Even in 2025, music still finds new ways to surprise me. You’ll see I’m an R&B lover at heart—thanks, Dad—but I’m equally obsessed with genre mashups. Hopefully, this list shows that range and helps you discover something new to fall in love with. Enjoy.
Smerz ~ Big City Life
The Norwegian duo Smerz dropped one of the coolest albums of the year. Big City Life is packed with grimy minor-chord piano riffs that echo hip-hop production—think Ye’s ‘Runaway’, ODB’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya’, Ja’s ‘Story to Tell’, and Mobb’s ‘Shook Ones Pt. II’—with none dirtier than the line in ‘Roll the Dice’ (see Depeche Mode’s More Than a Party for a similar vibe). But the real standout is ‘You got time and I got money’, a bummer-pop gem that plays like an early sketch of ‘Bittersweet Symphony’.
Big City Life fuses minimal electronics, hip-hop drums, and orchestral flourishes with the duo’s ever-cool, understated vocals. If that sounds singular, it’s because it is.
Eddie Chacon ~ LaY Low
Quintessential outsider soul from the legendary indie/hip-hop label Stones Throw. Lay Low is smoky, brooding, and quietly mysterious, dotted with delicate synth flourishes. Eddie Chacon—once a ’90s R&B star as half of Charles & Eddie—carries those roots into his late-career solo work, now textured by a wiser, hard-earned edge.
Johnny sais quoi ~ love on ice
French artist Johnny Sais Quoi is one of the few contemporary musicians releasing new work through the revered reissue label Music From Memory. Of everything on this list, this record sits closest to the sound I highlight on Musically Proper’s Instagram—an icy, synth-driven album that stays danceable and slips into pop whenever the vocals appear. Johnny moves from robotic funk on ‘Life Sweet’ to synthwave-meets-dream-pop on ‘Let’s Find a Home,' delivering a surprisingly cohesive range.
Starchild & the new romantic ~ Beauty of a black cauldron vol. 1 & 2
Bryndon Cook’s alternative R&B project, Starchild & The New Romantic, might be the most underrated act in the genre—and has been for years. He’s collaborated with the names you already know—Solange, Toro y Moi, Blood Orange—while quietly releasing one great album after another. BOABC is his most tender and polished yet: funky, jangly, and deeply heartfelt. Can you imagine if Prince and The Smiths ever collaborated?
Slick rick ~ victory
Plenty of rappers have come out of retirement to test the waters of modern hip-hop, but none sound as effortless as Slick Rick on his new LP, executive-produced by Idris Elba. He doesn’t chase new flows or modern trends—he just does what he’s always done. And in the process, he proves that one of rap’s purest MCs is timeless in any decade. He’s also done the unthinkable: brought house music back into hip-hop (thank you, Idris)—and made it work. Just listen to ‘Foreign’ and ‘Come On and Let’s Go.’
Dijon ~ Baby
If the late D’Angelo was the undeclared successor to Prince, then Dijon might be the successor to D’Angelo—asterisk included. He may not share D’Angelo’s exact voice or singular genius, but he’s already proven himself as one of the most dynamic and critically acclaimed R&B artists of his generation. A frequent collaborator with fellow phenom Mk.gee, who broke out in 2024, Dijon feels on the cusp of major stardom…if he decides to take it. Baby channels the distorted R&B of early-2010s artists like Autre Ne Veut and How to Dress Well, shaping tender ballads through a fragmented lens that makes the genre feel new again.
Sean Nicholas Savage
The human voice is still the most powerful instrument—and few wield it like Sean Nicholas Savage. If you love Prince, SNS should be on your radar. His ballads are raw, unhinged, and tender all at once. With a perfectly imperfect voice, he proves that no AI could replicate the emotional depth of someone who’s lived every shade of feeling and still chooses joy on the other side.
On The Knowing, Savage steps away from the exotic flair of past records and leans fully into his love of musicals. When we talked earlier this year, we jokingly landed on a perfect name for his style: Fail Pop. Listen with an open heart—and don’t be afraid to sing along. As Sean always says, “everyone can sing!”
Shlohmo ~ Repulsor
Shlohmo…if you don’t already know his name, it’s hard to summarize his influence. If Pictureplane hits your taste buds, Shlohmo probably will too. He’s built a cult following by shaping dark, electronic worlds—both for himself and for artists like Jeremih, Tory Lanez, and Corbin (f.k.a. Spooky Black), helping define the goth-tinged hip-hop wave of the 2010s.
On Eggtooth, he fuses slowcore and digicore with ease. Droning guitars, sharp feedback, harsh synth stabs, and blown-out bass wrap around the occasional reverb-soaked chant, creating a warped, euphoric haze. It’s one of the most exciting listens I’ve had all year.
Westerman ~ A jackal’s wedding
Since the ethereal breakthrough of Confirmation in 2018, Westerman has stayed on my radar. Often compared to Nick Drake and Arthur Russell, the Londoner-turned-Greece resident works in a soft-rock register that borders on ambient—dreamy, psychedelic textures drifting beneath his deep, wandering vocals. His third album, A Jackal’s Wedding, is his most assertive yet. Tracks like the gothic-tinged Adriatic and the stark piano ballad Spring show how fearless he’s become with his voice and arrangements. If you’re into the esoteric troubadour side of Amen Dunes, Westerman will land right in your lane.
rat heart ~ dancin’ in the streets
British DJ and producer Tom Boogizm, with a tight circle of collaborators, drops a bizarre beat tape of sorts—a haunted collage of electronic and acoustic scraps that occasionally drifts into neo-folk territory. If you’re drawn to antagonistic outsiders like Dean Blunt, Rat Heart will scratch that itch for provocative, disorienting music. It’s the most experimental album on this list, a project that keeps you curious and slightly uneasy from start to finish.