Francis Farewell Starlite is a bit of a renaissance man. He has production credits on Drake’s “Karoake,” is a fantastic singer/songwriter with three albums under his belt (including the incredible It’ll Be Better), scored the film Robot & Frank, and last, but not least, is a fantastic dancer with skills reminiscent of the late James Brown and Michael Jackson. With talent like this you can only imagine how painful these past two years have been without any new material from Francis and the Lights, but pain be gone because yesterday Francis released a brand new single titled “ETC.” Once again we find him honing in on his unique sound mixing early-’80s lite-funk with R&B and piano pop. Stream it below.

STREAM: Francis and the Lights – “ETC”

No song has ever spelled out “radio hit” quite like Smallpools‘ “Dreaming.” Coming in like a genetically-engineered pop super human built from Passion Pit and Youngblood Hawke’s DNA, this Captain Cuts-produced jam is guaranteed to take over your car stereo this summer. Stream it below and get hooked now. We mean it, NOW.

MP3: Smallpools – “Dreaming”

Fenech-Soler reveal lofty aspirations on new single “Magnetic.” The third track to emerge off their upcoming LP, Rituals – following the explosive “All I Know” and sprawling “Maiyu” — “Magnetic” showcases the Northamptonshire quartet’s electro-pop wizardry at its most chart-worthy, launching into arena-ready choruses that would probably catch Mr. Guetta’s ear. Watch the video for the track above and keep an eye out for Rituals, out September 2nd via Warner Bros.

STREAM: Fenech-Soler – “Magnetic”

Janelle Monae‘s video for “Q.U.E.E.N.” is actually the best. It begins in a frozen bright-white dystopia of an art gallery featuring Erykah Badu as “Badoula Oblongata” and a ceramic skull who plays vinyl with a single gold fang – then “Q.U.E.E.N.” drops with all its Prince-esque guitar heat, and in come the zombies on guitar, the 60′s hotties and the standard poodle who just got its hair did. It’s a pop-art marvel as well as an overt fuck-you to all those shade-throwers out there: Monáe chair-twerks, tossing her jacket’s fringe as she sings “They call us dirty cause we break all ya rules down/ And we just came to act a fool, is that all right/ They be like ‘Ooh, let them eat cake’/ But we eat wings and throw them bones on the ground.” EAT THEM WANGS GIRL!

The song itself, also, is terrific – a punk cabaret groover that drops back on Erykah Badu’s verse to highlight an incredible, funky bass lick and then makes a string-heavy transition into Monáe’s unexpectedly relentless rap. It’s all so good! Watch the video above.

Janelle Monae’s Electric Lady comes out this fall on Bad Boy Records.

STREAM: Janelle Monae – “Q.U.E.E.N. (Ft. Erykah Badu)”

The queens of alt-pop — Marina & The Diamonds and Charli XCX — join forces on a new collaborative track “Just Desserts.” It goes without saying that a track bearing these two ladies’ names is a mandatory listen. They’ve gone ahead and made it available as a free download, which you can grab below.

MP3: Marina And The Diamonds & Charli XCX – “Just Desserts”

Considering how cinematic their album teaser was, anything short of a sci-fi epic for an Empire of the Sun music video would be a disappointment. Thankfully, the Sydney duo doesn’t let us down in their video for “Alive,” the debut single off their sophomore album, Ice On The Dune. Follow Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore as they traverse the most epic of biomes, awakening slumbering future babes along the way. Confused? Just watch it above.

STREAM: Empire Of The Sun – “Alive”

Mr Little Jeans – AKA Norwegian songstress Monica Birkenes – drew accolades a few years back with her striking cover of Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” and a string of impressive Neon Gold releases. Now she’s back with “Oh Sailor,” a hauntingly pretty indie-pop shanty that reflects her youth spent “in the middle of the woods” in the seaside town of Grimstad, with a catamaran builder for a dad. The combination of Mr Little Jeans’ arresting dreampop sound and Strange Talk‘s energetic indie disco makes this dancefloor-ready remix from the Aussie quartet one of our favorites of the year so far.

“Oh Sailor” will appear on Mr Little Jeans’ debut full-length, out this June.

STREAM: Mr Little Jeans – “Oh Sailor (Strange Talk Remix)”

God, I love the tease of a two-chord song. The best of them – “Heroin,” “Born In The USA,” “Road to Nowhere” – work their simple structure into an atmosphere of endlessness and delayed, diffuse climax. But now that we’re all addicted to hooks, it’s rare to come across a pop song that doesn’t play by the rules of payoff and resolution – and that’s why I have been looping Jessie Ware’s cover of “Love Thy Will Be Done” nonstop since she released it apropos of nothing other than her appreciation for this 1991 track, sung by soft-rocker Martika and co-written by Prince. Ware’s version is largely faithful to the original, but her pure vocal velvet and the slight, delicious stutter in the marching beat make all the difference. Stream it below.

STREAM: Jessie Ware – “Love Thy Will Be Done (Martika Cover)”

Naturally, with a new recording of their debut single, “The City,” it would only be a matter of time until The 1975 put out a second video for the track as well. Filmed in their trademark seductive monochrome, the video is a fine addition to the Manchester outfit’s ever-expanding CV. Watch it above.

You can catch The 1975 on tour this summer with The Neighbourhood. Dates here.

STREAM: The 1975 – “The City”

We’re only two days away from the digital/physical release of INK‘s debut single, INK Goes On, via ATG Records. If you’re looking to get your hands on an early copy, our friends at Rough Trade have made that a little easier for you…

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