Best New Tracks Of The Week: October 22nd, 2023
5. Te Mata - Kali Uchis
Kali's new Spanish-language album is off to a strong start with this Bolero cut. The style feels like a natural fit to her and while it lacks some of the purely infectious moments her best songs contain, the track is lush and dramatic in a way that feels larger than life. It's a song that's both exceedingly charming and exceedingly pretty.
4. In The City - Charli XCX (feat. Sam Smith)
This song definitely took some time to grow on me but at the end of the day it's really the A.G. Cook production that wins me over. Like so many of their best songs together In The City manages to translate the grit of its jagged and rough around the edges production into supremely blissful pop sounds. This time in particular the motif of "The City" feels particularly well served by the sonic choices and it elevates an already solid songwriting foundation.
3. Sleeper - BADBADNOTGOOD (feat. Charlotte Day Wilson)
BBNG and Charlotte have collaborated on a pair of songs before and they generally work together quite well. Her warm and filling vocal refrains are a great pair for some of the smoother and less technical side of the jazz group's efforts. This song isn't revolutionary but it develops meaningfully in the style of BBNG's best work and pushes forward to a wonderfully dynamic final minute.
2. Nazar Se - Ali Sethi & Nicolas Jaar
While I was not in love with the first collaboration between these two, wow did they come through with something here. This song is the most Perfume Genius and Blake Mills-sounding ballad I've ever heard playing with subtle vocals and an absolute expanse of space. It's such a fascinating blend of the sonic aesthetics of the first single with the always dynamic production Jaar provides.
1. Birth4000 - Floating Points
In a week as stacked with new releases as this one, I didn't expect it to pop up on the top of the list. Floating Points' return to house music following one of the best albums of the decade so far alongside Pharoah Sanders hasn't exactly been world-class, but this is the best one yet. And it's done with great fundamentals above all else. The track is full of dynamic textures, hard-hitting beats, and continuous introductions of new sonic elements that really keep me on the edge of my seat.
