Singles Going Steady

SZA and Justin Timberlake – “The Other Side” (Singles Going Steady)

SZA and Justin Timberlake – “The Other Side” (Singles Going Steady)

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell re-imagined for 2020. SZA does most of the heavy lifting here, while Justin Timberlake busts a selection of moves in a charmingly self-deprecating way.

Half Waif – “Halogen 2” (Singles Going Steady)

Half Waif – “Halogen 2” (Singles Going Steady)

Slight but urgent, Half Waif's "Halogen 2" offers a beautiful build and perfectly-pitched multi-tracked fifth-harmonies.

Phoebe Bridgers – “Garden Song” (Singles Going Steady)

Phoebe Bridgers – “Garden Song” (Singles Going Steady)

Phoebe Bridgers’ “Garden Song” is a travelogue of memories and dreams, woven together gracefully and delivered with perfect effortlessness.

Mabel – “Boyfriend” (Singles Going Steady)

Mabel – “Boyfriend” (Singles Going Steady)

Mabel's "Boyfriend" feels like little more than a stepping stone, something to keep her name on people's tongues following her big win at the Brit awards.

How to Dress Well – “Vacant Boat” (Singles Going Steady)

How to Dress Well – “Vacant Boat” (Singles Going Steady)

Every listen to How to Dress Well's "Vacant Boat" reveals not just something new, but a new way of hearing it as a complete package.

Stephen Malkmus – “Come Get Me” (Singles Going Steady)

Stephen Malkmus – “Come Get Me” (Singles Going Steady)

"Come Get Me" sounds a little like early-period Shins with its herky-jerky vocal melody that Stephen Malkmus isn't afraid to run into the ground, not to mention an arrangement that just barely exists on the good side of modern indie cliché.

Vök – “Erase You” (Singles Going Steady)

Vök – “Erase You” (Singles Going Steady)

Icelandic electropop trio, Vök's "Erase You" is a testament to strength although it's not outwardly apparent. It expresses emotional mutability and the ultimate belief that strength can be derived from subjection.

Matmos – “The Crying Pill” (Singles Going Steady)

Matmos – “The Crying Pill” (Singles Going Steady)

Here we are in 2019, and Matmos is still producing sounds that just don't fit comfortably into any electronic subgenre currently available for classification.

Jordan Rakei – “Mind’s Eye” (Singles Going Steady)

Jordan Rakei – “Mind’s Eye” (Singles Going Steady)

Everything about "Mind's Eye" seems designed to draw you in gently, and then there is Jordan Rakei's remarkable voice.

Cardi B and Bruno Mars – “Please Me” (Singles Going Steady)

Cardi B and Bruno Mars – “Please Me” (Singles Going Steady)

Here we have two artists sticking closely to their strengths, Cardi B being supremely confident and hilariously vulgar while Bruno Mars sings a hook designed to get stuck in your head for days.

Chromatics – “Time Rider” (Singles Going Steady)

Chromatics – “Time Rider” (Singles Going Steady)

On synthpop band Chromatics' latest track "Time Rider", the melancholy remains present, but they find the beauty in it as a means of survival and sanity.

Teenage Fanclub – “Everything Is Falling Apart” (Singles Going Steady)

Teenage Fanclub – “Everything Is Falling Apart” (Singles Going Steady)

Teenage Fanclub create an impeccably boss Velvet Underground groove with "Everything Is Falling Apart".