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
Annisse
“Constellations”
Annisse’s voice takes center stage in “Constellations,” where her soulfulness feels both intimate and celestial. Over a delicate acoustic backdrop, she delivers lyrics like, “I’ve been chasing dreams like water / Words in my throat, feeling so stuck,” capturing the struggle between ambition and present reality. The song’s poetry is wrapped in a gentle embrace that feels both grounded and elevating. “Constellations” is the kind of song that quietly pulls you in and stays with you — Annisse’s delivery radiates ease and honesty, a perfect companion for mellow playlists. - Juan Navarro
Black Eyes
“TomTom”
Black Eyes remains one of the most remarkable bands on the equally remarkable Dischord label, surrounded by kindred acts like Lungfish and Q and Not U. During their brief initial run, they released two stunning albums — their self-titled 2003 debut and Cough the following year — just as they were disbanding. I was fortunate enough to witness their ecstatic, heavily rhythmic live performance/jam session back then, with two drummers and bass players, saxophone, lots of screaming and dancing. It was all chaos and ecstasy, and I still revisit both records to relive the energy.
Fast forward to 2025, and Black Eyes have stirred back to life. Their first new album in over two decades, Hostile Design, proves that not only have they aged well, it’s as if they never aged at all. The record brims with the same musical curiosity, propulsive rhythms and ferocious energy that once defined them, weaving together angular post-punk, dub, jazz and noise rock with effortless precision. “TomTom,” the album’s closing track, distills all these elements into one exhilarating piece, throwing us twenty years back while simultaneously propelling us forward. God how I have missed them, and man I’m glad they’re back. - Bjørn Hammershaug
Dexter in the Newsagent
“I told ya”
The UK R&B scene has been sizzling for quite some time now, producing incredibly talented rising artists. Dexter in the Newsagent isn’t brand new to this world, but her latest single, “I told ya,” proves why her name rightfully belongs among the bubbling talent. Like many of her peers, Dexter delivers a fresh sound that expertly walks the fine line between catering to R&B traditionalists and adding a splash of UK funkiness with progressive production. This approach not only energizes the genre but proves trailblazing for the global R&B community. With “I told ya,” Dexter in the Newsagent solidifies her position as one of the most exciting new names to watch. - Philipp Senkpiel
JHAYCO
“SCORPIO”
If reggaeton were the comic book universe, JHAYCO would certainly play the perfect Batman — mysterious, always has a bag of handy technical gadgets and keeps reinventing himself. Well, on “SCORPIO,” the boricua songwriter-singer returns to his futuristic form. It’s a feel-good pop song made for the ride to the club. And a reminder, as Batman said, “A hero can be anyone.” Especially an uber-talented musician named JHAYCO. - Jesús Triviño Alarcón
JISOO and ZAYN
“EYES CLOSED”
If someone had told you last year that a member of the global K-pop quartet BLACKPINK would release a sexy duet with former 1D heartthrob ZAYN, your fourth choice would have been JISOO, the group’s quietest and most reserved member — a low bar, to be sure. And yet, the combination of her deeper registry and Zayn’s silly falsetto mesh so well together, helping to elevate a track that most other artists would be unable to. - Tony Gervino
John Scofield and Dave Holland
“Memories of Home”
Guitarist John Scofield and bassist Dave Holland once had a quartet called ScoLoHoFo, with saxophonist Joe Lovano and the late drummer Al Foster. And Sco and Holland both played with Miles Davis, in different decades. But Memories of Home, coming in November, will be their recorded debut as a duo. The title track, by Holland, is given a touching, sentimental reading here. It’s amazing that just two instruments can make you weep. - Brad Farberman
Taylor Swift
The Life of a Showgirl
Taylor’s The Life of a Showgirl feels like stepping into her most cinematic era yet — bold, dramatic and dripping in glitter and grit. It’s an album that captures the duality of fame, the thrill of the spotlight and the loneliness behind it, all wrapped in glossy pop perfection. From the wittiness of “CANCELLED!” to the storytelling of “The Fate of Ophelia,” she balances judgement, humor and honesty like only she can. The title track, with Sabrina Carpenter, is pure showstopping magic, a wink, a twirl and a gut punch all at once. It’s Taylor fully in control of her narrative, reclaiming the spectacle on her own terms. The Life of a Showgirl isn’t just an album, it’s a statement, a performance and a confession all rolled into one. - Amberliz Mateo
Weirs
“Lord Bateman”
Some of my favorite bands in the early to mid-2000s were those freaky, psychedelic, free-thinking folk artists and collectives that seemed to spring up from cornfields and back roads all across America. Names like Sunburned Hand of the Man, No-Neck Blues Band, Pelt, Jack Rose and Tower Recordings, once loosely gathered under the banner of New Weird America.
Rooted in the fertile soil of North Carolina, Weirs have a similar approach in honoring and challenging the sound and feel of traditional music. With their second album, Diamond Grove, out now, they’re more a loosely bound collective than a fixed band. Weirs features a rotating cast of up to twelve members, including contributors from the esteemed Magic Tuber Stringband. They draw deeply from their own cultural heritage, yet they’re no revivalists or purists. Instead, they carry traditional folk, hillbilly tunes, English ballads and sacred hymns into uncharted territory, using fiddles, pump organs and whatever happens to be lying around to shape something distinctly their own. They weave in elements of musique concrète, drone and lo-fi noise.
The 20-minute centerpiece, “Lord Bateman,” anchors an album defined by an intimate, communal spirit — the sound of people listening closely together, allowing for individual freedom and exploration. Creating as one. Fust’s Aaron Dowdy describes the project perfectly: “Diamond Grove defends traditional music by making it sound like the complexity of today — because it knows that such music, and all the histories caught up in it, has a role to play in the days to come.”
In today’s busy, noisy, fragmented world, Weirs might sound like something from another era. But they can awaken something buried deep within us all. - Bjørn Hammershaug
Anne Wilson
“Carry Me”
Anne Wilson has found that sweet spot where Christian and country music meet. Her latest single, “Carry Me,” is a reminder that when we feel we can’t go on, we can always lean on faith to keep carrying us through. What makes it click is how Wilson weaves real-life moments into her lyrics, showing how God’s been there all along. Go listen to the cover star of our Christian Currents playlist. - Tonya Nelson
Yenju and Mary Zimmer
“Liu”
As a classically trained violinist and lover of both traditional folk and all sorts of black metal, Taiwanese artist Yenju has a broad musical aptitude. But it all works — her expression is the perfect mix of delicate elegance and extreme evils, where avant-gardist black metal meets Carnegie Hall. Latest single “Liu” is no exception, and will haunt you in the most intriguing way. - Christer Alexander Hansen
