10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week: jxdn, RAYE, Rina Sawayama &More

Pop any of these 10 cool new pop songs into your regular rotation, or listen to all of them in our custom playlist.

10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week: jxdn, RAYE, Rina Sawayama &More

Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.

These 10 tracks from artists including jxdn, RAYE, Rina Sawayama, Sabrina Carpenter and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.

jxdn, “Beautiful Boy”

Daya, “Love You When You’re Gone”

As a parting Pride month gift, Daya’s latest is a glimmering synth-pop hit about loving, and perhaps idealizing, someone when they’re not around. The way in which Daya details such specific tasks, like “the way you drive,” which she says, “reminds me I can’t stand you,” make clear the singer is pulling from a bit of personal pain — which oftentimes makes for the best, and most relatable, music to dance to. — L.H.

Lil Silva and Charlotte Day Wilson, “Leave It”

Rising multi-hyphenate Lil Silva — an English producer, singer, songwriter and DJ — is gearing up for the release of his anticipated debut album Yesterday Is Heavy out July 15 (distributed by indie artist services platform Platoon, which has helped power artists including Jorja Smith and Yebba). While the album is packed with features from BADBADNOTGOOD, Sampha, serpentwithfeet and more, the latest single features angelic vocals from Charlotte Day Wilson that perfectly compliment the atmospheric production, resulting in an easy-listening track that will have even the most tightly-wound listener loosening up. — L.H.

RAYE, “Hard Out Here”

Having featured on songs by Jonas Blue and David Guetta, RAYE released her debut project in 2020 on Polydor before parting with the label last year. Now, the English artist is back with her biting debut single as an independent artist — and she’s holding nothing back as each lyric is more eviscerating and empowered than the last. “My pen is a gun,” she starts over a hard-hitting beat, before declaring “All the white men CEOs, f–k your privilege … there is no wrath like a woman scorned.” As RAYE repeats throughout the track, “baby I bounce back” — and “Hard Out Here” is all the proof one needs.— L.H.

Fred Again, “Jungle”

Fast-rising producer Fred Again has released the first taste of new music since his breakout set at Coachella and it’s a fantastic flurry of bass and dizzying beats that help reiterate the fact there “ain’t no love in the jungle.” (Consider this the alternative take to Calvin Harris’ more optimistic “We Found Love”). Ahead of his first North American headline tour (with three sold out dates in New York and Los Angeles), “Jungle” is not only a promise of more music to come but a sign that Fred Again is only getting better with time. — L.H.

Sabrina Carpenter, “Vicious”

Although Sabrina Carpenter has already released four albums during her Disney Channel days, the pop singer is just beginning to unlock her strengths as a storyteller: “Vicious” finds Carpenter drawing out syllables to hammer home their emotional resonance and sprinkling in the right amount of harmony to give dimension to her words. As such, “Vicious” is another winner leading up to one of the more exciting pop projects of 2022. – Jason Lipshutz

Rina Sawayama, “Catch Me in the Air”

Rina Sawayama sings the first verse of new single “Catch Me in the Air” from the perspective of a parent and the second verse from that of a child, and her voice brims with confidence within each, figuring out how to construct a relatable dynamic and stitch it around a skyscraper-sized chorus. After “This Hell” previewed Sawayama’s forthcoming album Hold The Girl with a fiery party, its follow-up is more grounded, but no less powerful. – J.L.

Pale Waves, “Jealousy”

It makes sense why Pale Waves just released the riotous pop-rock single “Jealousy”: having just kicked off a sprawling tour in support of 5 Seconds of Summer, the group surely knew that the song would be a blast to perform live. From the razor-sharp guitar riff to the “la-la-la” hook to the declaration “Jealousy’s my best friend!,” Pale Waves’ latest is going to sound mighty onstage this season. – J.L.

Darren Hayes, “Poison Blood”

Savage Garden mastermind Darren Hayes wrote, arranged and produced new single “Poison Blood” himself, and the sonic blueprint is as impressive as the intimate nature of the track: over blinking synths and echoing beats, Hayes sings about his family’s history of depression and suicide in the context of his complicated relationship with personal identity. “Poison Blood” represents a brave self-unveiling, and an affecting four minutes. – J.L.

Mabel feat. Lil Tecca, “Let Love Go”

Mabel has soared over dance production similar to the disco-funk arrangement of “Let Love Go” in the past, and commands the spotlight once again here… but who knew Lil Tecca, an unexpected co-star on the track, would sound so good warbling next to her and above such thumping rhythms? “Let Love Go” lets Mabel shine at her preferred speed, and Tecca adopt an impressive new one. – J.L.