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’s list of songs has something for every mood — from Peaches’ unfiltered electroclash comeback “Not In Your Mouth None of Your Business,” to HAIM’s emotionally driven single “Tie You Down.” The list also has Filipino indie rocker izzy mariano turn distortion into catharsis on “Lungs,” while Hayley Williams finds a new kind of clarity in “Parachute,” a clean-cut pop gem that cements her solo identity. Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia” is retroactively seen as a generational anthem that still drips confidence years later, and dana paulene’s “akong ako” stands out for its raw lyricism and tender, dreamlike vocals.
In-your-face electroclash makes a comeback
There has never been a more perfect time for Canadian musician Peaches to make a comeback than with the recent revival of electroclash. Merrill Nisker is as bare-knuckled and provocative as ever with “Not in Your Mouth None of Your Business,” where not a second after the song starts, she’s already screaming over a running pace four-on-the-floor beat: “I cannot be squashed or minimized / you will never take away our pride.”
With the release of The Teaches of Peaches and dance-punk hit “Fuck the Pain Away” in 2000, Nisker ushered in the decade that birthed electroclash and bloghouse, genres that continue to inspire artists and culture 25 years later through the return of “indie sleaze.” Peaches’ latest single reminds everyone that not only does she still have the sauce, the original recipe was hers too. —Pie Gonzaga
Mournful pop laced with nostalgic country
American sister-band HAIM are soon to release an expanded version of their critically acclaimed album I Quit, and have dropped the first of three bonus tracks. “Tie you down” sees the trio team up with Bon Iver in a slow-paced pop track that gives in to HAIM’s country urges through a nostalgic steel guitar. The duet between HAIM’s Danielle Haim and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon aches with unwanted resolve: “I want you here / but I don’t know how / to tie you down.”
Casual HAIM fans who haven’t listened to the track are probably wondering, “Is it another song for walking?” to which I say: It’s perfect for a sunset stroll if you’re feeling blue, but not necessarily looking for a pick-me-up. —Pie Gonzaga
Melodies, pain, and a lot of strength
“Lungs” by izzy mariano feels like standing too close to the speaker in a cramped room, every note vibrating with raw urgency. The Filipino indie rock singer-songwriter turns feedback and distortion into confessionals, channeling heartbreak and resilience through shoegaze grit. Her voice cuts through the haze with bruised intensity, shifting between calm and chaos as if the act of singing itself is an exorcism.
“Lungs” thrives on its imperfections: it gasps, it cracks, it bleeds. The song embodies the process of enduring pain, layering emotion within walls of sound that feel both suffocating and freeing. In a scene often obsessed with polish, mariano’s rough textures and emotional candor carve out something strikingly alive. —Elijah Pareño
A change of pace, sound, and hair color
“Parachute” is a sharp reminder that Hayley Williams’ instincts as a songwriter extend far beyond the Paramore blueprint. Off her solo record Ego Death at the Bachelorette Party, the song leans into a more polished, pop-structured sensibility without losing her emotional precision.
Williams treats vulnerability like choreography — controlled, deliberate, and never overwrought. Her voice floats cleanly above the synth textures, landing each lyric with quiet conviction. “Parachute” stands as the clearest expression of her solo identity, a balance between weightlessness and intent. It’s the sound of an artist stepping out of a legacy band’s shadow not by reinventing herself, but by showing that her pop instincts were always there, waiting to be seen in full light. —Elijah Pareño
Vulnerable lyricism sung with power
Following 2024’s “uod love story” is Filipino singer-songwriter dana paulene’s “akong ako,” a dream pop track anchored on the steady groove of OPM soft rock and given a slight R&B twist with vocals. “Nakita mo nang walang kolorete sa aking mukha / nakita mo na rin kung paano tumulo ang mga luha,” she sings. Here, Dana shows off her capabilities as a vocalist, crooning in verses before belting belting and deploying a vibrato in the chorus. Billie Eilish, meet your Filipino dream pop ender. —Pie Gonzaga
Atlanta’s ad-lib master in effect
When Playboi Carti dropped “Magnolia” in 2017, it rewrote the sound of an entire generation’s idea of cool. With Pierre Bourne’s iconic tag setting the tone, Carti turned a minimalist beat into a global phenomenon, his ad-libs echoing like punctuation marks of swagger. The track marked the moment he shifted from Atlanta’s underground to rap’s avant-garde, bringing chaos and style to the mainstream.
“Magnolia” thrives on repetition and rhythm, a hypnotic loop that captures a cultural pulse in real-time. What started as a flex became an anthem, one that still defines Carti’s blueprint as a star who doesn’t need to say much to be heard. —Elijah Pareño
