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
CLAYTON ALEX
“Distance”
Rapper CLAYTON ALEX’s “Distance” simply soars, brimming with uplifting horns and positivity. This lyric made my day: “Spreading myself thin from covering distance / Wondering how to make it so nobody gets missed.” - Brad Farberman
Avangelia feat. Jwalt
“DIRTY EYES”
Avangelia and Jwalt’s “DIRTY EYES” is a well-crafted collaboration exploring post-relationship tension and the nuances of longing and resentment beneath the surface. Over a soothing production that contradicts the track’s emotional complexity, Avangelia’s vocals navigate the dangerous waters of lingering attraction. Meanwhile, Jwalt delivers a verse that crystallizes the aftermath of devotion turned sour: “Girl, I used to go to war to make you smile / All you need to hit the store, I’ll walk a mile / I would give you anything to make you proud.” The title’s metaphor takes on layers of meaning as the track unfolds — it’s both a reflection of unresolved desire and a reminder of love’s capacity to cloud judgment. Take a listen to this great song directly from TIDAL Uploads. - Juan Navarro
Ben Carrillo
“MASoMENOS”
Ben Carrillo’s new single, “MASoMENOS,” is all about that messy middle ground of heartbreak and hope. He opens up about sleepless nights, not believing in love and feeling like the world is falling apart, but also finding light in the possibility of something better. The track flips between vulnerability and joy, capturing how love can both hurt and heal. When he sings about flying again with someone’s kiss, it feels like the sound of starting over. “MASoMENOS” is raw, honest and a reminder that even after a bad year, love can make you feel normal again. - Amberliz Mateo
Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo
“Radioactive Dreams”
Chat Pile has been grinding out sludgy Midwestern noise rock for years, while Hayden Pedigo has spent over a decade roaming the Texas panhandle, dismantling fingerpicking folk traditions with his seamless blend of American Primitivism and avant-garde experimentation. Now, the two worlds collide: “Radioactive Dreams” offers the first glimpse of their upcoming album In the Earth Again, due October 31.
On paper, it’s an unlikely collaboration, but in practice, it’s a revelation. The pairing not only draws out the best in both artists, but also forges an entirely new sound. Together, they sketch a fresh chapter of American music, where desolate rural decay bleeds into post-apocalypse. The label describes it as music that “cycles between rustic tones, snarling aggression, and crescendos of tragic catharsis,” a fitting portrait of two artists pushing each other into uncharted territory. - Bjørn Hammershaug
ebubé
“Dreamland”
ebubé, a former member of UK R&B sensation No Guidnce, follows his debut EP, Slow Jam Szn, with his most soulful and vulnerable song yet. While incorporating a subtle homage to Lauryn Hill’s “Nothing Even Matters,” the song leaves enough room for the rising singer to showcase his very own style and emotional vocal abilities. “Dreamland” is one of the best UK R&B songs of the summer. - Philipp Senkpiel
Gretel
“Unbloom”
Londoner Gretel has been writing songs since she was 11. Growing up with the music of Nick Cave, Tim Buckley and Nirvana, her sound was destined to be melodramatic, somewhat gothic, grungy, and riff-catchy, in a ’90s kind of way. Her latest single, “Unbloom,” is just that — a raw, energetic piece of Smashing Pumpkins-esque guitar rock we just can’t say no to. - Christer Alexander Hansen
Joey Bada$$, Ab-Soul and Rapsody
“STILL”
Joey Bada$$ continues to assert his lyrical dominance over 2025’s hip-hop landscape with “STILL,” a collaboration that finds the BK emcee trading verses with Ab-Soul over Statik Selektah’s production. The song opens with the declaration, “I’ma live forever / Momma raised a go-getter / Tough as Vanson leather / If an opportunity misses me, it’s whatever.” The collaboration arrives in the wake of Joey’s much-discussed bicoastal exchanges with Ray Vaughn (and others), but here he transcends regional politics as he did in his Red Bull freestyle earlier this year. Rapsody provides a gospel inspired hook: “Even when my back on the wall / I ain’t fall, tell ’em all, God.” And Ab-Soul delivers a characteristically metaphysical verse that exemplifies his technical prowess: “Takin’ advantage of my vantage point / Cannon pointed at my adversaries that I can’t anoint / The Fifth Horseman, appointed to redirect the apocalypse / In the Impala, flipping the hydraulic switch.” True lyricism is alive and well. - Juan Navarro
Tokischa and La Mas Doll
“MUXAXA”
No artist has done more for sexual liberation in Latin music than Tokischa. The evidence is in every move she makes in her provocative, fashionable drip. On “MUXAXA,” she teams up with fellow Dominicana La Mas Doll for an anthem strictly para la calle. Toki and Doll nearly combust with sexually charged lyrics, which pairs perfectly with the explicit video — it would have been a favorite on BET: Uncut. Alas, Toki continues to prove she is the queen of “la combi complete.” Act like you know. - Jesús Triviño Alarcón
Miguel Zenón Quartet
“Dale La Vuelta”
Alto saxophonist and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón has led his quartet, featuring pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Henry Cole, for 20 years now. On “Dale La Vuelta,” recorded live at the Village Vanguard, the band swirls and dances at a jaw-dropping tempo before cooling down a bit for Perdomo’s insightful solo. One can’t help but hang on every frenzied note. - Brad Farberman
