NEW MUSIC MONDAYS: Exemplary new music from Gnarls Barkley, Yebba, Flying Lotus, Ty Dolla $ign, Arima Edarra, Shabaka, waterbaby and MORE

What a wonderful weekend in the 414. Lovely weather. Spring is (almost) here type vibes and activities. The soundtrack: exemplary releases from a global cadre of splendid artists! We did what is only right and provided you with some of OUR favorite scorchers from the batch of releases on March 6th. Pisces season and daylight savings time, baby! That said: Here are 10 essential drops for your HYFIN rotation:

Gnarls Barkley – Atlanta

10K Projects / Atlantic Records 

The ghosts of 2006 have finally stopped haunting the studio and actually stepped into the booth. Hailing from Atlanta and White Plains, CeeLo Green and Danger Mouse have resurrected a chemistry that shouldn’t work in 2026, yet somehow feels like the only thing that does. Atlanta isn’t a nostalgia trip; it’s a high-speed chase through a psychedelic funhouse. It’s weird, it’s twitchy, and CeeLo sounds like he’s exorcising demons over beats that feel like they were unearthed from a haunted disco. After 18 years, they aren’t just back—they’re reminding everyone who actually invented this “alternative soul” lane.

Yebba – Jean

RCA Records 

If her debut was a formal introduction, Jean is the 3:00 AM conversation you only have after three drinks and a long cry. The West Memphis native has stripped away the gloss for a project that feels heavy and humid. Named after her grandmother, the album is a masterclass in tension—Yebba’s voice is a weapon she uses sparingly, letting the quiet moments hit just as hard as the glass-shattering high notes. Recorded in the belly of NYC at Electric Lady, it carries that analog dust and raw nerve energy that makes R&B feel dangerous again. This isn’t background music; it’s an emotional hijacking.

Flying Lotus – BIG MAMA

Brainfeeder / Ninja Tune 

The Los Angeles cosmic architect is done being polite. BIG MAMA is a chaotic, glitchy middle finger to “lo-fi beats to study to.” FlyLo is back in his bag of frantic syncopation and spiritual jazz meltdowns that feel like your brain is being rewired in real-time. It’s maximalist, messy, and absolutely brilliant. He’s taking the “wonky” sound he pioneered and pushing it into a space that feels like an Afrofuturist riot. If you aren’t ready to have your equilibrium challenged, stay off this ride, because Ellison is playing with textures that feel like they’re from a different dimension entirely.

Ty Dolla $ign – girl music vol. 1

Atlantic Records 

We all know Ty is the king of the “featured artist” credit, but on girl music vol. 1, the Los Angeles crooner reminds us he’s a beast when he’s the only one in the room (mostly). This isn’t the club-hop Ty; this is the “smoke-filled room, late-night drive” Ty. It’s stripped back, bass-heavy, and focused on the kind of R&B that feels like velvet wrapped around a brick. He’s leaning into live instrumentation and vintage West Coast grooves that sound expensive and effortless at the same time. It’s a short, sharp reminder that his pen is just as lethal as his raspy harmony.

Arima Ederra – A Rush to Nowhere

Arima’s Lab / RCA Records 

Coming out of the Vegas-to-LA pipeline, Arima Ederra has crafted a project that feels like a lucid dream you don’t want to wake up from. A Rush to Nowhere is a hazy, swirling mix of her Ethiopian roots and the sun-drenched “stay-at-home” soul of the West Coast. It’s deceptively simple—breezy melodies over intricate, wandering production—but there’s an edge to her vulnerability that keeps it from being “chill.” She’s asking big questions about time and existence while sounding like she’s floating three feet off the ground. It’s the sonic equivalent of a slow-burn sunset over a concrete jungle.

Shabaka – Of the Earth

Shabaka Records 

The London/Barbados titan has officially hung up the tenor sax for a moment to explore the primal power of woodwinds and pure intent. Of the Earth is the first drop on his own label, and it sounds like a liberation. This isn’t the “polite” jazz you hear in coffee shops; it’s rhythmic, grounded, and slightly menacing. Shabaka is digging into the dirt of spiritual jazz, creating soundscapes that feel ancient and futuristic simultaneously. It’s a dense, challenging listen that rewards you for paying attention, proving he’s still the most vital voice in the global jazz insurrection.

Waterbaby – Memory Be a Blade

Sub Pop 

Don’t let the Stockholm origin fool you—Waterbaby has more soul in her pinky finger than most of the Top 40. Memory Be a Blade is a sharp, jagged take on “bedroom pop” that bleeds into R&B territory. Her voice is tiny but carries the weight of a heavy heart, cutting through minimalist, funky production like a hot knife. There’s a quirkiness here that feels genuine, not forced, as she navigates the wreckage of old relationships. It’s the kind of music that feels like it was recorded under a blanket in the middle of a Swedish winter, yet somehow it feels warm enough to melt the ice.

Joshua Idehen – I know you’re hurting…

Heavenly Recordings

 Based in Stockholm by way of the UK and Nigeria, Idehen is the poet-laureate of the dancefloor. This project is a high-voltage jolt of UK Funky and house music, but instead of empty lyrics, he’s shouting gospel-truth poetry over the bass. It’s urgent, sweaty, and deeply human. He’s talking about the collective trauma of the mid-2020s while forcing you to move your feet. It’s a rare feat to make a record that functions as both a political manifesto and a club banger, but Idehen balances on that razor’s edge with absolute swagger.

Fredo Bang – Most Hated 2

Def Jam Recordings 

Baton Rouge energy is just built different, and Fredo Bang is the walking embodiment of that heat. Most Hated 2 is a direct evolution—less about the chaos of the streets and more about the paranoia of success. The melodies are stickier, the production is more cinematic, but that underlying Southern grit is still very much intact. He’s one of the few rappers who can pivot from a guttural threat to a melodic R&B hook without losing an ounce of credibility. It’s a dark, polished, and aggressive project that refuses to be ignored.

Voices of Fire – OPHANIM

Columbia Records Straight out of Hampton Roads, Virginia, this isn’t your grandma’s Sunday morning choir. Produced by Pharrell, OPHANIM (named after the high-ranking celestial beings) is a weird, wonderful explosion of “Gospel-Tronica.” It’s got the soaring, traditional power of a mass choir, but it’s backed by the kind of synth-heavy, Neptunes-esque production that sounds like it was beamed in from 2077. It’s experimental, soulful, and slightly unsettling in the best way possible. It’s the sound of a tradition being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the future.