Rosalía, Revisors, Goon Lagoon, and All the Songs You Need to Know

An explosively cinematic moment exceeding pop expectations

“Berghain” is the lead single from the Catalan pop star’s upcoming fourth studio album LUX, which features avant-garde queen Björk and the enigmatic producer Yves Tumor.

Here, Rosalía — who is best known for her exhilarating twist on new flamenco and reggaeton — pays homage to a romantic sonic palette that, in her previous works, often felt like footnotes. The subtle choir harmonies toward the end of “AISLAMIENTO” from her critically acclaimed 2022 album MOTOMAMI, or the lush strings in El mal querer’s “RENIEGO,” offer glimpses into her range, yet are often overshadowed by glossy pop hits like “MALAMENTE” and “LA FAMA.” These songs, while brilliant, can make you forget that the classically-trained Rosalía is capable of bending the rules of genre even further.

Rosalía has never shied away from references, and “Berghain” isn’t exempt from that. The title alone, which is the name of a notoriously exclusive nightclub in Berlin, will have techno heads and supporters of Berghain’s boycott raising their eyebrows, while the nods to Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, combined with her flamenco-style vocal runs and trills, feels like a match made in heaven.

With orchestral music experiencing a resurgence — as more young people are now listening to it than their parents — Rosalía’s promising new direction sees her ruffling the feathers of contemporary pop, offering a treatment only she can deliver. —Sai Versailles

Be careful with my heart, my chorus, and my bangs. 

Revisors’ “Pagupit” turns every haircut into a heartbreaking moment. The song plays out like the moment after a breakup where you cut your hair, not out of vanity but survival. It’s brisk, melodic, and quietly funny — the kind of alt-rock track that hides its sentiment behind a perfect riff. The guitars slice through the mix with precision while the vocals hover between irony and confession, unsure whether to regret or relish the decision. 

“Pagupit” personalizes indie rock into their own take. The band finds clarity in small gestures, in the ritual of change. Beneath its jangly surface, it’s a song about letting go in the smallest way possible. It’s the sound of someone trying to move on, one haircut at a time. —Elijah Pareño

Honeyed bossa nova with a bitter aftertaste

One of this year’s strongest pop albums came with Lily Allen’s unexpected comeback, West End Girl, with the title track setting the tone for the British singer-songwriter’s latest project. It starts with a twee bossa nova groove while Allen, in her sweet voice, narrates the honeymoon phase of her marriage. But a quarter way through, the tempo gets frenetic, betraying Allen’s anxieties about her insecure husband asking for an open relationship over the phone.

The rest of the album sees her navigate a tumultuous marriage, juxtaposing pained and damning lyricism with bright pop production. With West End Girl, Allen reminds us — and her now ex-husband — not to underestimate the musical force she is. —Pie Gonzaga

Quiet on the heavy strobe light set, please

The quietest parties often speak the loudest. English art-pop newcomer feeo captures that muted chaos on “Requiem,” the most arresting moment from her sophomore album Goodness. 

The track unfolds like a half-remembered dream, where her voice overlaps in gauzy layers, each syllable hovering just above the static. Beneath it, synths flicker faintly and horns sigh into the void, like a pulse trying to find rhythm in the dark. What makes “Requiem” is like a club song that never arrives, and that’s what makes it stand out — a eulogy for the noise that once filled the room. 

In an electronic music landscape that has often leaned on maximalism, feeo finds intimacy in absence. It’s a quiet storm, the kind that leaves you haunted long after the last note fades. —Elijah Pareño

Buzzing synths and swagger on point

If electroclash had its second coming, The Twins would be its loudest whisper. The London duo, who are actual twins, flip between hushed vocal takes and obnoxiously blown-out synths with bratty swagger. 

“MATTRESS” feels like a fever dream ripped from the early-2000s blog era, but smarter — it is less nostalgia bait and more personality oozing in every strobe light. Beneath the pounding low-end and tongue-in-cheek Punjabi pop samples, there’s a sneering kind of confidence that makes the chaos sound intentional. Every detail feels performative, but never hollow; they’re clearly having fun while pushing the genre forward. It’s grime-streaked, irreverent, and polished in its mess. 

“MATTRESS” proves that electroclash doesn’t have to live in the shadow of its past. The Twins make it sound like the future waking up from a hangover. —Elijah Pareño

Grungy, sickening, and cathartic

Two years after their debut EP Rocket Peace, Manila-based five-piece Goon Lagoon return with “Decent Man,” a grunge-laden track that thrives in distortion. 

Opening with drums and mic feedback before crashing into overdriven guitars, “Decent Man” feels built for the city’s cramped gig spaces where the band earned their name. Vocalist Bea Iñon’s raw voice cuts through and sometimes drowns in the noise, blending into the chaos rather than rising above it. The track and the rest of the band’s work are a cathartic mess, proof that Goon Lagoon’s power lies not in polish, but in viscerality. —Pie Gonzaga

Big-band energy in the tradition of Radioactive Sago Project

Last July, Paolo Garcia — known by his producer name Pasta Groove and as the label honcho of Other People’s Music (OPM) Records — dropped a 13-track release titled Dakila. The LP follows OPM Records’ rare groove compilation UMPAK!, with Dakila expanding Garcia’s arsenal of funky and soulful “Manila sound” productions, a style his uncle Rene Garcia of the band Hotdog helped pioneer in the 1970s.

“Heatwave” stands out as a personal favorite: an improvisational jazz track that feels like a continuation of the big-band tradition à la Radioactive Sago Project. It samples General Douglas MacArthur’s “I Have Returned” speech, with his emphatic “Mabuhay!” call layered over playfully exuberant percussion and soaring brass, gradually building in energy to serve as both a stand-alone intermission and a denouement as the LP’s eleventh track. 

Dakila is, without a sliver of doubt, an aspirational release  —not only for its sonic ambition, but also for its effort to chronicle the past and future of Filipino music. This track isn’t available on Spotify, so go listen to it on Bandcamp. —Sai Versailles

Dream-pop haze with a Lynch-inspired shimmer

“Outside,” the fourth track from the Canadian indie pop band’s 2014 album Picture You Staring moves, at a sleepwalking pace, its dreamy synth pads and Jane Penny’s high, soothing vocals recalling Julee Cruise’s “Falling,” off the Twin Peaks soundtrack. In fact, I first heard the song in Twin Peaks-themed radio broadcast honoring David Lynch. Beneath the haze, a baritone guitar rumbles with the same muddy, nostalgic pull as the bassline in Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away,” lending weight to the track’s airiness.

Before discovering this, I was already familiar with TOPS through the soft rock track “Perfected Steps” off the 2022 EP Empty Seats, but “Outside” solidifies the four-piece band’s status as a must-know for everyone. —Pie Gonzagabt, an aspirational release  —not only for its sonic ambition, but also for its effort to chronicle the past and future of Filipino music. This track isn’t available on Spotify, so go listen to it on Bandcamp. —Sai Versailles