With its swooning lyrics and R&B-pop beat, the latest release from RIIZE, one of K-pop’s most hyped fifth generation boy bands, feels like a soundtrack to a 2000s romance drama.

Renee Rapp’s first Regina George solo — a fiery, defiant kiss off to Cady Heron — is here, and the vocals *are* vocaling!

All the cracks and crevices in Corin Tuckers’ imperfect belts bolster the palpably turbulent core of Sleater Kinney’s latest single.

I’m obsessed with this squirmy, whistling sound effect on ITZY’s “Mr. Vampire,” a quirky, out-of-the-box K-pop song that succeeds without sounding cringe.

I’m not 100% sure what Katy Kirby’s new song is about, but its devastating lyrics make up for any opaqueness: “What I can’t remember won’t hurt me/ thank god in advance, I’m already forgetting.”

Buck Meek, better known as Big Thief’s guitarist, is also an achingly great solo musician whose songs capture fleeing moments of intimacy.

Lo-fi hip hop beats DJ and producer bad snacks hammers out a cosmic house reverie that has nothing lo-fi (or hip hop) about it.

The Lemon Twigs’ latest is easy bait for anyone who still pines for the good ol’ days of The Beatles, but, overlooking that, it’s a genuinely good song, with passionate vocals that lean more custom than copycat.

Astrit Ismaili is a performance artist from Kosovo whose latest song — a ballroom-ready track made for whacking — turns the political details of his birth into something to dance to.

With songwriting sensibilities remniscent of Billie Eilish or Lucy Dacus, Essence Martin crafts a tender and sweet ode to her sister.