mom-jeans party. – J. Lipshutz
Jalle, “Under My Skin”
U.K. newcomer Jalle possesses an ultra-expressive tone that can sound like The 1975’s Matty Healy at some points, Khalid at others, and unlike anyone else when he really hits a groove. “Under My Skin” is about resigning yourself to infatuation, but the way Jalle sells his lines — “Guess there’s no f–king way out! Might as well let it play out!” he yelps on the chorus — hooks the listener throughout the promising new single. – J. Lipshutz
renforshort, “hate the way you love me”
Last Friday, Canadian singer-songwriter renforshort released her debut album, Dear Amelia, which included the racing alt-pop “hate the way you love me.” The artist admits to hating the way her “almost perfect” partner shows love while listing off a series of toxic habits from reading through her phone to rolling their eyes when she’s upset. Yet even after acknowledging “I should be more clear, I guess,” she leaves listeners wondering if she’ll deliver on that, opting to leave such all-too-familiar uncertainty unspoken. – Lyndsey Havens
NIKI, “Oceans & Engines”
On “Oceans& Engines,” 88Rising’s NIKI offers a bare and beautifully detailed account of long-distance love — and by her telling, that doesn’t always have to mean physical separation. On the pop ballad, she sings with delicate conviction, “I’m letting go, I’m giving up the ghost,” before noting “someday I’ll be fine, just not tonight.” The way she accepts this with serenity is a warm contrast to the more vengeful kiss-off anthems of late and showcases NIKI’s power to command attention with a whisper. – L. Havens
midwxst, “Broken”
Hailing from Indiana and currently enrolled in college in Nashville, singer-rapper midwxst steers a course through the well-charted waters of melodic SoundCloud emo rap on the lovely, sad “broken” without running aground of too many lyrical clichés in a genre that’s susceptible to them; it helps that his hyperpop roots give the song a punchy foundation for him to explore heartbreak, numbness and the struggle to communicate. – Joe Lynch
Lil Silva ft. BADBADNOTGOOD, “To the Floor”
Lil Silva – the English producer who has worked with everyone from SBTRKT to Adele – is readying his debut album Yesterday Is Heavy for this Friday (July 15), and ahead of its release he shared a collab with Canada’s favorite instrumental band inspired by jazz and hip-hop, BADBADNOTGOOD. The result, “To the Floor,” is (as the title would suggest) a call to the dance floor, but it’s more of a chill, gummy-fueled situation than an endless circuit party that Silva is soundtracking. – J. Lynch
