Dear listener,
Here is Caryn, editor of Lindsay, to start a round of guest newsletters with bright music, starting in March, which ranges from around 19 minutes. (Remind me that if you missed the Friday newsletter to celebrate the amplifier's second birthday, Lindsay will take several months to work on the book. The amplifier arrives every Tuesday.)
I've probably mentioned this before, but I sequence Friday playlists that provide ingredients that will highlight new music in these monthly entries. One of my major challenges is tempo.
So I'm a bit fooled today and I'm choosing a song choice at something called “Walking Through Manhattan” pace. (Whatever Google Maps estimates, I can beat it.) This rundown could come with some rapid walking music or maybe soundtracking the treadmill cycle and accompanied by some lively air guitars. Either way, trust this 6-pack song to be a fitting addition to your 2025 collection.
Listen together while you read.
1. J Noah and Lowlight: “Traficando rap”
Dominican rapper J Noah spits out in Spanish at a fierce speed and catches up with her is a lot of fun. The track, which she combines with producer Lowlight, includes comparing her rhymes over the horn blast, as John Parrelles wrote.
▶Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube
2. Chapel Loan: “Gift”
Chappell Roan debuted the song last fall on Saturday Night Live and officially released it a few weeks ago. Roan's vocals deliver another winky track about her sexual abilities, so it easily slips all the way to her high register and back. This time, the kicky fiddle line provides punch.
▶Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube
3. Rizzo: “Real Life Love”
Does Rizzo wear stroke cosplay? Channeling the prince? Beyond the classic '80s Bop of Beat? It's all happening and you'll probably get stuck in your head.
▶Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube
4. IlluminatiHotties: “777”
He is alive and energetic in the 90s, and lives in this song. The song was written and produced by Sarah Tuzin (played as an Illuminati hottie) and Melina Duterte (aka Jay Som). The title refers to the victory jackpot spin, and the lyrics track the whimsical exploration stages of a new relationship over a delicious, fuzzy background. Shoegaze Revival, you have new participants.
▶Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube
5. Ophelius: “Salome”
The aforementioned Julian Baker is the producer of this hypnotism-driven track by Ohio Quartet the Offices. Salome, a biblical figure, was a princess who received the head of John the Baptist and later married her cousin and became queen. “I want your head to be a bet / I want your head to be a platter,” the band sang here, and later admitted, “This could have been a mistake.” Oops!
▶Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube
6. Takart: “Amijinin”
Guitarist Ahmodu Madasané, bassist and producer Mikey Koltun and drummer Sauri Mame Ibrahim backed up hot African guitarist Madu Mokhta, who arrived last year with “Funerals for Funerals.” If you've seen a band live, it's hard to take your eyes off that rocked rhythm section. Their own EP will be coming next month, and the single is a swirling, satisfying first taste.
▶Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube
Amp Playlist
“6 (Up-Tempo) New Songs to Listen Now” Tracklist
Track 1: J NOA and Lowlight, “Traficando Rap”
Track 2: Chappell Roan, “The Giver”
Track 3: Rizzo, “Real Life Love”
Track 4: Illuminati Hotti, “777”
Track 5: Ophelius, “Salome”
Truck 6: Takart, “Amidinin”
