Can you BELIEVE we’ve graduated from the University of CTRL already? I mean, it has been three years, but it feels like it was just yesterday that we first cried to “Drew Barrymore”, you know… On her comeback single, SZA reflects on a past relationship, that one love who’s still shacked up in her head rent-free. “You a wild one,” she tells us. “and I’m wading in you like it’s cool water.” Inviting Ty Dolla $ign and The Neptunes along for the ride, the mellow tune is full to the brim with sensual flair and exasperating tension. Can we talk about the accompanying video too? In a nod to the oft-used meme, this one actually did hit differently. What a moment. Welcome back SZA.

It wouldn’t be 2020 without another exceptional girl-power remix. Doja Cat, City Girls and Mulatto join our favourite musical duo for a re-up of the iconic Ungodly Hour hit “Do It”. The harmonies are still heavenly, and the beat still ludicrously on point, but with added stylings from rap’s biggest and baddest, which even includes a lyrical nod to Khia’s My Neck, My Back. The other girls simply aren’t doing it like this, okay…

“I made it to the otherside,” croons North-London the multi-instrumentalist, with vocals wrapped in layers of vocodered magic, “and I don’t wanna hurt your heart so I’ll be kind.” Briskin’s mix of searing violins and trap on new track “Boy On The Lake” is captivating, peppered only by isolated synths and passionate vocals. “Someone save me” he pleads over the chorus, hoping for guidance and a helping hand through his troubles. The song actually took shape after Briskin watched Mean Creek (2004), a cult film about a lakeside prank that goes horribly wrong, leaving a lasting impression on the artist in regards to our humanity and desire for acceptance. Pretty deep (get it?).

Canadian singer-songwriter Eryn Martin and her off-kilter pop and hip-hop fusions have been gaining traction ever a pal well-intentionally leaked one of her tunes back in 2017, but on her latest offering, Martin is at her most experimental. Stripped back, Martin’s deadpan delivery is called over a refined techno beat, wubbing around a spitfire of lyrical associations that are genius in themselves. Like all the best dance tracks, “Middle Class” is totally nonsensical in nature, but utterly addictive in sound.

Who’s going to pick up the 80’s synthpop torch while Carly Rae Jepsen is taking a well-deserved break? On latest track “What A Time”, euphoric indie-poppers Fickle Friends are stepping up to the plate. The track takes its name from the popularly ironic COVID catchphrase “what a time to be alive!”, with the group transposing its associatively dark nature with vibrant synths and a maniacally poppy core. This is just the start of the groups Weird Years EP rollout, covering a tumultuous last three years for the band, and as first (or second) impression’s go… we’re obsessed.

Ok, you might have heard this one already. “Figure It Out” has been doing BITS on TikTok these last few weeks (over 10.2M likes – and counting). And what’s not to love? Acid-tinged synths, dreamy vocal runs and bubbly guitar twangs, it’s the perfect recipe for a sublime slow-burner. When she’s not dominating the internet and the charts, you can find the multihyphenate artist spinning records across NYC, or even on tour with the likes of Caroline Polachek, Fletcher and The Knocks. DeTiger’s as cool as they come, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.