.png)
Greetings from Neuphoria!
Like the World Cup halftime show, the July Neuphoria playlist starts with Madonna. Unfortunately, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and the Muppets didn’t make the July cut.
I also decided to spare you any trite inspirational monologues by celebrity Scientologists.
The Playlist direct links are:
If you wish to vote on the July Playlist, please submit your votes by EOD Sunday, August 9th PT (Monday, August 10th for the Europeans, Aussies and South Americans).
Defy the algorithm. Listen to Neuphoria
D
Madonna, Danceteria (House/Dance)- Debuting at #1 on Billboard, Confessions on a Dance Floor II, the sequel to her landmark 2005 house record delivers this track that is named after the iconic 1980s NYC nightclub where Madge launched her career. "Danceteria" delivers a potpourri of nostalgia complete with a "Vogue"-esque rap, Gotham club references, and a refrain channeling house legend Byron Stingley’s “Get Up Everybody.” While it's a fun throwback, "Danceteria" sounds like a bit of a retread to me, whereas the rest of Confessions II leans into much more contemporary influences.
Charli XCX, Wink Wink (Alternative/Rock)- With “Wink Wink”, Pop's reigning tastemaker gives another hint of her highly anticipated July 24 album, Music, Fashion, Film, the cover art of which iconically mounts a "Rushmore" of John Cale, Marc Jacobs, and Martin Scorsese. Sounding like Roxy Music’s Virginia Plain at the start, it evolves to a post-punk Strokes-ish drum and bass line, with Charli listing a tongue-in-cheek catalog of her own provocative behavior. She undermines her repeated vows of being "not a bad girl anymore" with a titular "wink, wink"
Role Model, Joy (Pop/Rock)- You’re forgiven if you feel dropped into an early MTV time capsule. On “Joy”, from his forthcoming Chuck Timely LP, Mr. Model shamelessly pilfers a bouncy vibrato guitar riff from Huey Lewis or mid-80’s Dire Straits, while mixing in an uplifting glam “yeah, yeah yeah” for good measure. A pure dose of dopamine.
Blake Whiten, Boots by the Wrong Bed (Country/Rock)- Hailing from tiny Six Mile,
South Carolina, this 21-year-old gravelly-voiced newcomer is trending since becoming the opener on Morgan Wallen’s current stadium tour. Serving as a highlight from his July 3 debut album Something to Say, “Boots by the Wrong Bed” lends arena-rock energy to a toxic relationship where whiskey keeps walking you right back to an ex's bed. Boot this one up in Safe Mode.
Teddy Swims, Break Up in Reverse (Pop/R&B)- Fresh off his global #1 smash "Lose Control" and a Grammy nomination, the Atlanta soulster delivers a raw look into his real-time split from his baby's mother. Applying the backward narrative structure of Nas’s classic rap track "Rewind", Teddy imagines a relationship moving in reverse so his ex can "say goodbye in the beginning and love me in the end".
Gracie Abrams, Good Reason (Indie Pop/Alternative)- Riding high on a Billboard #1 debut for her new album Daughter from Hell and a Best New Artist Grammy nod, the pop heavyweight sings about the guilt of leaving an adoring partner on "Good Reason". While cynics credit her blockbuster director dad for her rapid ascent, this hushed slow-burner proves her solo artistic gravity is self-made. Hop on- there’s Good Reason to take this guilt trip.
NEWSFLASH!- In last weekend’s NY Times feature interview, Gracie drops stunning revelations such as growing up in LA with other famous, creative kids and sneaking out as a teenager. Yawn.....
Riley Green & Hannah McFarland, Go Again (Country)– Fresh off his seventh No. 1 country radio hit, Riley teams up with fellow Alabamian Hannah McFarland. Driven by bluesy acoustic guitars, a weeping pedal steel and their smoky vocal harmonies, this duet captures the magnetic pull of a fleeting hotel-room romance on its final morning. Time to call for a late checkout……
Jordan Rakei, Enemies (Soul/R&B)– A New Zealand soul singer, you ask? Guilty as charged: Grammy-nominated Kiwi Jordan Rakei drops a throwback R&B gem. A delicate Curtis Mayfield-like verse pivots to a chorus evoking Holland-Dozier-Holland tonal tension, reflecting the major-minor duality that defined many hits of The Supremes. Keep your friends close but keep "Enemies" closer.
Claude François feat. Philippe Corti, Le mal aimé (Disco/Pop)– Unapologetically
kitschy? Beyond measure. Defiantly catchy? Of course. This new remix revisits the
iconic 1974 ballad “Le mal aimé” (The Unloved) by late French pop royalty Claude
François with a glittering orchestral-disco veneer. Parisian party legend Philippe Corti strips François' tearjerker of its original melancholy and reassembles it into a magnificent piece of ironic retro Eurotrash gold.
DJ Goja, Mi Chico (Afro House)– Romanian hitmaker DJ Goja steps into the spotlight with a massive breakout anthem. Before the majors ordered a mainstream pop remake, this sleek original mix was already storming the European charts—peaking at No. 7 globally on Shazam and hitting the Top 20 in Germany and Switzerland as it racks up over 100 million streams. Driven by a sun-drenched, hypnotic pulse, it is the quintessential soundtrack for a Mediterranean beach club.
Siba & Monkyman, Dounana (Arabic Hip Hop/Electronic)– This sleeper hit has transformed into a regional movement. Originally released in 2024 by Berlin-based Syrian artist Siba, this fierce Arabic rap went viral recently via social media. Fueled by controlled fury and written in direct response to the war in Gaza, it has been rapidly adopted across the Middle East as a cathartic anthem of resistance for the displaced and oppressed.
Tinashe, Crash Out (R&B/Pop)– Fresh off the multi-platinum success of "Nasty" and "No Broke Boys" Tinashe previews her forthcoming LP Popstar, with
“Crash Out”. Built on a dark trap rider beat, the track anchors her simmering vocals with a heavy, grinding bassline that throws back to her mid-2010s DJ Mustard era. You’ll want to Crash this party!
Skrillex, Chris Lake & RHR, É o Bonde (Baile Funk/Tech House)– Armed with a record nine career Grammys, dubstep icon Skrillex breaks past his formulaic brostep roots to dive into the Latin underground on his surprise June LP Soma. Teaming up with house legend Chris Lake and Brazilian artist RHR, "É o Bonde" is a cross-pollination of rolling tech-house stabs, bass growls, Baile funk percussion, and a raw favela-influenced vocal loop. It makes for a worthwhile headphone experience, provided you don't mind a few sudden solenoid knocks and dissonant synth blasts throwing you off balance.
Nia Archives, Around da Bend (Alt-Jungle/Indie)– Hailing from Leeds and raised on a steady diet of jungle and pirate radio, Nia Archives proves why her brand new LP, Emotional Junglist is receiving critical acclaim. Dubbed a "brilliant British one-off" by The Guardian, she leans hard into sharp stylistic friction on "Around da Bend". The track loops an ominous, post-punk guitar riff straight out of British indie-rock around a characteristic jungle breakbeat. Take this turn at full speed!
Steve Lacy, Oh Yeah? (Alt-Soul/Psychedelic Rock)– Recruited as a guitarist for the influential neo-soul band The Internet at just 17, Compton prodigy Steve Lacy shows his artistic maturity on his acclaimed July album Oh Yeah?, constructing a seamless, genre-bending diary reminiscent of Frank Ocean’s 2016 classic Blonde. Although the title song is the #1 trending song on Apple Music, the LP is built to be absorbed as an oeuvre rather than for single standouts, it’s a beautifully unpolished showcase of his DIY production skills, weaving together psych-rock guitar, trip-hop, and dusty lo-fi drum loops.
Suki Waterhouse, When I Get Drunk (I Want You Boy) (Dream-Pop/R&B)– Playing like a hazy, impulsive late-night drunk phone call, British singer, actress, and model Suki Waterhouse leans into a sultry, Lana Del Rey-esque motif of dark attraction on this standout from her July Memoir LP. Instead of relying on pop irony, she anchors her breathy, self-destructive longing with a slinky, slow burning R&B bassline. A late-night dial you won’t regret.
Thanks to Neuphorian Paddybear for this recommendation!