Cautious Clay: Swim Home

Written with John Mayer, “Swim Home” is Cautious Clay (aka Joshua Karpeh) at his most delicate and spacious. “Swim home / Without a phone / Then say you love me / Kamikaze,” he pleads alongside a sparse instrumental. The track appears on Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why but does well, and warrants repeat listens, on its own. Clay will be on his Context Tour from September …

Brockhampton: Boy Bye

Set to appear on the group’s forthcoming LP Ginger, due out 23 August, Brockhampton’s “Boy Bye” is their most worldly release yet—from the underlying Samba tone to the upbeat rhythm. Although each member—there are more than 10—contributes something unique here, the track feels cohesive and as concentrated as ever. Accompanied by a Spencer Ford-directed video, the track may not tell a discernible story but it’s …

Big Thief: Not

Lead by vocalist Adrianne Lenker’s desperate calls, Big Thief’s “Not” fuses folk-influence and scorching guitar solos to form a track that’s both cohesive and beautifully chaotic. At the halfway mark, Lenker’s grasping for air and a massive instrumental track haunts the background—then a three-minute-long guitar solo bursts in. It continues until the track’s end, when it all but whimpers away. The band’s second album of …