Welcome to Songs You Need to Know, our weekly rundown of the best music right now. The Rolling Stone Philippines team is constantly sharing things to listen to, and each week, we compile a ragtag playlist of songs that we believe every music fan today needs to know. Whether it’s the hottest new single or an old track that captures the state of the present, our hope is that you discover something for your musical canon.
This week, rap duo Clipse‘s “Chains and Whips” pairs Bible verses with street grit alongside an explosive Kendrick Lamar feature, Ethel Cain‘s “Fuck Me Eyes” aches with synth-laden grief, closing the chapter in her character lore that she has built for five years, and Rhodessa‘s ambient folk-pop “Kisame” bringing in the concept of intimacy wrapped in pop sheen. House music in Manila sees an inflection point with Bins’ “Body Satisfaction,” while new and old jazz à la Radioactive Sago Project and Luneta Freedom Jazz Collective shine under the spotlight. Each track stands as its own world, but together they chart the restlessness of music today.
German producer Mechatok returns with Wide Awake, his first major project since his 2020 collaboration with Swedish pop experimentalist Bladee on Good Luck. After years immersed in the “drain gang” sound, Mechatok has steadily made his own name in electronic music, leaving a distinct blueprint that has influenced European electronic music peers from producer Varg from Germany to English trance producer Evian Christ.
Wide Awake leans toward the glitchier and more sentimental, evoking a “robot-with-feelings” sensibility that plays into electronic music’s emotional undercurrents. The album thrives on collaboration, but “Everything” stands out as a defining moment. The track merges the bright snare gloss of 2010s bubblegum bass with the harder edges of today’s electroclash revival; its bass heavy synthesizers offer a bridge between playful textures and darker club energy. It is both an homage to his production roots and a confident step forward.
“Everything” feels like a statement of growth, proof that Mechatok’s sound continues to evolve without losing its core identity. – Elijah Pareño
On August 8, DJ and producer Bins released an EP designed for “late-night dance floors and the afters.” Titled The Body Project, it is his sophomore EP under Twelve Points, a Manila-based independent record label.
The first track, “Body Satisfaction,” is bright and slick, its funky synths subtly hypnotizing as a deep, almost haunting bassline emerges. Bins expertly straddles soulful and brooding elements without ever losing the groove that keeps bodies warm on the dance floor. With a growing wave of independent music releases coming out of Manila, this record marks an inflection point for house music in the city, with producers like Bins folding in subtler influences such as dub, trance, and minimal — a contrast to the melodic, more exuberant sound that Manila’s house music scene has become known for. This track isn’t on Spotify, so go listen to it on Bandcamp. – Sai Versailles
The return of Clipse in 2025 seemed improbable. With Pusha T entrenched in rap’s competitive circles and Malice long devoted to his Christian faith, many considered a reunion unlikely. Yet the album Let God Sort ‘Em Out delivers exactly that: the collision of street lore and scripture, told with their unmatched precision.
“Chains and Whips” is a standout, blending Bible verses with raw narratives of violence and temptation. Kendrick Lamar joins the duo, trading sharp, tightly woven verses with Pusha and Malice. The interplay is intense, capturing moments where morality and survival blur into the same breath. The song’s production carries an ominous weight, giving each line the space to land.
What could have been a simple nostalgia act instead feels vital, charged with the same chemistry that first set Clipse apart. “Chains and Whips” reaffirms that their storytelling remains as potent in 2025 as it was in their early years. – Elijah Pareño
In “Fuck Me Eyes,” released in July, singer-songwriter Ethel Cain steps away from the slowcore Americana textures that defined her previous albums like Preacher’s Daughter (2023) and Perverts (2025). Instead, she turns toward a synth-driven sound that retains her emotional heaviness.
“Fuck Me Eyes” serves as a thematic conclusion to the Ethel Cain character she has inhabited for years, closing a cycle of loss, desire, and mythos. The production shimmers with airy synths and reverb-laden percussion, yet the weight of her storytelling remains intact. Her vocals cut through with a quiet urgency, creating a presence that feels both intimate and spectral. There is an underlying theme of vengeance and grief here, amplified by her ability to embody a voice that sounds untethered from any one time or place.
“Fuck Me Eyes” is more than a stylistic departure; it is a final chapter delivered with clarity, cementing Cain’s reputation for blending conceptual ambition with emotional immediacy. – Elijah Pareño
Las Vegas screamo act Febuary have emerged from the online underground with a debut that reflects the Gen Z internet lens as much as its hardcore influences.
“No Way…,” from their 2024 self-titled album, leans into melodic and emotive screamo, standing apart from the album’s more chaotic cuts. The track’s twinkly guitar riffs, strained fry screams, and sudden bursts of melody recall the 2010s midwest emo revival scene, evoking bands like Merchant Ships, Marietta, and boy problems. Febuary’s songwriting carries a self-awareness shaped by online humor, scene-specific references, and a DIY ethos familiar to anyone who has stumbled across a link to music blog Sophie’s Floorboard at 3 a.m.
While rooted in the bygone era of screamo, “No Way…” feels current in its pacing and emotional build. It shows that the band is capable of both the unrestrained energy of their heavier material and a more measured, affecting side that resonates beyond their niche. – Elijah Pareño
Hailing from Lipa City, Batangas, Luneta Freedom Jazz Collective released their fourth album, Mga matang pumikit sa langit, under the Bulgarian label Mahorka in 2024.
Its second track, “Dambana ng muling pagkabuhay – Isang Pagtatanghal,” layers gentle piano chords that anchor the listener while a lone saxophone drifts through freewheeling drums in infinite space. The piece is a psychotropic experiment, deftly improvising with texture, atonality, and silence. The rest of the album feels like a ghostly film score for a David Lynch movie — and fittingly so; their 2016 record is even named after the late director’s Inland Empire.
Discovering this experimental jazz group is like finding a needle in a haystack, and it’s a breath of fresh air for any jazz fan far and wide. This song isn’t on Spotify, so go listen to it on Bandcamp. – Sai Versailles
Viva Records has long held a dominant position in Philippine pop, but within its extensive roster are artists who approach their craft with quiet intimacy.
Rhodessa’s “Kisame” is one such find. The track pairs ambient folk-pop arrangements with understated vocals, creating a space where emotional detail outweighs grand gestures. The song balances confessional lyricism with pop sensibilities, evoking the feeling of a handwritten love letter. Its gentle production and clear melodic lines set it apart from more maximalist approaches in the current OPM landscape. While Rhodessa’s delivery is restrained, her presence is undeniable, and the song’s subtle shifts in tone keep it engaging.
“Kisame” suggests an artist with the potential to stand alongside the most distinctive voices in contemporary Filipino music. It is a debut that feels unhurried but purposeful, hinting at the depth she can explore in future work. – Elijah Pareño
Very few songs leave an impression like Radioactive Sago Project’s “Astro” does. Last weekend, I heard a DJ play this at a tennis match as he closed off his set, generating giddy excitement among onlookers with the rhythmic pulp of its bebop, ska-punk style of jazz.
Named after a now-defunct cigarette brand, “Astro” is both invigorating and mischievously festive: its percussive chatter and staccato horns keep the big band energy high, while frontman Lourd de Veyra’s signature spoken-word plays like a self-aware cigarette ad doubling as social critique. This track is a nicotine rush at a hot, sweaty carnival embodied — and with an edgy music video to match, created by the indomitable moving image collective Furball Inc., it remains timeless nearly two decades later. – Sai Versailles
