- Words Darcy Culverhouse
Press play on the latest edition of NOTION NOW, the playlist featuring the freshest tracks you need to hear.
October’s creeping in colder, but love is firmly at the centre of this week’s drops. London’s dulcet soulstar Olivia Dean finally delivers her long-awaited sophomore album Art of Loving, a glowing exploration of heartbreak, platonic intimacy, and all the messy bits in between. ‘So Easy (To Fall in Love)’ is the jewel: acoustic guitar and piano laying the groundwork for playful trumpet flourishes, while Olivia’s honeyed vocals hold the whole thing together.
Across the Atlantic, Doja Cat takes a louder, glossier approach with her new record Vie, a pop-fuelled ode to romance and sex. On ‘Gorgeous’, she pairs her whip-smart raps with a feel-good beat and a makeup-inspired video that looks straight out of a ’90s commercial fever dream.
Meanwhile, Tate McRae has fans playing detective with her new single ‘TIT FOR TAT’. The first release since her split from The Kid Laroi, it’s already sparked speculation that the lyrics are aimed at him. “Thought I might love you again, see how I feel / Now that you’re acting like that, boy I never will,” she sings, sparking endless theories. Over in London, Alessi Rose drops ‘First Original Thought’ with visuals captioned cheekily on Instagram: “I hope nobody gets sweaty in tiny shorts and heels with a bunch of men.” Not on our October bingo card, Alessi, but maybe it should be?
Over in the world of experimentalism, FKA twigs returns with ‘Cheap Hotel’, the lead single from her forthcoming album, EUSEXUA Afterglow. It’s a synth-drenched, atmospheric slow-burn carried by her delicate falsetto, paired with an ambitious, hypnotic seven-minute video. Stateside, New York disruptors Geese channel chaos into their third album, Getting Killed. Its most recent single, ‘Cobra’, blends wistful melancholy with country flourishes and rock grit, an oddly compelling hybrid that shouldn’t work but does.
Big stages call for big names: Tame Impala announces a 2026 UK and European tour, alongside new single ‘Dracula’, a psychedelic disco jam that hypnotises from the first bassline. In a more intimate corner of the UK, Victor Ray bares his soul on ‘Contagious’, calling it “the story of my 10,000 hours and a promise of what comes next”, reminding us that not all anthems are built for stadiums.
Finally, British-Canadian Rochelle Jordan keeps the dance floors alive with ‘The Boy’, the fourth track off her sleek pop-dance record, Through The Wall. And to close, Labrinth returns with ‘Pull Me In’, a choir-laced gut-punch from his new EP Prelude, just as his Coachella 2026 slot has fans buzzing.
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