Welcome to the May edition of Beats Per Minute’s monthly playlist BPM Curates.
Up here in the Northern Hemisphere the days are getting longer and warmer, and those evenings when it’s nice to just sit out and breathe in the air are the perfect time to sample our new playlist and find you summer obsession.
Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
Alex G – “Afterlife”
Bees knees, cracked screens, pissed jeans – fuck it – Alex G in nine, as in, across his first nine albums, our beloved Philly freak has plucked heartstrings with his weird, warped, and deeply charming lo-fi indie rock. But with his 10th on the way, as all true ball knowers understand, a glow-up is necessary – if not a birthright – for all legends. Now on RCA, Mr. G launches us into a higher plane with “Afterlife,” a bittersweet, sun-kissed earworm that reassures us: even with a major label logo slapped on the record sleeve, he’s still digging into that same strange, beautiful crevice he reached into on earlier projects like Trick and DSU. It’s more hi-fi, sure, but without all the bells, whistles, or unnecessary glossy luster you might expect when someone “goes big.” – Kyle Kohner
billy woods – “Corinthians”
As much as I love Aethiopes – and woods’ work in general – I’m slightly ashamed to admit this one took some time to sink in. As dense and demanding (but oh so worth the effort) as he always is, GOLLIWOG lurched forward, endlessly, like an inevitable wraith, coming for you, regardless of where you might think to sequester yourself. Picking a best track is nigh impossible, but this one is a solid representation of its threatening, weary, righteous fury. Let that beat envelop you. – Chase McMullen
Dirty Nice – “That’s What We Do”
Evoking indie pop from 10-15 years ago, “That’s What We Do” is a infectious and delightful highlight from Dirty Nice’s new album Planet Weekend. Chirpy, with hints of MGMT, an “On Melancholy Hill”-like synth glow, and upbeat vibes that will take you to the beach with a pep in your step. Just a fun and amiable song of friendship, and we all deserve a little something nice, alright? – Ray Finlayson
Ex Agent – “Jessie’s Christ”
Ex Agent return with “Jessie’s Christ” (included on the band’s upcoming EP, New Assumptions, out on July 30). The track is built around alternately reverb-y and staccato guitars, melodic drums, and Evo Ethel’s hardcore-strained cum quirky vocal. Over the four-minute piece, Ex Agent align themselves with the sexualized gestalts of Dogsbody-era Model/Actriz and the jazzily experimental domain of Squid circa Bright Green Field – the Bristol-based quintet reveling in agitation, striving for catharsis (which seems appropriately and irrevocably just out of reach). – John Amen
Fiona Grey – “Another Casualty”
LA artist Fiona Grey is like Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell: a gifted singer who reaches really deep to write songs that are enduringly beautiful. “Another Casualty” is a blistering, cathartic song that explores what it’s like to get towed under by a self-destructive loved one. It’s a stunning preview of Fiona’s upcoming Adult Tantrums album. – Larry McClain
Georgie & Joe – “Pacemaker”
Georgie Hoare and Joe Bedell-Brill are superb East London singers and producers who know how to wring pop enchantment out of the Yamaha DX7 synth. “Pacemaker” is beautifully crafted and sung – and G&J could soon be hailed as a more talented version of Sonny & Cher. – Larry McClain
Gledd – “Sere Yo”
Self-proclaimed nomad Gledd delivers a global knockout with “Sere Yo” off of Adeen Records’ newest release Picked Treats. Propulsive drums, layered vocals, and Afro-laced electric guitar licks provide electronically-organic grooves across five minutes that is perfectly suitable for your weekend plans to dance until the sun rises. – Nathan Skinner
Glóey – “Away”
Icelandic artist Glóey makes a remarkable debut with “Away” – a queer love ballad that’s intimate and beautifully sung. Glóey has the potential to be the brightest star from Iceland since Björk. – Larry McClain
Greet Death – “Motherfucker”
Given the title, you might expect “Motherfucker” to be an angry song, but this is the band’s self-proclaimed “depression anthem”. Yes, this is a “motherfucker” you mutter under your breath as the 1,000th thing that could fuck up your week happens and you just don’t have any strength left to rage about it. You just give in and let the pain wash over you – which, in Greet Death’s hands comes across as deeply melodic, fuzzed-up waves of aural dopamine, turning that anguish into a numbing euphoria. – Rob Hakimian
IU – “A Beautiful Person” (feat. Balming Tiger)
For all the pleasures to be found within IU’s “big” releases – the one she puts retaining her Korean pop queen crown level pressure on – her “in between” drops let her stick to her favorite pocket: creative tinkering. Her third Flower Bookmark release sticks to the mission statement: recontextualizing, typically completely reimagining, Korean songs of yesteryear, rather than just covering them. All at once, she breathes new life into moments that inspired her, presenting them to a new audience (and generations), honoring her musical upbringing while simultaneously staking her own legacy and place within Korean music history.
Oh, and the songs are bops. There’s a live feeling to the playful, carefree energy here, masking the care and cleverly considered layers at play. Jazz flourishes! Nintendo-type noises! Bits of Sade! A total pleasure, and a rare glimpse into a generational talent’s process, unburdened a tad by the weight of being “IU”. – Chase McMullen
Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer – “Side by Side” (feat. Jeff Parker)
A nimble and brief new single from modular synthesist Jeremiah Chiu and violist Marta Sofia Honer, offering a brief taste of their forthcoming album, Different Rooms. Featuring some dotting and wandering guitar from Jeff Parker, the track slowly burbles and lightly swells. It’s a small playground for all players to showcase their talents, and a prelude to something else on the album. Call it a curious whetting of the appetite. – Ray Finlayson
Model/Actriz – “Acid Rain”
On an album packed with punk bangers, the most impressive track is this devastating, Beatles-tinged ballad. “Acid Rain” has Cole Haden observe two hummingbirds in his garden, comparing them to his own awkwardness, loneliness, brokenness. The rejection that can be central to queer life experiences becomes palpable, as Haden confesses that the reason he sings is that it made others perceive him as more lovable, all while his shape is the ultimate contrast to the kinetic, weightless, free birds. I’ve seen people say Model/Actriz are at their best when they calm down, and “Acid Rain” is a great argument for this claim. – John Wohlmacher
Puma Blue – “It’s Always You”
During heroin’s glamourised 90s resurgence, the sight of a Chet Baker poster in someone’s room was a quiet cry for help. That poster has always been in the background of Puma Blue’s recordings, and with his cover Jacob Allen makes that connection official. Awash in the knee-buckling reverberations of a baritone guitar, this version departs from others (from Sinatra to She & Him) by retreating. Elegaic and bearing a strong resemblance to Big Star’s “Kanga Roo”, sudden guitar chords indicate a fragile disposition amid its almost unbearable loneliness. – Steve Forstneger
QRTR – “Let’s Get Used”
In the four years since her debut, infina ad nausea, QRTR’s singles and remix work has stemmed from the album’s more sinister and anxiety-riddled threads. “Let’s Get Used”, however, returns to tracks like “With You” for their vocals and pop flair. Allegedly (and surprisingly) inspired by Vengaboys, this single serves as both a love letter to trance and a chance to experiment with songwriting. Meagan Rodriguez wrote on Instragram that her current obsession with sad-girl music collided with a recent experience where she let a bad situation unfold just to watch it play out. Count this among its silver linings. – Steve Forstneger
Red Velvet – IRENE & SEULGI – “Trampoline”
Dropping the same week as IU was bold: Irene & Seulgi had to put in real work to tear my attention away, and put in the work they did. Seventeen minutes can’t help but feel a bit slight after a practically five-year wait for more duo action, but it’s a nice lil’ slice of K-pop bliss. “What’s Your Problem?” bounces with skittish energy, but it’s “Trampoline” that has embedded itself in my ears, I can’t get the damn hook out of my brain half the day. With sing-song verses, a weird string sample (?), intermittent G-Funk-esque keys that’d no doubt have amused Dre and Scott Storch back in 1999 as to just how far-reaching their sound would remain, and that effortless, glorious chorus… bounce on in. – Chase McMullen
Rival Consoles – “Jupiter”
During the mid-point of his discography (to date), Ryan Lee West aka Rival Consoles went for quite heavily conceptual themes to his records – and produced some damn fine work in the process – but on 2022’s Now Is and especially on the upcoming Landscape From Memory he’s just back to making beautiful, pulsating, electronic wonder. “Jupiter” is one of the most euphoric in his catalogue, an unabashed techno thump laying the ground work for rotating interplay of melodies, each in different textures. The result is a solar system of sound that’s wondrous to watch spin in your mind’s eye. – Rob Hakimian
Sufjan Stevens – “Fourth of July (Version 4)”
Released as part of Sufjan Steven’s 10th anniversary edition of his still heart-wrenching and delicate album Carrie and Lowell, “Fourth of July (Version 4)” takes the original devastating centrepiece of the record and stretches it out over almost 14 minutes. The track has been released in many forms over the past decade, with a generous handful of remixes and different takes that have warped and skewed the original into new shapes.
This new version seems to put an end to all of this. Starting simply enough with tender piano underneath Stevens’ crushing lyrics, the song moves into an extended coda of synths groans and chattering, prickly strings. It’s almost hymnal, a release of the soul; a letting go, if you will, like Stevens is closing the book on his grief and letting the words, the notes, and the feelings ascend into the heavens. After a decade and in a new form, it still stunning and stilling. – Ray Finlayson
These New Puritans – “Goodnight”
The standout on the duo’s fifth album, this quiet, touching song has shades of David Sylvian’s most spiritual material, and Talk Talk at their most translucent. Layered and deeply beautiful, the composition is rich in turns and ideas – a creative high point on Crooked Wing. Jack Barnett’s mysterious lyrics, conjuring singing sea creatures and chronicling a process of purification, are deeply expressive, while the intuitive, jazzy coda adds nuance, like the brush strokes of a painting. An absolute highlight! – John Wohlmacher
Wednesday – “Elderberry Wine”
It’s only been a couple of years since Wednesday’s incredible Rat Saw God – and we got MJ Lenderman’s equally incredible Manning Fireworks in the meantime – but pressing play on “Elderberry Wine” feels like seeing old friends again and settling in for a bout of tears, belly laughs and shoulda-known-better behaviour. The country lope is like a sweet scent of your hometown on the breeze and Karly Hartzman’s words flow like the titular “Elderberry Wine” over the romantic slide guitar, recollecting the sweet and sour times that make up familial relationships. – Rob Hakimian
yeule – “The Girl Who Sold Her Face”
Who would have thought that, after releasing a modernist shoegaze cult-album, yeule would torn to the electronic-tinged alternative rock of the late 90s? On “The Girl who sold her Face”, the Singaporean nomad combines elements familiar from Garbage, Hole and Liz Phair for a razor sharp critique of celebrity culture. Fitting into a larger narrative that toys with questions of the human experience and symbols of vampirism, the track is an easy contender for Pop Song Of The Year, with a brilliant chorus and wonderfully distorted guitar part. A highlight on a record without a single skip! – John Wohlmacher
Listen to our BPM Curates: May 2025 playlist here.
