This week, we’ve got new music for you from Slowdive, Christine and the Queens, and solo work from The XX’s Romy, as well as collaborations between Olivia Dean and Leon Bridges, and among Beck and Phoenix. Plus, check out the latest from Minneapolis producer and composer Spencer Wirth-Davis, aka Big Cats.

Slowdive, “kisses”

Dream-pop icons Slowdive are back with their first new music in several years. The new album was inspired by deep losses felt by the band members in the last few years, but they didn’t want to focus on the dark, as guitarist and singer Neil Halstead said via a press release: “It wouldn’t feel right to make a really dark record right now. The album is quite eclectic emotionally, but it does feel hopeful.” The new album, Everything Is Alive, will be out on September 1, but we can listen to “kisses” now. 

Romy, “Loveher”

The members of The XX have been busy the last few years, all releasing solo records. After a series of singles being released, a full album is due out later this year from Romy, called Mid Air. The whispered and trance dance tracks are hypnotic odes of love, like the Fred Again..-produced “Loveher.” 

Olivia Dean, “The Hardest Part” feat. Leon Bridges

A bright star in the music class of 2023, Olivia Dean’s debut record will be out June 30. In anticipation of the release, she circled back to a three-year-old song, “The Hardest Part,” and called up friend Leon Bridges to update the jam about growing up and growing apart.

Christine and the Queens, “True Love” feat. 070 Shake

Processing his mother’s death and a deeply reflective year led Christine and the Queens to release a raw and emotional 20-song album, Paranoia, Angels, True Love. It’s a meditation on transitioning and seeking a true self and love.

Big Cats, “Seymour Narrows”

Written for the documentary The Race to Alaska, “Seymour Narrows” is an instrumental track from Big Cats that starts off slow and mellow with an intense beat carried by some synths. It runs parallel to the doc, which centers on a group of people who race to Alaska for the chance to win $10,000 that is nailed to a tree. (The second-place winner gets a set of steak knives.) Big Cats manages to capture the maniacal energy that goes into this marathon: no artifice, no front, just a lustrous piece brimming with confidence. – Youa Vang

Beck and Phoenix, “Odyssey”

Prepping for their joint tour, Beck and Phoenix elevated the synergy to record a song together: “Odyssey.” It’s a glittery, ‘80s-inflected, neon-lights-flashing summer jam full of synthesizers and marimba. The lyrics almost don’t matter — but for those seeking meaning, they’re about being there for someone even if you “have to lose to win.”

Playlist