Hey! Did you know that there’s an entire aspect of KCRW music discovery that you might be missing out on? Fear not, because our 5 Songs to Hear This Week newsletter is now a weekly feature on our website. Watch this space for rundowns of the five songs that you need in your life immediately, curated by KCRW Music staff. Don’t want to wait for your latest taste of fresh tunes? Sign up for the Friday newsletter here, and always be the first to know.
Follow us on Spotify to keep up with our current obsessions, including 5 Songs to Hear This Week, Bent By Nature: Deirdre O'Donoghue and The Lost SNAP Archives (The Music), and our weekly sampler of KCRW’s Top 30 most played records.
Daedelus – “After After Ever”
There’s sampling, and then there’s this: A musical collage of pre-existing sounds sliced and diced into a track that’s at once an homage to its source material and a whole new thing. Challenging, enrapturing, and made whole by its vintage video counterpart, this fresh single from LA’s own Daedelus harkens a confounding and beautiful digital future — one that gets down, just like dancefloors of decades past.
Lava La Rue – “Hi Fidelity (Feat. Biig Piig)”
Prepare your personal scorecard — being in mere proximity of this summer single from West London rapper, singer, and all-around creative force Lava La Rue is gonna earn you some cool points. Already on their second era, the 20-year-old phenom presents preternatural musical instincts in this shimmering downtown track, featuring a deeply satisfying bassline, layered R&B vocals, a feature from fellow favorite Biig Piig, and an irresistible night-out video.
La Chica – “Oasis”
It’s art, it’s music, it’s exactly what you needed today. Calling to mind the force majeur effects of groundbreakers like Fiona Apple, Joanna Newsom, and Bjork, La Chica displays the depth of her creative connections with her French and Venezuelen ancestries through the lens of her innate artist’s eye. Moving vocal stylings, unexpected percussive sounds, and a unique take on synthesizer sounds make this track one for a second look, then a third, and a fourth.
Petit Amie – “Rester”
Whether you’re stalking a lover, an enemy, a vibe, or the sunrise, with this sensual synth-laden track as your guide, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for. Gauzy, layered vocals make way for a provocative synth line that sneers its way to a super satisfying conclusion. Petite Amie are a real-life group of musically inclined friends pumping psychedelic pop concoctions out of Mexico City — a hotspot of musical innovation, as discussed in this week’s debut of KCRW’s Global Beat Mexico!
MJ Nebreda – “Suerte Buena”
Good luck resisting this one… from the first beat, this track practically commands the body into motion, each new verse and chorus offering fresh elements that surprise and delight the senses. Listen close in headphones and tick them off: reggaeton booty-shake beat, deep house synths, bongos, chants, laser pews, party horn. Stay tuned, because relative newcomer MJ Nebrada packs much more than this one click, as exemplified on her debut EP “Sin Pensar.”