Charli xcx Trades The Dance Floor For Nerve Damage

Just as the prophecy foretold (aka me on It List), Charli all but confirms on this track that the dance floor is dead to her. She’s still banging her head and making out with her friends, only now she’s soundtracking her night-out tales with punchy guitars and ear splitting drums. It’s a great introduction for what’s to come.

In 2003, Michelle Branch dared to ask “Are you happy now?” In 2026, Lykke Li is still searching for the answer.

Another incredible idea from Kelela, though we need to do something about the singles-less-than-two-minutes-long industrial complex.

This song has all my favorite things: ‘80s synths, a “We Didn’t Start The Fire”-esque bridge, and a music video cameo from Hannah Einbinder and Kate Berlant.

This one is for all the girls we’ve met in the line for the bathroom drunk-crying about their sh*tty boyfriends. Those are our sisters for real.

Like Charli said, we’re making rock music now.

JT has been handing out verses like they’re free recently, each one better than the last. This week’s generational lyric: “Life be hard but my ass be assing.”

Kim Petras doing country-folk-pop was not on our 2026 bingo cards, but this song really works. The acoustic guitars actually suit Petras’ voice quite nicely, even when she pulls out the autotune on the chorus.

Will be thinking about the lyric “if it isn’t working, guess we’re both unemployed” for a while.

I, too, have the kind of head that’ll make me think that it won’t work out in the end, but if Diva Smith can still find happiness through it all, then so can I.

Though we recommend listening to this project front to back, this track is not to be missed this summer.