Welcome to our weekly roundup of the SPIN staff’s favorite new songs. Below, sample the best from a feminist-punk pioneer, celebrated Chicago rappers, and more.
Alice Bag, “Poisoned Seed” (Don Giovanni)
Alice Bag has been in the game so long that she still thinks punk is for protesting. This isn’t a bad thing, as the Bags’ Los Angeles theater-rock nerve is still retained on her belated solo debut single, a Monsanto diatribe more potent and bracing than anything on Neil Young’s spelled-out stinker. Whatever it takes to shoehorn a little schizoid psychobilly into 2016, but all the better from a minor legend who’s still got time to make her classic album. — DAN WEISS
Chance the Rapper feat. 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne, “No Problem” (Self-Released)
Chance the Rapper’s gospel-influenced positivity is refreshing. But let’s be honest with ourselves: Have we waited three years for Chance to rap an entire album with his hands clasped in prayer? “No Problem” is still all about good vibes but trades in religious exaltation for some chest-beating. Chance — invoking Company Flow’s independent-as-f**k mantra with a wink — threatens labels with dreadheads, 2 Chainz has IKEA goods in his car, and Lil Wayne is still on his never-ending Tha Carter V press run. Hip-hop isn’t short on success stories, but Chance’s strength is how he makes his feel inclusive. — BRIAN JOSEPHS
Kaytranada feat. AlunaGeorge and Goldlink, “Together” (XL)
DJ/producer Kaytranada, born Louis Kevin Celestin, was once best known for his collab partners, Pusha T and the Internet being two of them. Having previously released a plethora of singles and remixes, late last week Kaytranada stepped into the sun, premiering his first full-length, 99.9%. With features from Vic Mensa, Anderson .Paak, and Syd, the 15-track LP leaves little room for improvement. An early standout is “Together,” which sees the producer mediating between rapper GoldLink’s quick-tongued verses and AlunaGeorge’s airy pop stylings. Striking a balance is Kaytranada’s strong suit: Grounded by a simple house beat, Aluna’s spacey vocals punctuate. “We just need to walk, through that door / Together.” — MEGAN BRADLEY
Nicholas Allbrook, “A Fool There Was” (Spinning Top)
Nicholas Allbrook, former Tame Impala touring bassist and leader of Australian psych-rock band Pond, is switching to his given name on forthcoming record Pure Gardiya (“gardiya” is an Aboriginal word for a white person). Propelled by scratchy guitars and Allbrook’s death-rattled shriek, “A Fool There Was” is the noisy payback of more than a few debts to the Velvet Underground. Even more jarring: the contrast between this song and cabaret-inspired first single “Advance,” a leap of faith that suggests Pure Gardiya will be at least as weird as anything Ty Segall’s done recently. — ANNA GACA
Rebolledo, “Pow Pow” (Kompakt)
The “Edge of Seventeen” riff used as motorik beat instead of classic-rock hook, with bass booming from the Earth’s core, and garbled monster-truck-announcer vocals dropping the checkered flag. In other words: Eat it, James Murphy. You’re no Mauricio Rebolledo. — ANDREW UNTERBERGER
Stephen Steinbrink, “Building Machines” (Melodic Records)
Seven albums deep into his expansive catalog, nomadic songwriter and recording engineer Stephen Steinbrink remains wholesome and unguarded. On “Building Machines,” a single off of his forthcoming LP, Anagrams (out July 1), Steinbrink delivers ornate textures with only minimal instrumentation. Roving guitar-work, full-bodied synths, and a driving rhythm section build to create a weightless, surreal environment ready-made for his pneumatic vocals. Recorded at the legendary UNKNOWN in Anacortes, Washington, dream-pop has never sounded finer as when Steinbrink sings, “You work building machines / Unraveling all they believe.” — JEFFREY SILVERSTEIN
Twist, “Soaked” (Buzz Records)
Some respond to frustration by giving up. Not so for Twist’s Laura Hermiston, who, along with Holy F**k’s Brian Borchedt and Crocodiles member Charles Rowell, has created a singular shoegaze anthem with “Soaked,” which essentially exists because the Toronto singer was having difficulty remixing tracks and decided to write a song about it. It’s not as universal or relatable a subject as some, but the track’s cushy percussion and fuzzed guitar lines should appeal to many. — RACHEL BRODSKY
