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.
The week’s songs include CEO of sad folk music Phoebe Bridgers returns with “Lost Boys,” Original Payaso Music artists and pop masters Tanya Markova’s satire on AI slop called “Beautiful AIs,” Leanne & Naara capping off Pride Month with “Not Supposed to Fall in Love,” and singer-songwriter neytan choosing his love interest as his bias on “ikaw lang ang bossing ko,” and many more.
No AI involved in this pop banger
Tanya Markova is back with another catchy pop song. Known for choosing real human art over AI, the band’s latest single “Beautiful AIs” tackles the overreliance on AI as a metaphor for a falsely dependable partner. Anthemic choruses that sing, “Puso mo ay makina/ Puso ko ay mahika/ Puso ay magkaiba,” show how simple lyric writing can still be effective. Whatever the subject matter, the Tanya Markova remains one of the best examples of pop songwriting at its most fun. —Elijah Pareño
Lush and cheery for a rant about immature men
It’s been too long since we last heard from Phoebe Bridgers. After releasing the record with the rest of Boygenius in 2023, the American rock singer-songwriter only returned momentarily to release “Claw Machine” with Sloppy Jane off the I Saw the TV Glow soundtrack in 2024. In June, she finally announced her third studio album, Lost Weekend, and released its first single, “Lost Boys.”
In true Phoebe Bridgers fashion, the track is rife with “Kyoto”-esque trumpets, strings, and guitars. The production is a little more lush and ornate compared to her past work, thanks in part to producer Jack Antonoff’s inability to resist a brass section. Here, Bridgers also seems to have found the fun in her folly. “Lost boys never grow up, never get old,” she rants, before ending the last chorus with “Lost boys, come find me,” fully embracing that she’s been Ramona Flowers-ed. —Pie Gonzaga
French house is making a comeback
The indie sleaze revival hasn’t reached its peak just yet. While the U.S. has entered a new wave of electroclash acts like Snow Strippers, The Hellp, The Dare, and Frost Children, France is having its own moment with Cannelle emerging as one of its strongest new voices. If Justice and Daft Punk set the standard for French electronic music on the dance floor, then Cannelle carries that tradition forward with “Stereo,” the lead single from her much-talked-about mixtape Cinna. The track packs dense synthesizer bleeps and layers of sound effects that amplify Cannelle’s energetic delivery. There’s real oomph and charm to a great party track, and “Stereo” has all the makings of one. —Elijah Pareño
Manila sound meets bedroom pop
Singer-songwriter neytan returns with another slowed-down single, “ikaw lang ang bossing ko.” The young pop artist released his breakout single “ano ang lasa ng pag-ibig? edi tipaklong” last April, which later found its way into BINI Maloi’s Instagram post. Now, his latest single, “ikaw lang ang bossing ko,” doubles down on cheesy lyrical one-liners. “Ikaw ang favorite face sa Facebook” and “‘Di ka part ng girl group pero ikaw lang ang bias ko” are the kind of lines that neytan pulls off so charmingly they never come across as corny. Neytane knows how to keep things intimate while going further into his Manila Sound-inspired direction. —Elijah Pareño
A synth-pop favorite returns to the sound of the aughts
Everybody remembers “Bulletproof,” and if you don’t, you might have at least heard it in a TikTok reminiscing the aughts. English synth-pop duo La Roux rose to prominence in 2009 with the release of its self-titled album, and in 2012, producer Ben Langmaid left the project to singer Elly Jackson. Since then, Jackson has released two other albums and now ushers in an upcoming fourth album, Old Flames, with new singles.
The latest single is “Babyline,” which sees La Roux take on older pop sounds again, mainly in the R&B-pop–styled groove of the bass and drum machine, and lyrics not unlike Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten.” There’s a tinge of Everything But The Girl’s melancholy, too, in the melody and Jackson’s voice, which only intensifies lines like “When the light is on your face / when you finally see through the rain / when it’s time to start again / it’s your season.” —Pie Gonzaga
Twee, vulnerable acoustic pop
Filipino indie pop duo Leanne & Naara are back with a Pride Month finisher in the acoustic pop track “Not Supposed to Fall in Love.” The production is sunny and upbeat, with acoustic guitar strumming making the song great for road trip playlists. But the weeping steel guitar accents throughout the track betray something sadder. There’s a lot of hurt in Leanne Mamonong and Naara Acueza’s lyrics, which speak to the experience of being vulnerable and disappointed. “Sad to think I was ready to jump in / For once, I had something to believe in,” they sing. —Pie Gonzaga
Frequently Asked Questions
The singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers released her comeback solo single “Lost Boys” after three years since the release of the record with Boygenius in 2023.
Electronic music artist Cannelle is originally from Marseille, France.
BINI Maloi used the song “ano ang lasa ng pag-ibig? edi tipaklong” by neytan on Instagram.
British songwriter La Roux released the hit song “Bulletproof” in 2009.
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