Staff Selects: Playlist 002

Futuristic, provocative, and unapologetically raw. “Puta” is a cybernetic reggaeton anthem that melds industrial textures with high-femme bravado, delivering a sonic assault that is both sensual and confrontational. Arca’s meticulous self-production and bold lyricism challenge genre conventions, asserting her dominance in the avant-pop landscape.

“Seein Stars” drifts away from hardcore’s tight grip and leans fully into something softer, more reflective. With sun-warped guitars and melodic vocals, it plays like a love song to transformation. Proof that Turnstile can radiate just as powerfully when they slow the tempo and let the light in. It’s emotional, bright, and unafraid to feel good.

This track floats with the ease of two artists who’ve mastered their lane. Jay Worthy’s bars are sharp but relaxed, while LNDN DRGS lay down a buttery synth groove that feels built for sunset drives. “Calamari” doesn’t shout to get your attention. It smirks, knowing it already has it. A low-key flex dressed in West Coast polish.

The energy is magnetic. CA7RIEL and Paco Amoroso don’t follow structure — they bend it to their will, flipping between flows, moods, and genres like it’s a dare. “EL DÍA DEL AMIGO” feels like a celebration and a glitch, all at once — full of detail, punch, and the kind of chaos that only works when every move is intentional.

Stripped of gloss and packed with heat, “Ian Gone Lie” sounds like it was made in one take and never needed a second. Glokk40Spaz raps like he’s chasing something down, voice pushed forward over bare production that leaves no room to hide. The intensity is the point — raw, urgent, and impossible to ignore.

Everything about “Rare Baby” feels warped in a beautiful way, like a pop song filtered through a funhouse mirror. Kuki’s voice hovers just above the mix, soft but unshakable, while the production folds in and out of itself with dreamy unease. It’s catchy, sure, but also slightly haunting. Like remembering something that never quite happened.

“Rivet gun” is built from noise, distortion, and the feeling of something unraveling in real time. Mother Soki creates a world where vocals blur into machinery and rhythm turns into resistance. It’s physical, jarring, and oddly ritualistic. A purge through sound.

“Pal Pal” floats at its own pace, letting its pieces drift and click into place like a dream you’re still half in. Afusic plays with texture more than structure, layering whispers, glitches, and melody until the whole track feels suspended in air. It’s soft but not fragile. The kind of track that rewards stillness.

With minimal elements and a quiet confidence, “Clear Sky” builds its world slowly. DeerPark leans into restraint, allowing ambient tones and ghostlike melodies to create space rather than fill it. There’s a warmth under the haze, like watching light change through fog. Simple, but affecting in all the right ways.

Every sound here feels like it was found in a forgotten crate and reassembled with care. “Flight to the Jungle” loops and sways through vintage samples and tropical textures, never in a rush but always in motion. Monster Rally’s collage work isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about escape and the joy of getting lost inside a sound.