“My Dead End Self” begins with technological reminiscence. The stillness around me is filled with the recognizable yet abrasive sound of a skipping CD. I am briefly teleported back to my childhood, recalling the countless hours spent playing the same albums on a purple boombox until they too developed that eerie but familiar skip. However, as the song continues, I am jerked from my reverie and tactfully reminded that, for all intents and purposes, CDs are extinct. We live in an age where music is produced, consumed and promoted on the internet, and the band Dirty Nice couldn't be any more aware of this phenomenon.

If the Talking Heads were a product of the late 2010s as opposed to the mid-1970s, they would probably sound just like Dirty Nice.With a sound that pays homage to previous new wave artists through skilled sampling and synthesizing, “My Dead End Self” is hauntingly existential, yet ironically emotive—"All I need in these dead-end times is a place to live my dead-end life." The track and its accompanying music video pulse with an impending sense of doom and engage in a one-way conversation with what seems to be the end of the world. While the track itself is only three and a half minutes, its message is profound and long-lasting, giving you something to think about long after the sound fades into the atmosphere.

Newcomer Ayoni has made quite the entrance this fall. One of eight stunning tracks off her debut, "Santa Monica" showcases Ayoni's command of show-stopping harmonies, incredible range and poetic lyricism in such a way that it is clear the 20-year old Bajan artist is a force to be reckoned with. This track tells the story of a complicated love and love lost set to a uniquely caribbean cadence. Layered harmonies and stunning vocal stylings punctuate the equally notable lyrics, “You say / You don’t know how not to leave me in / Two / But you’re taking more than just your body out of this / Room." The line, “If I can’t have you I’ll slay these men and we’ll all bleed out” reverberates over and over, emotionally building in such a way that it’s easy to feel as if you’ve been sent to another dimension. The strategic removal and understatement of backing instruments as well as the clever addition of acoustic clapping elements emphasize not only the beat, but the producer and multi-instrumentalist’s range and creativity. Released in mid-October, Ayoni’s Iridescent is worth a listen multiple times over; such a strong start proves Ayoni is a force in her own right.

A rich blend of chill, experimental soundscapes and psychedelic instrumentation, MATRIMONY, the exciting debut EP from Brooklyn-based musician and producer DJ ST THOMAS, crosses cultures and genres. Out today, the 7-track release is packed with groovy, danceable hooks and unique arrangements, all of which flow seamlessly through tight, vivid production. A standout track is “CENTIMETERS,” which bops to 70s-style guitar and an easygoing, R&B-inspired beat. Like staring at a lava lamp, the melody is wavy and transfixing. Its lulling, lo-fi bedroom vibes are amplified by the crackle and energy of various synths and samples, creating an effortlessly cool, impressively elevated DIY sound. DJ ST THOMAS has a voice like butter; smooth and warm, his vocals melt and mix with the arrangement like they were made for it. Lush and dreamy, “CENTIMETERS” is a vibrant mid-tempo jam from an EP perfect for easy, late-night listening.

If Hideout, the moniker for NYC-based duo Gabriel Rodriguez and Scarlett Stephenson-Connolly, has managed to fly under your radar in the past, now is the perfect time to get to know them with their latest release, “Window.” The unruly and wondrous track is the fifth single the pair has put out this year and it is a deceptive and dazzling addition. The intro pangs of sound create a sense of discomfort before gliding into the jarring first line: “Strangers are looking in my window.” The feeling of being watched is present throughout the song but the rhythm moves in waves; before you can get spooked the eerie undertones pull back and an upbeat hook surges in, making you forget what you were worried about. But don’t relax yet—suddenly the lyrics are turning, the lights are off, and the stranger in the window resurfaces. Every time you are about to get comfortable, “Window” switches up, reaching out, grabbing your arm, and pulling you in for the ride. Hideout’s sweeping new single will delight anyone who can manage to keep up.

Birch brings a more energetic sound to her newest single, “Your Gold.” Sliding into an electronic space, the Brooklyn-based artist explores the myth of the American dream and what it means to really “make it” through a gold rush allegory. Following her politically-charged debut, femme.one, “Your Gold” feels lighter and more vibrant. Birch marks the evolution in her sound as she sings, “Time would halt when you stop the clock / but everything’s changing / I am not who I was.” The song leaves space for itself to breath—not shying away from silence or shifts in tempo while somehow still maintaining a levity throughout. "Your Gold" is dancey without losing substance. The bridge serves as a grounding point as she repeats “I hope you’re happy when the wind blows right / you know exactly where I wanna fly” over minimal synths before shifting back into the chorus with full force. With this new single, Birch makes it clear that she is not one to follow a path set out for her by others. She will forge her own.

Danger Mouse and James Mercer have reunited on "Good Luck," a fatalistic new single that broods on the desolation of our current day and age. A pounding bass sits at the forefront while Mercer sings of looking "the face of evil" in the eye. "Head up, dead lamb," he sings, acknowledging that our sacrifice has already been made. Upon declaring that "there's no divine right," lines like "In time, it ends" then feel like a promise for a light at the end of the tunnel. While Danger Mouse collaborated with Karen O for Lux Prima earlier this year, Mercer has been mostly quiet since The Shins' 2018 surprise release of The Worm's Heart, a reworking of their fifth album Heartworms. In a joint statement, the duo officially announced an upcoming LP. "We always drift back to one another as Broken Bells," they stated in their press release for the single. "Right now it’s happened in the form of writing and recording sessions for the third Broken Bells album."