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
bar italia
“Fundraiser”
bar italia’s songwriting keeps getting better, and the London trio’s latest single, “Fundraiser,” might be their finest moment yet. The song’s got all your favourite post-punk ingredients: opening bass bars, edgy guitars and perfect, shared nervous singing. Add an exploding chorus to the mix and you end up with a soon-to-be-live-favourite that resembles Three Imaginary Boys-era The Cure. bar italia sound bigger, bolder and more mature than ever, and I really can’t recommend “Fundraiser” enough. - Christer Alexander Hansen
Cardi B
“Imaginary Playerz”
Cardi B’s “Imaginary Playerz” flips the script on expectations, reworking JAY-Z’s classic track. She takes his sample choice, René & Angela’s “Imaginary Playmates,” and turns it into a showcase for her own lyrical skill. Cardi ditches her signature upbeat, party anthem energy for straight bars as she navigates the production with confidence. She drops lines out the gate like, “Every song platinum / I’m not the other b**ch.” The song is a reminder to doubters of her commercial dominance in the years since her debut album. She ends the track with the quotable “Behind my back, bi***es be tight like bra straps,” a perfect blend of her trademark humor and wit. The song is a glimpse into more evolved flows from Cardi, and a preview of her upcoming album, AM I THE DRAMA? - Juan Navarro
Zara Larsson
“Crush”
Zara Larsson’s “Crush” is a perfect mix of sad and fun, the kind of song that makes heartbreak feel almost glamorous. She turns the sting of unrequited love into a shimmering pop anthem you can dance your feelings through. With its dreamy hook and bittersweet lyrics, it’s no wonder the track is already making waves. Consider this one your new obsession. - Amberliz Mateo
Mad Skillz
Words for Days, Vol. 1
World-renowned wordsmith, deeply respected MC and Grammy-nominated poet Mad Skillz drops a new album called Words for Days, Vol. 1, with spoken word, affirmations and a whole train yard of thoughts. Packed with incredible guest appearances from Luv Jonez, Estelle, Kia Bennett, Nyesha Fox and Steph Love (among many others), the project feels like a housewarming kitchen chat where artists share anecdotes, learnings and ancestral feelings. Each song is dedicated to one day of the week, touching on subjects like love, motivation, finding god, Black pride and Black American history, all over soulful beats reminiscent of Slum Village and Little Brother. And does 10-year-old Carter Sewell steal the show with bars and rhymes drenched in the origins of hip-hop culture? Maybe a little bit. - Philipp Senkpiel
Pink Honey Moan feat. Fishdoctor
“P.A.L.S.”
New York’s Jared Lindbloom, aka Pink Honey Moan, delivers a synthy indie pop cut with “P.A.L.S.” The track simmers with tasteful guitar playing and lyrics like, “There’s an empire / where we can have it all / or a gold mine / just beyond those walls.” - Brad Farberman
The Replacements
“Androgynous (Alternate Version)”
In the summer of ’88, a couple of months and a bit of luck changed everything. Financed by the sale of a pretty decent cassette collection, I dove headfirst into records. What I brought home would shape my entire musical DNA: R.E.M.’s Murmur and Reckoning, the Pixies’ Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa, Hüsker Dü’s Warehouse, Dinosaur Jr.’s Bug, Violent Femmes’ debut, Dead Kennedys, Dream Syndicate, Giant Sand, Thin White Rope, Butthole Surfers’ Hairway to Steven, Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime … and Let It Be by The Replacements.
The album cover had immediate appeal: Four restless hoodlums slouched on a Minneapolis rooftop, casually glancing in all directions and nowhere. Their previous record, Hootenanny, hinted at a more eclectic sound than their sloppy punk roots, but in 1984, Paul Westerberg’s bruised heart and melodic genius finally collided with the band’s booze-soaked, working-class swagger. The result is a rare moment of drunken brilliance.
The title, the hooks, the ragged beauty nods to the Beatles as much as the Clash. The grit, the rasp, the swing is pure Stones and Faces. The Replacements stumbled into adulthood chasing melody over mayhem, and created a blueprint for college rock, Americana, grunge, indie — hell, the whole underground map of the next decade. Their cover of Kiss’ “Black Diamond” collides arena-rock dinosaurs with alleyway punks. Opener “I Will Dare” has Westerberg crooning restless love while strumming mandolin, plus R.E.M.’s Peter Buck drops in on guitar. It’s like Springsteen for the post-Born to Run kids: Romantic, reckless and totally theirs. From there, it’s a beautiful mess with acoustic detours, punk blasts (“We’re Comin’ Out”) and aching ballads like “Androgynous” and “Sixteen Blue.” That mix of chaos and clarity made Let It Be both a cornerstone of the ’80s and a timeless classic.
This album sounds like basement floors sweating into cracked sidewalks, spilling out into smoke-choked clubs. It’s the echo of a band that turned a suburban rooftop into a stage — and left the walls humming four decades later. A deluxe version of Let It Be, featuring unreleased tracks like this one, is out October 24. - Bjørn Hammershaug
Saramalacara
“Esa Hoe / Hasta el cielo”
Capitol Records’ newest signee, Saramalacara, shares a two-pack (“Esa Hoe / Hasta el cielo”) of exactly what the kids want. Hyperpop, aggressive and emo at the same time. The Argentine artist, whose stage name translates to Bad Face Sara, isn’t restricted by any genre or sound. Her lyrics are short and swift, and they hit like a jab by world-class boxer Amanda Serrano. Essentially, her musical face card is only getting better. - Jesús Triviño Alarcón
Bruce Springsteen
“Lonely Night in the Park”
For many years, the holy grail of Bruce Springsteen bootlegs has been song outtakes from the Born to Run sessions. Smartly, Springsteen used their parts to improve existing songs on the album, which was released 50 years ago. “Lonely Night in the Park” is one of the few that remained untouched, and while the song is engaging and enjoyable, it’s not difficult to see why Springsteen left it off of the airtight BTR album. - Tony Gervino
