5 Tracks for This Week’s Grind: Halsey, Tinashe, Tamar Braxton, TÃLÃ and Kiiara

This week’s mix serves up five tracks of girly goodness including music from Halsey, Tinashe and Tamar Braxton.

1) “Is There Somewhere”, Halsey

Riding on the well-favored electro-pop phase is Halsey, with her recently released EP Room 93. She’s been compared to the likes of Lorde, with metaphorical lyrics and vocals to back it up. It also helps that she’s not your typical cookie-cutter girl-next-door, opting instead for a cropped ‘do, reminiscent of the gorgeous, gender-bending Orange Is the New Black hottie, Ruby Rose.

A highlight of the EP is Halsey’s dragged-out crooning that sings of her woes (“Cause I clutched your arms like stairway railings, and you clutched my brain and eased my ailing”) woven into the melody.

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2) “Catfish”, Tamar Braxton

Making a complete U-turn from her power vocal hit, “Love And War”, Tamar sings about her ex-lover frontin’ in a calm, almost detached tone. She calls for a no-flex zone to be drawn over a sample of SWV’s “Right Here/Human Nature”. Overall, the song brings back good ol’ 90s vibes.

3) “Gold”, Kiiara

Hailing from Illinois, this 20-year-old hardware clerk makes songs from the comfort of her bedroom. For her debut track, she teamed up with Felix Snow (SZA) to bring us something wonderful, snappy, glitchy, and all kinds of amazing. The first hook takes us straight into the chopped-up vocals, almost mirroring the style of FKA Twigs, save for the addition of Snow’s clear, addictive beats.

4) “Tell Me”, TÃLÃ ft. Mssingno & WA$$UP

Following the exploding success of “It G Ma”, here’s another transnational collab that has proven to be quite the jam. TÃLÃ teams up with producer Mssingno and Korean girl group WA$$UP in this track. If you think the production is a jaunty one (thanks to TÃLÃ’s touch), you should check out the impressive video, which is almost trippy.

5) “Party Favors”, Tinashe ft. Young Thug

This track is a follow-up to Tinashe’s club bangers “All Hands On Deck” and “2 On”, but that doesn’t mean it cant be enjoyed on its own. Featuring vocals by Young Thug, “Party Favors” oozes sensuality beneath the urban synth-bass, but hey, who’s complaining?

Got a music submission for next week’s grind? Email editorial@straatosphere

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