We recommend: The best new global music
Editor’s Note: We’ve pulled together the best new tracks and albums—both international and Indian—that dropped in the last four weeks. Tune into February’s playlist on splainer’s Spotify.
‘Maya’ by Ali Sethi: The percussion on the Pakistani-American’s latest single is just too tasty to pass up. What a way to follow up your Coachella bow!
‘Left Alone’ by Alessia Cara: The Canadian singer-songwriter returns with her fourth album, ‘Love & Hyperbole’—and it might be her best yet, thanks to tracks like this, that feature glossy guitarwork and good ol’ pop vocals.
‘Exhaust The Topic’ by Saya Gray: Liam Payne’s ex-bassist brings a refreshing eye for experimentation and a propensity to embrace the wonderfully weird that feels reminiscent of FKA Twigs. With this track, expect a beautiful blend of art pop and country twangs.
‘Fucker With The Flow’ by Tricksingh: No prizes for guessing that this is an unsubtle slice of Punjabi rap. Tirath Sandhu seamlessly switches from Punjabi to English to a catchy beat that wouldn’t have been out of place in the genre’s golden age. Simple but extremely effective.
‘Being Baptised’ by Manic Street Preachers: The Welsh political punk rockers ditch the lush piano production of their 2021 record, ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’, for a rawer vibe more in line with their roots. But this track retains their late-career exploration of electronic textures and pensive lyricism.
‘Indio’ by Sharon van Etten: It’s getting tougher and tougher to find fresh unpretentious rock’n’roll that doesn’t sound like a tryhard soundtrack to a beer or car ad. Fortunately, this New Jersey artist fills that Foo Fighters/Japandroids void in our lives for now.
‘Tumbleweed’ by Jinjer: Let’s crank it up a little. This Ukrainian metal band operates in exile as touring ambassadors. This cut off of their latest album is as direct as it gets in marrying their anguish over leaving home—with some chuggy riffs and harsh vocals to spare.
‘Collusion’ by Killswitch Engage: In keeping with lyrics focused on geopolitics and war, enjoy some no-nonsense metalcore by pioneers of the subgenre. Fair warning: Expect brutally crushing screams with melodic hooks.
‘Lucifer, Bringer of Light’ by Motorpsycho: This Norwegian duo traverses jazz, psychedelic rock and stoner rock for earwormy jams designed for you to get lost in. The opening bassline alone should do the trick here!
‘Paraeidolia’ by Floet: These Kerala alt-prog rockers enlisted session drumming legend Anup Sastry to lay down the beat for this Porcupine Tree-esque delight.
‘Joy, Joy’ by Valarie June: This infectious feel-good song asks you to find that ‘joy, joy’ in your soul and invites you to come out of the darkness. The song has elements of rock and roll, blues and folk.
‘Not in Surrender’ by Obongjayar: Say hello to our newest electronic dance fave. The fast-paced song by the London-based artist is fresh, interesting and superbly groovy.
‘#1 Best of All Time’ by Mamalarky: This indie rock band track was born out of drummer Dylan’s “crazy” freestyle on the drums and worked all the way up to this cool alt rock song.
‘High Fashion’ by Addison Rae: Seems like the TikToker has finally found her pop sound—after dropping surprise hits like ‘Diet Pepsi’ and ‘Obsessed’. We love this track for its sultry and seductive vibe.
February 2025’s best albums
‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ by The Weeknd: The first two instalments of this trilogy were perfect pandemic soundtracks. Now, Canada’s finest, Abel Tesfaye, rounds it off with nearly 85 minutes’ worth of irresistible RnB and synth pop—with some dabbling in Brazilian funk, hip hop and club beats. While ‘After Hours’ excelled as a purely personal cathartic work and ‘Dawn FM’ was a cool drive down dark new wave, this release relishes in some comfort food collabs and brings it full circle to his mixtape roots. With this release, Abel’s also set to retire The Weeknd moniker—making it all the more significant.
Song pick: ‘Open Hearts’
‘Amidst the Ruins’ by Saor: We last featured Andy Marshall’s symphonic folk black metal project—straight outta the Scottish highlands—in our curation of the wonderful world of opera-meets-metal. Marshall’s hot streak of brilliance ended in 2022 with the streamlined and forgettable ‘Origins’. But, but, but: he’s righted the wrong with this record by simply going back to what worked for years—longer tracks that take you on a sonic journey and bring his signature strings back to the forefront. Brutality and whimsy are back on the menu!
Song pick: ‘Rebirth’
‘Automatic’ by The Lumineers: The indie folk band—best known for their singles ‘Ho, Hey’, ‘Ophelia’ and ‘Cleopatra’—released their fifth studio album on Valentine’s day. (Spoiler alert: It’s got nothing to do with love or romance.) This is by far their most personal and introspective album—trying to explore the absurdities of the modern world and one’s own relationship with anxiety, insecurity and boredom. Our fave from the 11-track album is the song ‘Asshole’—and no it’s not just cos of the name. It is a mellow song which candidly looks into self-awareness and remorse one feels at a point in their relationship.
Song pick: ‘Asshole’
PS: Standout tracks from each album have been added to splainer’s February 2025 playlist on Spotify!
