Music

9 songs that made the internet a better place this week

by Josiah Hughes

Zayn is dead has quit One Direction. The adorable boy band has lost is cigarette puffing, tall-haired bad boy.

While that was certainly a blow to pop music, the world kept rotating and the hits kept coming. As such, this week saw plenty of big names and tiny newcomers delivering more excellent new material into our earholes.

Since we were paying so much damn attention, we’ve assembled a list of 9 excellent songs and videos from the past week. Thank us later.

Rihanna “BBHMM”

The roll-out of Rihanna’s “BBHMM” was a major distraction — on Wednesday night, she broke the internet with a mysterious image and the date of March 26, and everyone thought she was about to surprise the world with a full album drop. Instead, at midnight, she releases two five-second snippets of the song that you could only hear if you downloaded some terrible smartphone app. Gotta love that synergy. When it finally debut on the radio, however, “BBHMM” revealed itself as a brash, arrogant banger that was well-worth the wait.

Brandon Flowers “Can’t Deny My Love”

The Killers’ energetic, crooning frontman Brandon Flowers is set to return with a new solo album, and the first taste of the Ariel Rechstaid-produced release is a track called “Can’t Deny My Love.” Moving on from Joy Division-lite of his day job (which, it’s worth noting, they do very well), Flowers kicks into high gear with a rhythmic synth-rock song that wouldn’t be out of place on some sort of ’80s ninja B-movie.

The Go! Team “What D’You Say?”

The Go! Team’s recent The Scene Between album stands as one of the long-running group’s best yet, combining their penchant for timeless sound collages with explosive indie pop. It’s secretly just a twee record, and there’s further proof in the video for bouncy album opener “What D’You Say?” Combining the band’s harmonizing perfection with sunny, double-exposed Super 8 footage, it’s pure wussy bliss.

Charli XCX “Famous”

Another video vying for our attention this week was Charli XCX’s “Famous.” Directed by comedy god Eric Wareheim, the clip is creepy in all the right ways, offering some seriously weird scenes with old people who live under a teen’s bed. And while smartphones are certainly a theme in the video, it’s more of a symbol of our times than any sort of “culture jamming.”

Young Thug “Just Might Be”

Atlanta rapper Young Thug released at least three songs this week, just cuz he felt like it. The best of the batch is “Just Might Be,” which is anchored by a slightly sad, piano-heavy pop-rap beat. Here, however, Thugger offered some of his quickest, cleanest rapping yet. We’ve loved him since “Stoner,” but he’s still surprising us with every new song.

Jamie xx “Gosh”

Following a handful of well-received singles and remixxes, The xx’s Jamie xx is finally ready to drop his debut solo album on the world. Called In Colour (mad respect for using the Queen’s English), the LP will likely dominate our summer. At least, that much is true of “Gosh” is any indication — the song’s a subtle rave anthem that climaxes with a mysterious synth solo.

Migos “One Time”

UK director Ninian Doff gets trippy as hell with this Migos clip, which sees our three heroes waking up post-party in a trashed mansion. As the song picks up, so too does the weirdness as Migos are cloned throughout the mansion.

Weed “Yr Songs”

Vancouver guitar shredders Weed have returned to the well of fuzzed-out grunge pop for their next album, Running Back. Ahead of its release, they gave us another taste in “Yr Songs.” Rather than go for another straight-up fist-pumper, the song is a slow burn that still satisfies with a warm blanket of riffing and some loud-quiet-loud dynamics.

Prurient “Dragonflies to Sew You Up”

Dominick Fernow is bringing back his Prurient project for yet another LP, and he’s given us a taste with “Dragonflies to Sew You Up.” The track is a true earth-scorcher, pairing blackened acoustic guitars and despairing synths with near-industrial kickdrum stabs and Fernow’s screeching vocals. You’ll either love it or loathe it.