Entertainment
Best New Songs
new music from sam smith, kimbra, and more!
Get your weekly (over)dose of mall-video green-screen effects and Lisa Frank-like imagery in 3:41 minutes! The song rules, too. MELISSA GIANNINI
Sam Smith - "Stay With Me" (feat. Mary J. Blige)
What's the 411, you ask? I'll tell you: This bittersweet duet between legend Mary J. Blige and star-out-of-the-gate crooner Sam Smith that sounds like the kind of religion I'd join in a heartbeat. MG
On the heels of her massively popular (and Maddie from "Dance Moms"-starring) video for "Chandelier," Sia releases another gut-wrenching slow-burner of downtempo goodness. MG
Parquet Courts - "Black and White"
Sometimes the most obvious move is the right one. And we're really glad Brooklyn-based garage-punk band Parquet Courts understands that. So when their newest music video for "Black and White" was, well...black and white, we were totally vibing to it. Shot in singer/guitarst Andrew Savage's Bed-Stuy neighborhood, the monochromatic film reels shown on alternating projector screens become the perfect backdrop to the gritty track and perfectly complement the jagged guitars, gut-punching percussion, and hard-hitting hooks. Color us obsessed. BANU IBRAHIM
Listening to the first few seconds of "Leave the Party," you might think you've stumbled across a '90s slacker college student's mixtape. But the ultra-lax vocals and smoky, subdued instrumentals come from none other than contemporary indie-rock three-piece Happyness, whose latest single comes off of their debut EP Weird Little Birthday. In under three minutes, the band creates a nostalgia-heavy track infused with retro keys and topped off with subtle shimmering guitar chords that move along in a carefree and unhurried momentum, showcasing not only their melodic catchiness, but their twisted lyrical sense of humor. BI
