Hello and welcome to another (overdue! sorry :/) iteration of Select Frequency, the series in which our esteemed team of writers and bloggers assemble the greatest ten-song playlists the world has ever seen, just for you, our loyal readers. As I’m this week’s host, expect nothing less than the greatest bangers the world has ever seen, both old and new. But mostly new - let’s live in the moment! Without further ado…
fakemink - “Braces”
Single // 2025 // Electroclash / Cloud Rap
The new wave of underground rap and hip hop coming out of the UK is genuinely the most exciting movement the genre has had for years - vibrant and diverse in its inspirations and influences, yet immediately unique and differentiated not only from other scenes but between the artists themselves. Perhaps the most distinct of all is enigmatic youngster fakemink, whose recent rise to prominence is predicated on both an unmistakable voice and an astounding versatility in sound. Truth be told, I could have chucked any one of about a dozen tracks here, but to truly illustrate his eclectic choice of production his (at the time of writing) most recent single showcases this quality perfectly.
A high-energy slice of pumping electroclash upon which floats the rapper’s signature not-quite-monotone delivery, Braces, which marks the second collaboration with Canadian duo Suzy Sheer after the also-excellent Easter Pink earlier this year, embraces its fleeting runtime by whipping you into a heady rush with a nonchalant confidence that masks a more delicate and vulnerable undercurrent, a throughline that remains constant throughout most of his output so far. And it’s that personal connection that maybe makes fakemink such an endearing prospect, whatever genre he’s pulling from. Not a verbose lyricist for the most part, but one whose dripfeeding of more intimate and universal references and moods is both compelling and relatable, lines such as “I’m so cool like After Eights” should paint an instant image in the mind of any Brit, an allusion that’s maybe missed by an international audience (for the uninitiated, After Eights are a delicate wafer-thin chocolate square filled with a slither of mint fondant, just to ram my personal interpretation home even more).
It’s entirely possible I’m reading too much into small little quotables like that looking to justify a narrative, but there’s something so instantly captivating about the rawness and vivid pictures painted here and elsewhere amongst what is already a prolific discography, that reinforces my claim that fakemink should be one of those artists everyone who has even a passing interest in rap should be paying attention too, and if he continues to rise in recognition the way he has these past twelve months or so, there’s a high chance everyone will anyway, so be there or be square.
REIRIE - “RulerxRuler”
from “Twinning Fate” // 2025 // J-Pop / Electropop
An electrifying slice of j-pop extravagance, RulerxRuler has occupied a not-insignificant portion of my headspace at any given time since it dropped last year. Nothing less than a frantic assault on the senses, REIRIE smash together boss-fight melodies with a healthy dose of happy hardcore and drum and bass nostalgia that doesn’t let up for a second. Vocally I find this super engaging too, their voices are distinct and recognisable, and the variation in inflection throughout helps bring to life each section of the song. These girls only popped up on my radar fairly recently, but upon further digging they’ve been involved in the industry for quite a while, both being former members of viral oddity LADYBABY (alongside some more risqué modelling work). Perhaps why this particular duo is so captivating to me is that, as a k-pop fan primarily, they epitomise the side of j-pop that’s a lot more down to get weird and absurd compared to the micromanaged and curated personalities forced upon the idols I’m more accustomed to, and in this case that level of freedom pays off massively.
Red Velvet - “Red Flavor”
from “The Red Summer” // 2017 // K-Pop / Dance-Pop
Has it come through that I’m a massive k-pop fan yet? My inclusion of as many important releases within the genre in the Weekly Releases posts as possible should maybe give that away, but that’s not even the half of it. To give a brief summary of my history with the genre, it started like this - I had a couple of friends in school (around 2010-11ish) who were obsessed with groups like BIGBANG and SNSD before anyone in the UK really had any idea who they were, providing me with an early yet vital gateway into the genre, yet unfortunately not one I was particularly receptive to as I was deep into my grotesque scene kid ‘pop music sucks’ phase at the time. However there were some sparks left smoldering there - I begrudgingly acknowledged that Gee was indeed a banger, although you would have been hard-pressed to get me to admit it beneath the fragile walls of teenage edgelord-ism, and I may have possibly jammed a few other tracks in utmost secrecy.
Skip forward a few years and enter Red Velvet. During that gap in time there was one and only one k-pop group I actively followed, albeit rather loosely, which was f(x) - maybe not surprisingly because they were held up in some regard and acknowledged by the cooler, more sophisticated indie press at the time. Following hot in their footsteps however was the aforementioned Red Velvet, and perhaps down to the metaphorical passing of the torch between the two acts, my prompt engagement with a new group from the very beginning, and my simultaneous personal reversal from pop-decrier to poptimist, my obsession was prompt and increasingly fervent.
Option paralysis yet again struck here as to which song to pick to best represent what I now consider my favourite artist of all time, both within k-pop and in general. Gun to my head my favourite song of all time is Russian Roulette, but I’ll save that one for future gushing opportunities. So instead I’ve opted for Red Flavor. Perhaps the summer bop to end all summer bops, to me this feels like the quintessential Red Velvet song, at least for their early career. There’s an undeniable joy (pun intended) to everything going on here, the amazing harmonies, the willingness to get a bit quirkier than many other groups, the absolute nailing of a concept and theme (now I just want some fresh tropical fruits!), it’s all there. If you’re not moving at least two parts of your body to this there’s something wrong with you and I’ll leave it at that. And before you ask, my bias is Wendy, who has the best voice in history, and do not come at me with dissenting opinions, thanks.
Headache - “Miss Understood”
Single // 2023 // Trip-Hop / Poetry
A recent discovery of mine, thanks to it’s prominent usage as the sample from Flume & JPEGMAFIA’s The Ocean Is Fake (the only decent track off their collaborative EP from earlier this year), this has since become a huge personal favourite. I love me a bit of spoken word, and adore me some trip hop melancholy, and this ticks both boxes with aplomb. That’s fine enough on its own, but there’s something deeper here. The spoken word ‘voice’ is artificial, but at once evocative and human-like - more Detroit: Become Human than suno.ai - and much of this is down to the bizarre but vivid imagery concocted within.
Featuring production by modern auteur Vegyn and the words of poet Francis Hornsby Clark, the exploration of the surreal here, through anthropomorphic cats, or staring at oneself or perhaps a doppelganger, or a woman wearing a dress made out of towels, is introspective yet exists outside reality, trying to tie together things that feel real but aren’t, lending the track a haunting atmosphere. The odd choice of vocals, which have been processed and refined expertly to mimic the rhythm and tone of a real human, enhances this feel, as whilst the illusion is 99% complete, that remaining 1% is the barely audible robotic warbling of certain words reinforcing the uncanny aura. The instrumental is pensive and thoughtful, and whilst perfectly enjoyable on it’s own - it’s the effect in tandem with the vocals that makes this song what it is. It helps that this feels like the lovechild of Chris Clark’s The Autumnal Crush (one of my favourite tracks of all time) and the fever-dream comedic vignettes of Chris Morris’ Blue Jam. A recipe for brilliance there.
Richard Dawson - “Bullies”
from “End of the Middle” // 2025 // Singer-Songwriter / Folk Rock
Kind of a continuation and a counterpart to the previous song, both pull most of their weight with their poetry, but whereas Miss Understood dealt in more abstruse themes, Richard Dawson’s storytelling is more grounded and matter-of-fact. This album is a departure from the avant-garde acoustic folk guitar wizardry of his prior work, instead opting for a more straightforward and stripped-back singer-songwriter tone that places a greater focus on Dawson’s ability to lull you into a touching and sympathetic narrative. Bullies is perhaps the one that echoes closest to my heart, having had mixed experiences with education and the intersection between it and mental health in my younger years, but then choosing a career in it anyway. Dawson’s tale of the breakdown of juvenile friendships and subsequent social outcasting (and the effect of its emotional toll upon academic success) rings true to my personal lived experiences in a way few songs can, and then the time-skip forward to having to react to a similar situation as a parent of a child, who is ambiguously either a bully or a victim standing up for themselves in a way the author never did, showcases the complications of trying to impart wisdom you are yourself unsure of without throwing out empty platitudes. The song ends with the author telling his son “I know you’ve got a good heart.” Perhaps that’s the only thing you could say in the situation described - and the way Dawson navigates these microcosms of daily life is masterful - its empathetic and without judgement, but always leaves an open question to the listener asking them - what would you do in this situation? And those answers are never easy to find.
Kate Bush - “Breathing”
from “Never for Ever” // 1980 // Art Pop / Progressive Pop
I can’t only pick modern songs here… well I could, but I feel it would be somewhat of a disservice to only focus on the here and now. However, Breathing is far from a token pick. I grew up with Kate Bush being a semi-permanent fixture in my household, much to the objection of my mother, and as I revisit her catalogue years removed from my youthful exposure I have come to one conclusion. Breathing is her best track. Now, I spent years proclaiming Night of the Swallow as Bush’s magnum opus, and indeed it’s hard to argue the contrary, but man there’s something about this one. Marking an altogether more pessimistic view of humanity than the prior song on this playlist, Bush tackles a righteous anger and pain towards the disinterest of those in power refusing to acknowledge the damage they are inflicting upon our planet in the wake of the nuclear anxiety of the Cold War, but in a way that feels repeatable for any number of humanitarian crisises, not least that of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, Sudan and many other places around the world that lies outside of the cares of those privileged few wielding authority. Spoken from the point of view of a foetus inhaling the poison of the post-nuclear world outside, the feeling of rejecting the very nature of being human, to be born into the world, because you know you won’t survive, is still as stark an image as it was at the time, and one that despite its vitally important message will not be heeded by those with the ability to make change. At least we get a timeless classic out of it I guess.
Sadness - “bury your kiss in me”
from “your perfect hands and my repeated words” // 2024 // Shoegaze / Emo
Not much to say on this one other than that I think this maybe my favourite tune ever from the ridiculously workaholic modern indie legend that is Damián Antón Ojeda. Perhaps the most well-known of their many different aliases, recent releases under the Sadness moniker have seen them pull farther away from the depressive blackgaze they made their name with into a sound far more informed by modern post-rock, shoegaze and emo - which is right up my alley. Once this really gets going with Damián’s anguished howls three minutes in it never really gives up the emotional intensity - the long drawn-out buildup into the climax of the soong feels perfectly weighted and the payoff is massive. It also helps that the riff that comes four minutes in reminds me of the synth line from one of my all-time favourites, Heart in Your Heartbreak by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (a weird pull maybe, but one I made an instant connection to.) This isn’t really a song I’d consider complicated or subversive in its approach to songwriting, but neither should it have to be, it just nails the atmosphere it’s going for and that’s quite often all you need.
Maxo Kream - “Bang the Bus”
from “Personification” // 2024 // Cloud Rap / Trap
Can you ever really go wrong with an Imogen Heap sample? A staple for any rap producer worth their salt ever since Clams Casino blew everyone’s minds a decade and a half ago, Surf Gang founder Evilgiane takes a heavy dose of inspiration from the legendary cloud rap master in flipping Frou Frou’s Let Go into a phantasmic array of breathy vocal chops. Houston rapper Maxo Kream plays his part perfectly too, returning to his roots in spitting over more ethereal production again, a welcome surprise considering my first exposure to his work was his legendary feature on the Playboi Carti classic Fetti. A master at intricate but effortless flows, the lurid sexual boasts and quips of Bang the Bus create an enjoyable tension against the godly innocence of the instrumental - lines like “Choke her, stroke her, I control her when I hit it from the back” feeling far too perverse to accompany Heap’s heavenly voice, but it’s a dichotomy that excites and stimulates in its brash ugliness. This song has stayed in constant rotation for me ever since its release at the start of 2024, and whilst the full album was more closely aligned with the more standard trap sounds we’ve come to expect from Maxo over the last few years, I can’t help but feel it was a little underrated as for how tight and consistent it was despite it’s more familiar nature. Still though, whether you agree with that statement or not, it’s hard to deny this may be the highlight of his career so far.
Cherushii & Maria Minerva - “Out by Myself”
from “Cherushii & Maria Minerva” // 2019 // Deep House / Synthpop
Absolutely perfect club-ready synthpop, from the late great Cherushii and in my opinion one of the most underrated vocalists out there in Maria Minerva. This whole EP is absolutely essential stuff that’s unfortunately been a bit forgotten about these days in my experience, and the tragic backstory behind it leaves such a bittersweet tone to what is otherwise such a jubilant and carefree experience that is really hard to find elsewhere. Pretty sure this has never left any of my ‘main’ playlists ever since it dropped which says a lot to its staying power. This track doesn’t really require lengthy intellectualising though - it’s just an absolute ripper which I dare you not to dance to.
Sierra Ferrell - “American Dreaming”
from “Trail of Flowers” // 2024 // Progressive Country / Americana
You know, I’ve never really considered myself a country fan, but given my substantial enjoyment of the genre maybe I should. Many of the classics - Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt, etc. have made their way into my collection over the years, and a lot of the more modern americana-tinged stuff has captured my attention too. But whilst I love a bit of Jason Isbell or Zach Bryan or Magnolia Electric Co., few have grabbed me so instantly as this beautiful ode to feeling stuck in the middle, wanting to be home whilst away, then itching to go out again when you’re home. It’s a reality for many musicians I’m sure, the touring life by all accounts seems to require just as much mental labour as it does physical just to keep yourself sane, which makes home where everything and everyone’s familiar feel like heaven, but you dream bigger and want to get out and see the world and be something.
I think the genius of the best country songs is their ability to distill these big concepts and emotions into uncomplicated but resonant metaphors that can be understood and related to by anyone regardless of what personal situation they find themselves in, and Sierra Ferrell’s jab of “I'm American dreaming // but I never seem to get no rest” is a perfect example, of working hard and dreaming big but losing part of yourself along the way. Of course it does also help when you have a voice this good. I’m sure people have waxed lyrical far too much about the failure of the modern country music industry to promote its real artists over manufactured safe-for-corporate sellouts, and so adding my voice to the pile won’t change anything, but somehow despite picking up four Grammy awards (albeit mostly in minor categories), the fact this barely making a dent in the charts is a truly sad indictment of the state of such an important genre.
Pining for more of our playlist curation? Check out…
Select Frequency #1 (Benjamin Jack)
Select Frequency #2 (K. Bowman)
Select Frequency #3 (Ben Rosenberg)
Honestly, on the subject of Red Flavor, the late 2010s were such a peak time to be a K-Pop fan. 2017-2019-ish specifically were just absurd years for K-Pop