The Best New Songs We Heard in November

“Kendrick Lamar and SZA are a no-fail duo (remember ‘Doves in the Wind’?). And now, with Luther Vandross on their side, the result is an instant classic. Sampling Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s ‘If This World Were Mine,’ this track on Lamar’s GNX is a soothing, romantic tune that actually complements the album’s deep West Coast hip-hop influences.”—Erica Gonzales, senior culture editor

“We’re nearing the end of the year, and this song could still make it to my most-played list. ‘IWH2BMX’ is a standout from FLO’s latest album, AAA.”—Carine Lavache, senior content strategist

“Hi, I’m Sam, your desk clerk for the Eusexua waiting room. Take a number and wait please. Join the chorus of drums beckoning us to what is shaping up to be a game-changing album. FKA twigs’s third single examines what it’s really like to be chained to the rhythm. Drums of death they really are.”—Samuel Maude, associate editor

“Ethel Cain’s new song comes in like a nightmare, creeping in slowly until it’s haunting you at full force. As someone who still gets chills from Preacher’s Daughter, I can’t wait to see what Cain’s next album, due in 2025, has in store.”—EG

“Dasha is the country girl to watch. (She just performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and dropped this exciting track.) The best part of the song is her storytelling, which is, of course, a cornerstone of any country hit. Like those who came before her, it’s clear that she has a knack for saying it like it is.”—SM

“On his new album Morayo, Wizkid will have you both brooding and grooving. If you’re more interested in the latter, turn up this highlight—the title says it all.”—EG

“Griff has had quite a year, releasing her album Vertigo and opening for both Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter. She continues her success with ‘last night’s mascara,’ which she first performed on Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet tour. Initially meant to be an experiment to test her fans’ reception to the song, the demo quickly took of on Griff’s social channels, prompting the star to release the track.”—SM

“It’s yet another collab between the powerhouse Puerto Rican duo—this time, with Bad Bunny hopping on a track on Rauw Alejandro’s fifth album, Cosa Nuestra. And like all the others, it’s a banger.”—EG

“Throughout the promotion of his newest self-titled album, I have been moved by Shawn Mendes vulnerability. ‘The Mountain’ is perhaps the banner song for that openness, which addresses Mendes highly-speculated-upon sexuality. ‘You can say I’m too young / You can say I’m too old / You can say I like girls or boys / Whatever fits your mold,’ he sings. Let us give this man the space everyone deserves.”—SM

“This is a song that I can only describe as ‘brat but it’s K-pop but also still brat.’ (Charli xcx even posted the track on her Instagram Story!) Yves (of the former girl group LOONA) is the artist who performs it, and she does so oozing with attitude as she nonchalantly tries to distance herself from an over-eager suitor. Where Charli would say, ‘yuck!’ Yves sings, ‘I just need some space.’ Equally iconic.”—EG

“The second single from Tate McRae’s upcoming album So Close to What is perhaps the perfect representation of what pop is right now: a dance track with sexy lyrics and bass-heavy production. McRae takes it up a notch, however, when the song is paired with the music video, which puts her dance moves on full display. Yet again, she has proven that she’s the ultimate performer.”—SM

“As movie musical Emilia Pérez enters the awards season conversation, it begs the question: What is the best song from the film? Perhaps the Academy might disagree with me, but Selena Gomez’s ‘Mi Camino’ was the clear standout. It’s one of her best vocal performances in years, with her raw voice showing the vulnerability and importance of her character Jessi’s story.”—SM

“Sorry, I couldn’t add just one GNX song to the list. This marks another great collab between Kendrick and Mustard (or, as the song goes, “mustAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!’) following their explosive work on ‘Not Like Us.’ And wait, is that Jack Antonoff in the production credits too?”—EG

“With its flamboyant intro, scatting harmonies, and that ‘Ladies, are we ready?’ callout, FLO laid the theatrics on thick for this opening track of their debut album Access All Areas, and I ate up every crumb. The trio pays homage to icons like Destiny’s Child and SWV while also paving the way for a new generation of girl groups.”—EG

“Amber Mark’s ‘Wait So Yeah’ off her EP Loosies has us saying ‘Oo ooo oo.’ Her silky vocals are paired with an excellent, almost angel-like backing vocal, putting the listener (me) in a complete trance.”—SM

“Soft, sweet, and wistful, this Alice Phoebe Lou single captures that feeling of overly romanticizing a crush before anything has even happened yet. As dreamy as it sounds, Lou also imbues the songs with a warning to snap us back to reality: ‘Putting someone on a pedestal then makes the fall back to earth even harder, when reality sets in and you realize everything you’ve projected onto them and that they could never live up to that,’ she said in a press release about the track.”—EG

“Lizzy McAlpine joins Tiny Habits for this Phoebe Bridgers-esque track, which welcomes in the winter with a surefire coolness. It’s just the latest stop on McApline’s journey before she joins the Broadway cast of Floyd Collins this spring.”—SM

“I’ve yet to see Omar Apollo’s acting debut in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, but this song is a little taste—and fully inspired by the film. What’s more, Apollo performs it in character in the music video, which is also directed by the Call Me By Your Name filmmaker. Psst, the brooding, acoustic ballad translates to ‘I curse you’ in English.”—EG

“A slow jam for my fellow girlies with imposter syndrome: On Sasha Keable’s new single, she questions what she did to deserve her seemingly perfect partner. She soulfully asks, ‘Why is it me you give all this love to? ... Why am I that important?’ Asking the big questions with such rich, moving vocals, Keable might just help us realize that maybe we are worth it.”—EG

“The lyric ‘I am a shell of a human being, there’s nothing left of me’ hits extra hard as end-of-year burnout is settling in. If you need a cathartic rock song to thrash around and bang your head to, turn to Girl Scout.”—EG