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, Jamiela’s debut folk single “Bendahe” bends tenderness into an unsettling, pink-tinted folk horror story. Los Angeles duo After float back to Y2K-styled trip-hop with “Deep Diving.” Filipino dream pop act aunt robert leans further into rock impulses with “Please Say It,” blending jangly guitars and sentimental lyrics. Blood Orange’s “Vivid Light” anchors his new album with orchestral jazz textures and grief-stricken R&B. Every release carries its own weight, but together they showcase how artists are offering new takes into tried-and-tested music genres.
Orchestral R&B to cry to
As of late, much of Dev Hynes’ work — also known by his moniker Blood Orange — has centered on film and television scores, most notably through collaborations with filmmaker Luca Guadagnino. This includes a classical-inspired score for Guadagnino’s 2020 HBO series We Are Who We Are, and the infectiously sticky “Uncle ACE” from Blood Orange’s 2013 album Cupid Deluxe, soundtracking the infamous make-out scene in Challengers.
Now, after seven years, Hynes is finally releasing a soundtrack of his own. Unlike the uptempo sound that has defined much of his discography, Essex Honey — his fifth studio album, released on August 29 — is rooted in his hometown of Essex, England, and shaped by the grief that has marked the past few years of his life.
“Vivid Light” stands out as a personal favorite, embodying both his somber new direction and his signature airy sound. It feels refreshingly inventive as an orchestral jazz and R&B experiment; its stuttering beats push the song forward while the melancholic undertones linger. It’s the kind of track that makes you want to cry even in its attempt to lighten the mood. —Sai Versailles
Elastic and synthetic electronica from the future
On “DRIFT REGALIA,” Oli XL teams up with james K to explore electronic music at its most elastic and alien.
The track, from Oli’s new album LICK THE LENS — Pt. 1, rattles with bleeps that sound like ricocheting glass and manipulated percussion that folds in on itself. Filtered snares, reversible samples, and warped vocal snippets build a strange but hypnotic atmosphere, as if the song is reconstructing its own logic in real time.
What makes the collaboration stand out is the clarity inside the chaos: even at its most synthetic, the track maintains a pulse that pulls you forward. Oli XL has built a reputation for bending sonic boundaries, and he proves here that the disorienting can still be danceable. “DRIFT REGALIA” is less about fitting into existing electronic spaces than about redrawing the map, giving listeners a glimpse of how sound design itself can become narrative. —Elijah Pareño
Good bedroom rock that leaves you wanting more
I first discovered aunt robert in 2020 through a college acquaintance and was impressed with the pandemic-era bedroom pop production of their four-track EP Congratulations, I’m Still Here. Five years, five singles, and another EP later, Gabe Gomez’s musical project is still going strong.
Released in early August, “Please Say It” sees the Filipino dream pop act lean more into their rock urges. The track is laden with slamming drums and jangly guitars, maybe taking cues from international contemporaries Beabadoobee and Soccer Mommy. With the artist having released another single, “Ribbons,” back in April, one has to wonder if aunt robert has a third EP — or maybe even an album — in the works. All I know for certain is that I want to hear more. —Pie Gonzaga
Pink colored folk horror story
“Bendahe,” the debut single from Jamiela, presents folk music through a lens tinted with morbidity and fascination. Her lyrics cut into the psyche, framing heartbreak and emotional damage with the recurring image of bandages. The song avoids cliché by embracing discomfort, turning the act of healing into something raw and unsettling. Jamiela’s vocal delivery is clear and deliberate, matching the intimate arrangement with a storytelling style that feels unflinching.
She has already drawn eyes online through her fashion-driven persona, but “Bendahe” strips away that exterior to reveal a songwriter with a distinct voice. The folk influences are present, yet the mood is colored by a sense of unease, as if each chord progression pulls the listener closer to a confession. What makes the track striking is how Jamiela confronts pain without disguising it, presenting an entry point for a career that promises both vulnerability and edge. —Elijah Pareño
Bubbly and iridescent Los Angeles trip-hop
Los Angeles duo After find an unlikely lane by pairing sugary hooks with the tension of trip-hop and dream pop. Justine Dorsey and Graham Epstein lean into the Y2K sensibilities of radio-ready pop, calling back to JoJo and Michelle Branch’s melodic touch while keeping the textures rooted in breakbeats and bubbling synths.
“Deep Diving” captures the flirtation between nostalgia and invention without pandering to retro fixations. Instead, After folds early-2000s charm into something sharper, more futuristic, and distinctly American in tone.
The track works because the duo balance their cutesy vocal delivery with a polished sense of songwriting discipline. It is more than aesthetic dressing; After’s music feels purposefully constructed to draw listeners into the haze while keeping the rhythm bright. “Deep Diving” does not simply rehash a trend but instead refreshes trip-hop with pop instincts, underscoring why the band has been gaining attention within Los Angeles’ alternative pop scene. —Elijah Pareño
Dreamy downtempo, possibly the best of the year
For my money, Erika de Casier’s Lifetime, released in May, is a strong contender for album of the year. Here, the Danish-Portuguese singer gives in to her throwback tendencies to deliver a body of work that recalls the lush downtempo of the ‘90s, from Janet Jackson’s Janet. to Madonna’s Ray of Light. But compared to those albums, which still feature upbeat pop (always to be expected of our hitmaking divas), Lifetime remains minimalistic.
“You Got It!,” the album’s fourth track, features de Casier’s coy, silk-soft singing and rapping over dreamy pads, twinkling bells, and tight drum programming. The trip-hop track is also one of Lifetime’s catchiest, with de Casier repeating “You got it” after every line, an incessant, attractive offering. —Pie Gonzaga
‘90s house revival bursting with cool kid energy
“Bon Bon” is a great opener to Fcukers’ debut EP Baggy$$. It starts with a man telling the listeners they have five seconds to catch their breath, and then counting up, before the track explodes into a thumping beat by former member Ben Scharf while keyboardist Jackson Walker Lewis’ synthetic bass glides and pulsates. The production promises grime and sweat, but singer Shanny Wise keeps her vocals cool and airy, with the line “I getcha bon bon” making up 80 percent of the lyrics.
Released in May 2024, Baggy$$’s upbeat ‘90s house sound was just ripe for Brat summer, positioning Fcukers as a player in the mainstreaming of sleazy dance music, alongside Charli XCX and The Dare. Here’s hoping the New York-based duo makes it just as big with their upcoming projects. —Pie Gonzaga
