The majority of new music that has been released during quarantine has felt urgent and introspective—often forcing us to face uncomfortable sides of ourselves. However, California artist Lillian Frances has us looking outwards. Her debut album, Moonrise Queendom, is a joy to listen to and puts her among a group of exciting new artists to follow.

On "Pídelo," Frances invites us to look at the moon. She describes a bright summer night, which she’s in awe of—enticing us to join her skywatching. As her lyrics discretely shift to Spanish, she asks us to listen to gossiping stars, "Las estrellas son cotillas, escucha!" Her reverence for the moon and stars is contagious and vibrant with childlike wonder. And yet for a song that wanders through the night sky, "Pídelo" seems to have plenty of sunshine. A self-described "sonic collage," Frances weaves together electronic textures and rhythms with a warped playfulness that brings to mind recent Dirty Projectors.

Lillian Frances brings the same kind of fun, colorful energy to electro-pop that Sylvan Esso did in 2014. It is no surprise that six years ago, while attending a Sylvan Esso concert in L.A, she described what she was thinking on her Facebook page, “that is what I am going to do.” And so she did, and even more impressively, she managed to make her own sound along the way.

Three years ago, nineteen-year-old Omar Banos was making beats and writing love songs in his bedroom just for fun. Now, he’s known as Cuco, a dream-pop artist with a unique blend of hip-hop and Latin jazz influences who’s currently riding on 3.5 million monthly Spotify listeners. “Do Better” is the closing track off his debut, Para Mi, an album lush with catchy drum loops, cool guitars and breezy Spanglish vocals, but this song’s infectiously smooth beat deserves singular recognition. A groovy bass and jazz-inspired guitar line create a head-bopping beat that nicely compliments the percussion, a tight but muffled drum loop that emulates a vintage style of recording. The track crosses genres and cultures as it seamlessly weaves English and Spanish lyrics with soothing ahhs as Banos sings about the universal language of love. Conversational in tone and smooth in cadence, Banos’ leisurely vocal delivery perfectly offsets the intensity of the lyrics: “Baby I’m gonna do better for you / Because I love you with my heart.” Breezy and cool, “Do Better” is a summer love song that will bring out the romantic in all of us.

Indie noir artist Common Holly’s newest single, “Central Booking,” is an immersive exploration of pain through dark and dreamy soundscapes. With a fusion of unique sonic elements and an arrangement that skirts traditional form, it’s the most experimental track the Montreal-based group has released so far. Delicate, reverberating guitars set the tone, supported by sparse but strong percussion and synths that sound like spaceships floating through the night. Edgy and vulnerable, the arrangement shifts from uneasy and otherworldly to hopeful with the gorgeous addition of urgent strings and classical piano, allowing you to ruminate in fear and discomfort long enough to set a mood but not long enough to make you feel like you’re drowning in it. Beautiful, ephemeral harmonies and a sweet vocal melody keep your attention fixed on the vivid lyrics, which evoke emotional pain through the description of the physical: “With a trash can full of blood and hair / You had to get yourself out of there.” Powerful and soft, “Central Booking” is the first single from Common Holly’s upcoming LP, When I say to you Black Lightning, due October 11 via Barsuk/Solitaire.

Neon lights shine the brightest at night, and love isn’t entirely different—those moments alone in the dark when everything slows down, are a relationship in its most intense state. This vulnerability is captured by Lykke Li's "Neon." Her latest EP still sad still sexy is a compilation of reworks and tracks that did not make it onto her last record and as she has described, hit harder long past when she's written them. With production from Kid Harpoon, Li’s lofty vocals and rapturous lyrics like “I'm down to get bruised” are the perfect recipe for sad, sexy, and subdued electro-pop euphoria.

Loving dropped their most recent single “Visions” at the tail-end of last month. The track is a feel-good anthem for searching for what’s next. A lot of people think they know what they’re doing with their lives, but an open secret is that nobody actually does. Some people are just better at pretending that they have it together compared to others, an idea that mirrors the transparent lyrics—“I’ve got a vision / So clear in my head / it’s a strange kind of prison.” It’s impossible to not have the melodic pace wash over you with the current of soft instrumentation and gentle vocals. The track is the second release following the single “Nihilist Kite Flyer” that came out earlier this year. The British Columbia trio could be the northern counterpart to Detroit’s Bonny Doon and are consistent in delivering their combination of folk, soft pop that melds together in a way that can best be described as inviting, warm and comforting.

In the third release from his upcoming album, Devendra Banhart paints a painstaking picture of loss. “Memorial” is so weighed down in grief, it might be hard to take if not for the relief of the gentle strings, subtle piano, and simple, grounding guitar strums that play evenly through the whole track. Banhart speaks directly to his lost loved one, giving voice to the frustration of not being able to ask all of the questions you have after tragedy strikes. “Can you hear me? Did you mean it? Did you plan it out? Was it an accident?” Banhart asks, knowing nobody can give him the answers he needs. The heavy content easily stays afloat with the help of a waltz-like melody and Banhart’s delicate, though heartbreaking delivery. The single is part narrative and part prayer as Banhart moves from describing the hospital and the funeral to pleading to his lost friend, “I know it don’t work like that, but maybe you can take it back.” “Memorial” washes over you, conveying the numbness and heartbreak in the most gorgeously tender way it possibly can. This latest single is a wrenching lead-in to Banhart’s album, Ma, which will be out in September via Nonesuch.

Okey Dokey is back at it with their newest release “Winnebago.” Once again they’ve put together a vintage vibe using funky instrumentals reminiscent of folk mixed in with refreshing drops of psychedelia. A collaboration with Liz Cooper & The Stampede, a band that was also featured on their previous album, “Winnebago” is the pure embodiment of a summer love jam. Liz’s dreamy folk vocals coupled with Okey Dokey's shimmering guitar and heart-racing production is a match made in heaven that could go on forever and never get old. The song itself goes through phases of intimacy, building in tempo, going through lulls, and picking back up again. “Love like this is like a lazy river right unto the other side,” vocalist Aaron Martin sings as the song itself dazes its way over to pass off to Liz. This modernized folk duet is a quintessential taste of a sweet love grown old.