Tunde Adebimpe: ReelFeel

Part synth-pop dance jam, part protest song, and altogether undeniably from TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, “ReelFeel” rides on the singer’s enchanting falsetto. Chrome Sparks produced the Bandcamp-exclusive single and the platform waived its fees on 3 July so that a portion of the proceeds could go to the Audre Lorde Project, a non-profit for lesbian, gay, bisexual, Two-Spirit, trans and gender non-conforming People …

Listen Up

Ballads, bops, break-up songs and an '80s anthem in our round-up of music this week

Orville Peck: Smalltown Boy (Bronski Beat Cover) Since its 1984 release, Bronski Beat’s seminal “Smalltown Boy” has remained an expression of hope and liberation from isolation and homophobia—and now masked cowboy Orville Peck has recorded a cover of the electro-pop anthem. Replacing the synth riff with a twangy one, and Jimmy Somerville’s soaring falsetto with his own booming, classically trained vocals, Peck transforms the classic …

Tei Shi: Goodbye

Lush and spacey, “Goodbye” by Tei Shi (aka Valerie Teicher) appears on the singer/songwriter/producer’s EP Die 4 Ur Love—following last year’s La Linda. It’s mellow and graceful, while remaining a tenacious break-up song with no-nonsense lyrics like “Thought I’d let you know you’re so boring / Also I’m sick of your shit.” Moreover, it’s an ode to finding freedom and self-worth and Teicher’s vocals float …