It is somehow finally spring—shoutout to the California super blooms littering Instagram this week—which means a fresh crop of sunny, ecstatic songs to plow through this week. We've got a long-awaited Lizzo and Missy Elliott collaboration, the return (maybe!) of Fiona Apple, and a trifecta of pop stars uniting for one perfect song. You're welcome.
Lizzo feat. Missy Elliott, "Tempo"
Slow songs are out, Lizzo colorfully decrees on "Tempo," and who are we to argue? Her new track is electrifying—every bar from the up-and-coming star is perfectly placed. Were it released in May, "Tempo" would've been a strong Song of the Summer contender. Instead, it'll inspire the masses to shake off the last remnants of winter malaise, while also reminding us all that you can never have enough bass, especially when Missy Elliott is involved. Long live Missy.—Alex Shultz, editorial assistant
DIA, "WOOWA"
The instrumental of DIA's "WOOWA" sounds like the noise that viral '00s CGI Crazy Frog would emit if you strapped him, Michigan J. Frog-style, to a rocket ship and blasted him into space. Which is to say: Get ready for your head to spin when you hear this relentlessly good pop confection.—Brennan Carley, associate editor
Angel Du$t, "Park"
Have you ever wondered what classic rock would sound like if it were played with the same speed and energy of punk and hardcore? Angel Du$t is here to do just that. The Baltimore outfit comprised of members from two of the biggest hardcore bands of this millennium (Trapped Under Ice and Turnstile) just dropped their third and most fully-realized album yet, *Pretty Buff. "Park" shares the same infectious positivity and sentimentality as the rest of the album with lyrics like “Run, run when everything's slow / Whenever grass is green I'll be thinking about you / I'm in love wherever flowers grow,” just, you know, sung by buff, tattooed, hardcore dudes. It’s impossible not to smile and bounce around hearing it, the perfect album for defeating your seasonal depression and punching into a blooming spring.—Gabe Conte, digital producer
Sofia Reyes feat. Rita Ora and Anitta, "R.I.P."
The mother I never had, the sister everybody would want, the friend that everybody deserves: "R.I.P" is a hypnotic trilingual collaboration from Sofia Reyes, Rita Ora, and Brazilian superstar Anitta that brings us one of the year's best, cleanest, stickiest choruses. Cool Whip stock must be shooting through the roof this week.—B.C.
Fiona Apple's "sloppy percussion"
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Caption this "FIONA APPLE TRACKING OUT PERCUSSION FOR A NEW ALBUM IN HER HOME STUDIO AND GIVING US HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF MANKIND ((ASMR // HIGH QUALITY AUDIO // 10 HOUR LOOP))" and call it a day, honestly.—G.C.
