🎧 all playlist links are at the end of the article

Every Friday, we end the week on a good note with a selection of freshly released songs.

Here are our new #RecsFriday! (You can also find them on our Instagram and Twitter accounts)

From us to you. With love.

16 – BAILY

16 is an age that’s often tied to growing up in different cultures. In the US, it’s commonly known as one of those birthdays that means something, as one readies themselves to near the end of their teenage years. But in life, there isn’t just the sweetness of being 16. Brooklyn-rooted BAYLI tells, here, the tale of a young woman who finds herself thrown into adulthood at that age. That woman is no figment of her imagination, the story is her mother’s, whom the songwriter lost recently. “Born an orphan in the UK, my mom immigrated to NYC from London at age 16,” she says in a press release. Adding: “16 is about how strong, epic and beautiful my mother is; she is the reason I know how to be a strong woman today.” The chorus is especially sweet and touching, as the musician sings to her mother: “Everything special with you, shawty / Let me take the stress all off for you / ‘Cause you deserve it with everything you do” ⬪ Ahlem Khattab

Let’s – Darren Criss

You might have seen him in Glee or, more recently, in Hollywood and Royalties, but Darren Criss isn’t only an actor. Let’s is the third track from Masquerade, his latest EP that came out on August 20, and if you need the perfect song to work on your dance moves, look no further. It’s an invitation to party and just feel good with 80s vibes and a really catchy chorus that you might be tempted to sing at the top of your lungs. Don’t resist, just hit play and “let’s go to a masquerade / Let’s stay up all night”! ⬪ Julia Bergier

Salem – Jack Rabbit

Jack Rabbit has a knack for turning softness into power. Salem starts off quiet to only grow more into itself, and break out into a musical break that might make you long for the days when you could experience music live. But this will do for now. The LA-based pair – made up of Andy Leon and Morgan (“Mo”) Donegan – first found each other years ago in Boston, and haven’t let go since. They’ve shared a few songs as a duo starting 2019 (you might remember them from our Calming Tunes playlist) – born out of late-night staircase writing sessions –, and plan to keep going. Their next release should be coming in November, and their forthcoming (and very first) EP is planned for early 2022. ⬪ AK

Peach – Future Islands

“But I’m not giving up / Not today, not today” are words you might need to hear, especially during this pandemic. While Peach’s lyrics can remind you of tough days, Future Islands turns the pain and the melancholy into a beautiful shot of hope, served on a melody that makes you want to either drive down a coast on a sunny summer day or improvise your own concert in your room– or both. And if you’d rather experience the latter in real life, you’re in luck because the Baltimore-based band announced in May that they would be going on tour in the US and Europe in 2021 and 2022. ⬪ JB


Playlist also available on Deezer and YouTube!