Clockwise from top left: Little Hag, Kate Bollinger, LÉON, Remi Wolf, Sloppy Jane and MUNA.

The intimate world-building of Kate Bollinger, soaring orchestral pop of Sloppy Jane, the soft-lit cynicism of Little Hag, bright turn-of-the-century anthemic pop rock of MUNA, slow dance time capsule of LÉON and the funky youthful radiance of Remi Wolf make up our favorite tracks of the week.

Kate Bollinger, “Shadows” — “Shadows” by Kate Bollinger soundtracks a lazy afternoon’s reverie, comfortably hidden away against a the trunk of a towering tree. Alice dozes off into Wonderland, following the stuttered percussion as it runs along a stream of profound realization on very real relationships. Bollinger’s poise is a false promise of a better tomorrow and holds a whole world in its clutches, knowing all too well what will happen once it lets up. The track ends with the certainty of a looming thunderstorm. “Both sides will align in their malice,” Bollinger sighs. Alice, it might be time to step into the sun.

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Sloppy Jane, “Party Anthem” — Sloppy Jane (aka Haley Dahl) indulges all her fantasies of grandiosity in “Party Anthem.” It’s an operatic ballad that accompanies the end of a party, where the night’s devastation appears as dark turns to light. “Sorry I couldn’t be, everything I needed to be on time” might be one of this year’s most piercing lines. It soars above orchestral flourishes into starless skies and throws the whole shebang into a beautiful frenzy.

MUNA featuring Phoebe Bridgers, “Silk Chiffon” — I don’t know about you but I certainly didn’t have Phoebe Bridgers singing “life’s so fun, life’s so fun” on my 2021 bingo card. It might not only serve as clever ploy to manifest good things in your life as MUNA‘s Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson sound absolutely convinced of life’s beauty in the blissful embrace of a lover’s arms. We’re pretty sure you would too if it were really as soft as a silk chiffon.

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LÉON, “Dancer” — LÉON is further cementing her status as an indie pop mainstay with “Dancer.” Effortlessly carving her own lane since her 2015 singles up to last year’s Apart, she reaches for every emotion and serves them on a silver platter of pulsating synth and flawless vocals. It’s hard to fault the Swedish singer-songwriter for turning me into an unconditional fans. After all, she does it with such ease that it’s only a matter of time before you fall under her spell–if you haven’t already.

Little Hag, “Cherry” — We’ve all experienced love in one form or another. We’ve also likely experienced some kind of aftermath, with loss and pain. “Cherry” is Little Hag’s soft rock love obituary, an open letter to the one that got away and took your ride in tow. How do you deal with all of it gracefully? Rather, is it even possible to get through all the messy stuff with as much as a hint of grace? Little Hag seems to suggest you probably can’t. We only wish we sounded as cool as frontwoman Avery Mandeville when reminiscing. When all is said and done, “I should be writing my own hit,” Mandeville sings. I couldn’t agree more.

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Remi Wolf, “Sexy Villain” — Remi Wolf readily accepts the role of the sexy villain in her spellbindingly funky new track. Heroes are so passé: Move over Aquaman, time for the “super emo, aqua girl with the rising Leo” to shine. Wolf’s endeavor is fun, flirty and spotlights an uncanny charisma that doesn’t come a dime a dozen. As much as it sounds like a perfect Gen Z time capsule, “Sexy Villain” also demonstrates how much being a good student of the past can inform the future.

Red’s Pick: This week’s highlight is Kate Bollinger’s “Shadows.” Teetering on a tightrope between the old and the new, the track is an adroit combination of the best music has to offer in 2021. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, drawing its attractive power as much from the lyrical side as it does from all things instrumental. Perhaps most exciting is that it still feels like Bollinger is only scratching the surface of her potential.

Follow writer Red Dziri at Twitter.com/red_dziri.