Every week, we bring you SOUNDCHECK — your destination for the best new music that just hit the web. Because you should always be prepared when someone passes you that AUX cord. This week's roundup features nine of our favorite emerging and established artists.
“Where’s My Phone?” by Mitski
Modern paranoia takes many forms in this day and age, whether it be worrying about what other people think or fretting over the loss of the little disassociation brick you call a phone. Mitski meets the moment perfectly on this track, right down to the distortion that’s not unlike the relentless outside noise that rattles in our heads. — Jillian Giandurco, editorial associate
“Wall Of Sound” by Charli XCX
The group chat is already calling Wuthering Heights one of Charli’s best projects, and I must concur. On “Wall Of Sound,” Charli uses a dissonant orchestra to represent the tension and confusion clouding her mental state. But as she pushes through the madness, she discovers that beauty and clarity are waiting on the other side. — Giandurco
“DANCE...” by Slayyyter
Using the person you met at the club for a good time is a tale as old as time, yet Slayyyter manages to make it feel so original with her vampiric imagery and genuinely funny jabs. The music video is just as mesmerizing as the bass-heavy electronic beat, proving once again that Slayyyter is taking it. — Giandurco
“2SIDED” by Arlo Parks
You can never have too many songs about yearning, especially when they sound like this: dizzy, hazy, stormy, and hypnotic all at once. Excited to see what Parks has in store for this next project. — Giandurco
“Prayer” by Tove Styrke
Robyn's not the only Swedish mother coming out of hiatus: Tove Styrke — who, like her fellow countrywoman, got started as a teen before reinventing herself in adulthood as a true pop auteur — throws out her mastery of tight, three-minute earworms for something weirder but just as rewarding. "Prayer," the first taste of her upcoming album, The Afterparty, is an unhurried dance floor mantra packed with vintage synths that'll spark more nostalgic than any of the 2016 throwbacks flooding your Instagram right now. — Nolan Feeney, features director
“W-w-w-w-w” by Hemlocke Springs
There’s something so medieval about Hemlocke Springs’ music, and this song is no exception. Here, Springs tells the story of a young girl being married off to an older, more powerful man, putting a spin on the classic cautionary tale in a way that only she can. — Giandurco
“Lean” by Charlotte Day Wilson ft. Saya Gray
Fun fact: the term “dulcet tones” was actually invented to describe Charlotte Day Wilson’s velvety voice. OK, I might be stretching the truth a bit here, but I promise I’m not being hyperbolic when I say the production on this track stacks up against some of the greats. — Giandurco
“Suckerrr” by Spill Tab
If you’ve never been stuck in a toxic love loop before, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Still, you don’t have to relate to appreciate Spill Tab’s pillow soft vocals, goosebump-inducing harmonies, and dreamy underwater production. — Giandurco
“On My Own” by Frankie Bird
The singer-songwriter's 2024 album, Twenty Something, was one of my most-played records of the year: a pop-Americana coming-of-age opus for people whose Saturn Return hit and...never really left. (Welcome to adulthood, baby!) What a gift that she's already back with a whole new album, a stage-by-stage field guide to blowing up your life and the self-discovery that follows. Make it the soundtrack to your 2026 reinvention. — Feeney
