Each month, tons of new music from many taste-spanning genres is released into a fast-consuming, unforgiving market; it can be tough to get a handle on what’s new before it’s on to the next. In an attempt to highlight the standout releases, at the end of each month, AUX staff re-cap the month in Punk, Metal, Indie/Pop/Rock, Hip Hop, Electronic, and Pop with the top five releases in each. Consider it your cheat sheet for year-end lists.

Top 5 Pop Tracks: June

M.I.A. – “Bad Girls (Remix)” feat. Missy Elliot & Rye Rye

“Bad Girls” was one of our top tracks for January, so it should be no surprise that when you add Missy Elliot, Rye Rye, and Major Lazer producer Switch to the mix, the song jumps back onto our radar. M.I.A. is releasing a 3-song “Bad Girls” remix E.P.  on a USB necklace, featuring remixes from Danja, Switch, and Leo Justi.  Switch’s remix is probably the best of the bunch, scrapping all of original producer Danja’s original instrumentation in favour of a bouncier beat, jittery snare programming, and a high pitch-bent synth lead. The coolest part about Switch’s “Bad Girls” remix is that he incorporated some baby-babble vocal samples from M.I.A.’s three year old son Ikhyd. That kid is going to freak out when he finds out what a bad girl his mother is in a few years.

Ciara – “Sweat” feat. 2 Chainz

After a rough departure from Jive Records, Ciara is mounting a comeback with her first new music since 2010’s Basic Instinct. Ciara has signed on with L.A. Reid’s Epic Records, and is readying the release of her new album One Woman Army. The Tricky Stewart-produced “Sweat” is the lead-off single from One Woman Army, and thankfully, it’s as bass-heavy, steamy, and sexed-up as we’ve come to expect from Ciara. Recently, all of Ciara’s best songs have used single word instructional verbs as titles (“Ride,” “Work,” “Sweat”), and subconsciously, that may have positioned Ciara as one of the more powerful female R&B presences on the radio today. She’s a sex symbol, but as the female protagonist in her songs, she’s always in control.  The feature from 2 Chainz is nothing we haven’t heard before, but between his guest spot and the production of Tricky Stewart, it at least shows that Ciara’s new label is interested in putting up the dough to secure the right talent to get Ciara back to where she was eight years ago with Goodies.

Ester Dean – “Bam Bam”

Ester Dean is one of pop music’s most sought after songwriters, penning hits for the likes of Katy Perry, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj. She’s been attempting to launch a solo career for years, and if her new music is any indication, the Roc Nation signee is finally ready to step out of the booth and onto the stage. “Bam Bam” is the first taste of what to expect from her Interscope Records debut, and it features Ester letting her ferocious alter-ego “Susie” (who you might have heard on Gucci Mane’s “I Think I Love Her”) out on top of a beat that pounds harder than a migraine. It’s easy to hear the voice of Rihanna in the choruses, but Ester seems to channel Missy Elliot for her verses. If Dean is penning hits of the pop divas of the world in her spare time, just imagine the level of hotness she’s saving for her own record.

Rick Ross – “So Sophisticated” feat. Meek Mill

Rick Ross is the most prolific man in mainstream hip-hop, to the point that it’s becoming difficult to keep track of all of his varied projects. I know what you’re thinking – it’s about quality, not quantity. Even though there’s a surplus of material coming from Rick Ross as of late, it’s difficult to take issue with his hustle when everything that has his mark on it is of exceptional quality. With God Forgives, I Don’t on the way (July 31) and Self Made Vol. 2 in the can (not to mention upcoming releases from Meek Mill and Stalley) there’s no shortage of Maybach Music to choose from this summer. If there’s one song that’s made it into semi-permanent rotation on my playlist, it’s the first single from God Forgives, I Don’t. “So Sophisticated” owes much of its repeat-listenability to a skillfully layered trap beat by Maybach’s go-to producer The Beat Bully. Rick Ross’ flow is so catchy that he hardly changes it up between the verses and the chorus, but his endless supply of boastful couplets makes it hard to deny that there’s a definite care to his craft. A feature from Meek Mill showcases a more volatile and emotional delivery than we’re used to hearing from the 25-year-old rapper, and it’s a welcome change-up from his usual monotone yell.

Frank Ocean – “Pyramids”

Frank Ocean has never seemed too concerned with catering his music to the mainstream, and nothing reflects his position better than the decision to release a meandering 10-minute epic as the second single from his major label debut Channel Orange. Ocean’s R&B opus won’t receive any radio play thanks to its long format, but anyone who decides to seek it out will find more musical ideas in “Pyramids” than they would find on a typical radio-ready R&B album. A good example of this is the un-credited guitar solo from John Mayer that appears towards the end of the song’s final “movement.” Produced by Malay, the song’s wandering electronic instrumental is a good home for Ocean’s loose-concept storytelling. Channel Orange comes out July 17th, and based on “Pyramids,” it should have a lot to offer both listeners who are new to Frank Ocean, and fans who have been on board since the release of Nostalgia, Ultra.

Surprises, disappointments and tracks/albums to watch for next month

Surprise of the month: I didn’t expect Usher’s Looking 4 Myself to be as strong as it is. With songs like “Climax,” “I Care For U,” and “Euphoria,” all destroying my brain with awesome, it was too difficult to pick just one to feature in this column.

Disappointments: Justin Bieber’s Believe is a solid record, but for the second month in a row, I’m going to have to complain that there isn’t anything that comes close to being as good as “Baby” or “Somebody To Love.” Is it possible? Did Justin Bieber peak at 16?

Out in July: New records from Flo Rida, Chris Brown, and Rick Ross. Ungh.