As spring approaches, there's no better time to refresh your seasonal playlists with some new tunes from your favorite queer artists. Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our collection of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
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Check out the latest videos, charts and news
From Charlotte Day Wilson's gorgeous new single to Hurray for Riff Raff's K, check out some of our favorite releases from this week below:
Charlotte Day Wilson, “I Don't Love You”
All the way through Charlotte Day Wilson's new single “I Don't Love You” — the first offering from her upcoming album Cyan Blue — the singer-songwriter delivers a sobering meditation on the healing power of heartbreak. Filled with deconstructed production elements, slow grooving bass and distorted background vocals that fill the backend like a chorus of ghostly past lovers, Wilson grabs your attention with a wistful vocal, reverberating with heart-wrenching emotion in every note. Don't let the song title fool you. you're going to 'Love' Wilson's soulful new single.
Hurray for the Riff Raff, The past is still alive
Leave it to folk purveyor Alynda Segarra – better known as Hurray for the Riff Raff – to release their best album in more than 15 years of their career. The past is still alive, The star's ninth studio album, it stands alone as a triumph in production, performance and songwriting and just about every other measure. This thoughtful 11-song project sees Segarra integrate folk, rock, Americana and jazz into an elegy of what might have been, a sober look at how things are now and a prayer for what is yet to come.
Towa Bird, “BILLS”
The end of the month is fast approaching, which means you probably have some payments to make. If you dread the thought of your bank account, then Towa Bird's “BILLS” is the song for you. The chilling new anthem flips a giant middle finger in the face of late capitalism, lamenting its money-fueled reality. With fiery guitars and vocal choruses, Bird will have you declaring that you're just as “tired of life's expenses” as she is.
King Isis, “MONKI”
If you still need an outlet for your inner anxiety, allow King Isis to help you. 'MONKI', the singer's latest single, is a stunning melodic track that firmly occupies its own space, whether it's 'supposed' or not. Defiant, but without overt aggression, King Isis lets her impressive voice do the heavy lifting as she chants an incantation to her would-be oppressor: “Save me from these awful sounds/ Oh baby, can he save you now?”
Cavetown, Little Vice
When figuring out where to go next with his music, Robin Skinner – known to his fans as indie star Cavetown – decided to combine the old with the new. The product of this experiment is Little Vice, a new 5-track EP from the singer-songwriter that sees Cavetown tackle the emotionally resonant themes fans have come to expect with exciting sonic twists. While each new track delivers the smooth, carefully written lyrics fans have come to expect, they also come with unique left turns, from distorted guitars (“Alone”) to vocals (“The Back of the Moon”). For 15 minutes, Little Vice asks you to embrace whimsy — and after listening to it, you'll agree it's 15 minutes well spent.
Monét X Change, “Body”
With her new single “Body” Drag Race The Monét X Change star is ready to show you the love you've been waiting for with a downtempo R&B jam. Filled with lush instrumentation (drums, bass and guitars are joined by a full string section throughout), “Body” sees Monét lean into the end of romance as her sonorous voice declares that she's done chasing one-nighters – stands. Based on this great new song, we won't be looking for a one-night-stand with X Change's music either — there's never been a better time to embrace this drag superstar as a recording artist on the verge of a breakthrough.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard's Queer Jams of the Week playlist below:
