Dear listeners,
Did any musician have a better February than Doechii?* Going into this month, the Tampa, Fla., rapper and self-proclaimed Swamp Princess was a rising star but hardly a household name. Then on Feb. 2, she had a breakout night at the Grammys, giving an unforgettable (and impressively gymnastic) performance that showcased the full scope of her artistic vision, pulling off an upset win in the best rap album category for her razor-sharp “Alligator Bites Never Heal” and giving one of the night’s most memorable, emotional speeches. If you didn’t know her in January, you know her now.
But as Doechii makes clear on “Nosebleeds,” an audacious one-off single she dropped just hours after her triumphant Grammy night, she was fully prepared to win that award. “Will she ever lose?” she ponders on the track with her signature cartoonish bite, before offering an answer straight out of another famous Grammy speech: “I guess we’ll never know.”
Doechii’s bold, keyed-up victory lap kicks off this eclectic roundup of some of the most notable new songs released in February, though it eventually segues into some softer sounds from the indie-rock group Mamalarky, the alt-country staple Waxahatchee, and the ambient folk composer William Tyler, among others. What would happen if you didn’t have any new music to listen to this month? I guess we’ll never know.
Cut my mic off ’cause I’m ’bout to misbehave,
Lindsay
*OK, maybe Kendrick Lamar, but that’s the only other acceptable answer!
Listen along while you read.
1. Doechii: “Nosebleeds”
There’s a Grammy Award on the cover of this single that she obviously prepared well before the ceremony: That’s the confidence of a superstar in the making. (I appreciate this comment on the YouTube video: “Obsessed with the concept of Doechii having a folder for ‘Songs if I win the Grammys’ and ‘Songs if I don’t.’”)
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
2. Valerie June: “Joy, Joy!”
The Memphis-born singer-songwriter Valerie June — who describes her unique sound as “organic moonshine roots music” — offers a jolt of positivity on this first single from her upcoming sixth studio album “Owls, Omens, and Oracles.” “I found that joy, joy in my soul,” she sings on the brassy, blown-out chorus, which finds her playing with the elasticity of her voice’s range. I believe her: She certainly sounds like she’s having fun!
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
3. Perfume Genius Featuring Aldous Harding: “No Front Teeth”
I already put a Perfume Genius song on last month’s new songs roundup, but the singles from his upcoming album “Glory” have been too good to ignore, so here’s another one. An eerie, acoustic tune that suddenly erupts into a stomping, psych-rock freak-out, “No Front Teeth” features haunting vocals from the gloriously strange New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding — who fits right into Perfume Genius’s surreal sonic universe. (If you’re unfamiliar with Harding, start with the video for “The Barrel,” and thank me later.)
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
4. Mamalarky: “#1 Best of All Time”
Here’s a band I discovered very recently and have been digging: The Texas four-piece Mamalarky. (No, I have no idea what the name means.) Mamalarky is one of those groups driven by a tension between technical complexity and pop simplicity, a push-and-pull you can hear on this single from the upcoming album “Hex Key.” Skittish percussion and elastic bass lines provide a constantly shifting foundation for the lead singer Livvy Bennett’s wryly chiming vocals. “Don’t think you could guess my next move in chess and checkers,” she sings — a fitting sentiment for a song that revels in unexpected twists and turns.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
5. Obongjayar: “Not in Surrender”
“I don’t wanna stand still,” the Nigerian-born, British-based musician Obongjayar sings halfway through this new single — but the kinetic beat and electrified atmosphere has already made that plenty clear. Obongjayar (Steven Umoh) melds the sounds of Afrobeat, electro-pop, funk and hip-hop to create his unique style. If you’re new to his music, his Tiny Desk performance from 2023 is a good introduction.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
6. Waxahatchee: “Mud”
Waxahatchee’s incisive “Tigers Blood” was No. 9 on my list of the best albums of 2024, and this recently released outtake is as good as anything on the record. “I’m a fool in angel’s clothing, I’m a glutton for being let down,” Katie Crutchfield howls, untangling a ball of knotted feelings while the song’s banjo, lightly brushed percussion and warm backing vocals soften her edges.
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
7. William Tyler: “Concern”
Finally, I’ll play you out with the latest transmission of bliss from the Nashville guitarist and composer William Tyler. Tyler’s wordless music offers an ethereal and ambient-minded take on country and folk; I love his 2016 album “Modern Country” as well as his stirring score for Kelly Reichardt’s great 2019 deconstructed western “First Cow.” This luminous soundscape is from his upcoming solo album — out April 25 — which has a title that beautifully describes the weightlessness that Tyler conjures through his best music: “Time Indefinite.”
▶ Listen on Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube
The Amplifier Playlist
“7 New Songs You Should Hear Now” track list
Track 1: Doechii, “Nosebleeds”
Track 2: Valerie June, “Joy, Joy!”
Track 3: Perfume Genius featuring Aldous Harding, “No Front Teeth”
Track 4: Mamalarky, “#1 Best of All Time”
Track 5: Obongjayar, “Not in Surrender”
Track 6: Waxahatchee, “Mud”
Track 7: William Tyler, “Concern”
