- Words Darcy Culverhouse
Press play on the latest edition of NOTION NOW, the playlist featuring the freshest tracks you need to hear.
This week’s release slate is stacked, and it’s coming in hot with pure summer energy. Leading the charge? None other than feel-good architect KAYTRANADA, back with ‘SPACE INVADER’, a glistening mix of punchy, insistent synths and skittering drums. Dropped alongside yesterday’s announcement of his upcoming album Ain’t No Damn Way!, this single hints at an LP loaded with dance-floor gold and 80s-infused grooves. Keeping the sunny vibes alive, Scottish DJ Arielle Free teams up with Tristan Henry for a bumpy, sunset-ready club track that feels like being whisked straight to an Ibiza rooftop.
Cardi B brings heat ahead of her sophomore album next month with ‘Imaginary Playerz’, flipping Jay-Z’s 1997 classic into a brash, modern flex. Olivia Dean follows suit, teasing her own second album with ‘Man I Need’, a radiant, upbeat anthem about unapologetic adoration.
Elsewhere, John Glacier serves poetic wordplay over a hazy lo-fi beat, while underground prodigy Fakemink delivers his 13th drop of the year, a shimmering bloghaus banger that proves he’s not slowing down. Rising internet pop sensation Audrey Hobert channels sultry self-confidence in ‘Thirst Traps’, pulled from her debut album out today. And DnB veteran Hedex comes in swinging with ‘Rowdy (BLAOW!)’, a track already tearing up UK festival crowds this summer.
Closing out the week, Steve Lacy returns for the first time since 2022 with ‘Nice Shoe’s, a flirtatious cut built on a choppy breakbeat. Chance the Rapper also makes a comeback with ‘No More Old Men’, an anthem that weaves soulful poetry over a rich, jazz-kissed groove.