The best tunes weren’t all on the radio.
Kimbra, "Miracle"
Kimbra, the New Zealand singer best known for duetting with Gotye on the smash hit "Somebody That I Used to Know," released a bold, funky album called The Golden Echo this summer, but for whatever reason, it hasn't really taken off. This is a shame, as it's a huge step forward for her as a songwriter and as a performer. "Miracle" is the second single from that record, and it's the kind of extraordinarily joyful pop song that can nudge any mood a bit closer to ecstasy.
MNEK, "Every Little Word"
The British musician Uzoechi Emenike is only 19, but he sings and produces his songs with an impressive degree of sophistication. "Every Little Word" is essentially an R&B song, but Emenike's production is extremely energetic — it's not quite EDM, but when he belts out the chorus, it packs the emotional punch of a great house track.
Tink featuring Jeremih, "Don't Tell Nobody"
There’s a light, breezy feeling to the R&B side of this track — everything feels a bit weightless when Jeremih sings the hook, and the keyboard tones indicate a chill vibe even if the vocals are all about conflict. Tink’s performance goes against all that — her rapped verses sounds anxious and angry, but never so much that seems like she’s freaking out. There’s a nice sense of emotional scale here, so while she genuinely seems hurt by this dude who’s sleeping around on her, she also comes off as strong and unwilling to put up with his shit. Or, she is until their fights turn into sex and they get sucked into the cycle all over again.
Hyuna, "Red"
The South Korean rapper Hyuna is obviously heavily inspired by American hip-hop, but as much as she approximates the cadences and lyrical forms of U.S. rap, everything she does is filtered through the bold, hyperactive aesthetic of K-pop and comes out sounding like something entirely fresh and new. It's totally unnecessary to understand Korean to enjoy a song like "Red," which is so full of overwhelming hooks and badass attitude that words are besides the point.
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