One of TIDAL’s founding principles is that we do not rank creativity. To each their own, in terms of what constitutes a great song or makes one song “better” than another. However, each week there are a few tunes that really test our belief system, and we can’t help but elevate them above the thousand-plus tracks we’re pitched across genres. So keep checking this space on Fridays for a list of new songs that are sitting atop our own personal playlists. Maybe yours are different. That’s cool. After all, if you are part of the TIDAL family, your opinion matters and, also, you clearly have better taste in music than your friends. That’s one ranking we can make with certainty. - Tony Gervino
Agriculture
“Bodhidharma”
I’m not sure whether L.A.’s Agriculture is living by the guidance of “Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself,” but they certainly don’t shy away from walking their own path. The first glimpse into their forthcoming sophomore album, The Spiritual Sound (The Flenser, October 3), is named after the founder of Chan Buddhism, which led to Zen Buddhism. Bodhidharma, a monk, was also known for starting Shaolin Kung Fu, and for cutting off his eyelids and staring at a wall “for nine whole years,” to quote from this massive new tribute to “the great master.”
Agriculture has been called post-black metal and blackgaze, and refer to themselves as “ecstatic black metal.” But “Bodhidharma” is a dynamic beast of a song no matter what we call it, just as akin to noise rock (think their touring mates Chat Pile) and sludgy stoner rock as black metal. This is six-plus minutes of thunderous guitar riffs juxtaposed with nearly ambient, shoegaze-y sections, and desperate screamo vocals alternating with fragile whispers (between singers Dan Meyer and Leah B. Levinson) in a tension-release structure. This duality is not necessarily a new invention — fans of Deafheaven or Isis will find common ground here — but Agriculture somehow sends their spiritual sound into a higher unity. - Bjørn Hammershaug
J Balvin
Mixteip
Sizzling off his DJ Snake summer smash (“Noventa”), J Balvin goes back in time to unleash Mixteip, replete with a vintage iPod as its album cover. The 10-track set finds José deep in his Energía bag — joyous, experimental and overall, just being a reggaeton savant. A prime example is “No Te Olvido,” a smooth, romantic reggaeton about yearning for an ex. The standout track is “Misterio,” with salsa legend Gilberto Santa Rosa. The reggaeton cut transitions to a salsa, and we put on our dancing shoes to the voices of El Caballero de la Salsa and El Negocio. If Mixteip proves anything, it’s that a happy José is the best José. - Jesús Triviño Alarcón
Clipse
Let God Sort Em Out
Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out isn’t a comeback album, but rather a triumphant reckoning of street wisdom rap at its apex. Pharrell’s production crafts the perfect cinematic atmosphere for Pusha T and Malice’s authenticity. The emotional gravity hits immediately with “The Birds Don’t Sing,” where both brothers confront parental loss — Pusha’s vulnerable “lost in emotion, mama’s youngest … I felt it all and couldn’t function,” followed by Malice’s devastating verse that ends with “‘I love my two sons’ was the code to your phone, now you’re gone.” From this personal opening, the album swings between hustler manifestos like “F.I.C.O.” (feat. Stove God Cooks) and “E.B.I.T.D.A.” to showstopping collaborations, with Kendrick Lamar’s lyrical genius shining on “Chains & Whips”: “I’m generous, however you want it, I'll be the gentle kind / Gentlemen and gangstas connect, the agenda of mine / Move ni***z up outta here, this shit get gentrified.” Tyler, The Creator amplifies “P.O.V.” while Nas asserts his legendary status on “Let God Sort Em Out/Chandeliers.” One of my favorite verses is Malice’s on “So Far Ahead”: “Look at me post-armageddon / Walking with my dog, I Am Legend / The grass is greener on each side / I done been both Mason Betha’s.” The album’s recurring mantra, “This is culturally inappropriate,” serves as a defiant celebration of their unapologetic artistry. As Pusha declares, “Every move intentional, the links is atypical / Like baseball in D.R., you know what the stick’ll do.” This album is what the culture needed. - Juan Navarro
GIVĒON
“MUD”
GIVĒON is back with his second album, and once again, he delivers stunning baritone vocals with every note. The opening track, “MUD,” sets the emotional tone right away, as he croons, “You run my name through the mud.” Leave it to GIVĒON to make even a song about betrayal sound heartbreakingly beautiful. The orchestral elements woven into every song provide an experience that feels almost cinematic. - Tonya Nelson
Gwenno
“The Devil”
Since being a member of noughties doo-woppers The Pipettes, Cardiff native Gwenno has moved in a very different direction sound-wise. Combining that ’70s British folk sound with a more modern indie pop take on things, she now sometimes makes you think what a rural Super Furry Animals, led by Laura Marling, would sound like. The answer, of course, being: really quite beautiful. While her previous three albums leaned a lot on the Welsh and Cornish languages, she’s including more English on her lovely fourth album, Utopia. A standout track worth mentioning is the jazzy, bass-heavy “The Devil,” where Gwenno teams up with her former Pipettes colleague Rose Elinor Dougall. Exquisite stuff. - Christer Alexander Hansen
Donny McCaslin
“Celestial”
Synthy, cinematic jazz from saxophonist Donny McCaslin, keyboardist Jason Lindner and bassist Tim Lefebvre, aka the band from David Bowie’s Blackstar. Near the end, McCaslin slips into an urgent saxophone trance, his tones rocketing through space. - Brad Farberman
Lido Pimienta
La Belleza
Colombian artist Lido Pimienta shared some raw, behind-the-scenes recording sessions on Instagram as a lead-up to her most recent album, La Belleza. During one set, she stepped up to the mic to bring life to her poignant lyrics and, reduced to tears, had to stop singing. That depth of emotion can also be felt in the polished recordings throughout the LP. This latest collection of music from Lido, who often uses her platform to speak out against global injustice, is both haunting and inspiring. Lido combines pleading falsettos and declarative altos with a mix of horns, indigenous percussion, strings, timpani drums, choral arrangements and more. At times bordering on ululation, Lido’s new music is a powerful prayer. She encourages us to lean into joys like family and simple pleasures, but also to come together to see what’s happening around us, and to feel that we are stronger when we question and confront injustice. - Lizz Carroll
Public Enemy
“C’mon Get Down”
Public Enemy’s “C’mon Get Down” is a song I’ve been playing repeatedly recently. Two common hip-hop phrases serve as both the song’s title and a command to the audience. Chuck D said it’s original hip-hop, refreshing for purists. Not only does the world’s best hype man hype the track and rap a verse, but Chuck D also details hip-hop’s origins and global spread. Despite being in their mid-sixties, Flav and Chuck D still sound exactly as they did when they yelled, “1989!” - Joe Dodd
Tyla
“IS IT”
Tyla returns with “IS IT,” a sultry, rhythm-driven track that blends amapiano influences with sleek R&B melodies. The single finds her questioning a love that feels both electric and uncertain, delivering vulnerable lyrics with her signature airy vocals. It’s a captivating song that shows Tyla’s growth as both a storyteller and sound curator. With “IS IT,” she continues carving out a signature lane. - Amberliz Mateo
