BEST AND WORST NEW TRACKS OF THE WEEK 15/05/2026: Boards of Canada, Kelela, Charli XCX and more…

This is my first blog post in a looong time. I had to take a brief hiatus to focus on a few personal things. You know, the usual commitments like astronaut training with NASA, competing for the Mr Universe crown and performing a few craniotomies here and there. I’m now back and ready to catch up with some of the great music that’s been coming out this year. Artists featured include Boards of Canada, Kelela, Show Me The Body, JPEGMAFIA, Foo Fighters, Leyla Diamondi, Charli XCX and Illit.

THE BEST:

‘Introit/Prophecy at 1420 MHz’ – Boards of Canada

Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada have dropped a new double single from their upcoming album Inferno. It takes their inspiring psychedelic electronic sound and gives it a slightly darker edge. I’m reminded a bit of their unsettling Geogaddi album, but this time they’ve added some guitars to the mix (a recurring theme this week).

‘Idea 1’ – Kelela

Given the title, I assumed ‘Idea 1’ would be some rough throwaway demo, but this is a polished and fully fleshed-out song. Alternative R&B singer Kelela delivers a typically soulful vocal performance. The instrumentation however is slightly different to what we’re used to – it opens with delicate guitar arpeggios and then hits you with a wall of distortion in the chorus that is borderline shoegazey.

‘Dance In The USA’ – Show Me The Body

‘Dance In the USA’ is the type of groovy hardcore tune that you can dance or mosh to. It was produced by Kenneth Blume III (the artist formerly known as Kenny Beats), which might explain the subtle hip hop vibe to it. It’s the work of Brooklyn band Show Me The Body and comes off their kickass new album, Trouble the Water.

‘babygirl’ – JPEGMAFIA

JPEGMAFIA delivers another unhinged beat. The drums sound live rather than sampled, and there’s a brief metal chugging section towards the end. The stuttering vocal sample meanwhile has a Run the Jewels energy. As for Peggy’s rapping, it’s got a raw Earl Sweatshirt production quality to it (which is ironic considering he was recently dissing Earl).

‘Of All People’ – Foo Fighters

I haven’t been feeling a lot of these new Foos singles. But this one slaps. It sounds like it could have been on the band’s self-titled debut. Lyrically, it tackles the theme of survivor’s guilt following personal deaths of loved ones combined with Grohl’s personal controversies. It’s intense and abrasive in all the right ways. 

‘Passenger Princess’ – Leyla Diamondi

‘Passenger Princess’ is the work of London underground pop artist Leyla Diamondi and it’s a banger! The hi-octane beat hooked me straight away. It’s topped with some sassy vocals and a bouncy chorus.

THE WORST:

‘Rock Music’ – Charli XCX

I ought to find it irritating, but I actually find the stuttered ‘ro-o-o-o-o-o-o-ck’ hook quite cool and creative. And I don’t mind that ‘Rock Music’ is barely a rock song beyond the guitars. What does bug me about this song though is that it feels very underdeveloped. Like, I was just getting into it and then it ended.

‘It’s Me’ – Illit

These k-pop girl groups are running out of ideas and have resorted to just making the music faster and louder. This is the third group I’ve heard this year singing over a 150bpm techno beat. It’s gaudy and gimmicky and not for me.