George Riley explores womanhood, Central Cee reflects, and Jordan Rakei and Jalen Ngonda bring out each other’s soulful best: it’s Wonderlist!
George Riley – “Drip”
George Riley’s new anthem “Drip” is a dancefloor-ready pop jam posing the question: ‘What does it mean to be a woman in 2025?’ Rippling with a carefree buzz, it is energetic, playful and mostly, tongue-in-cheek. Its infectious instrumental teases its potential as a club classic, but we figure you have to be on the right side of history for this one. It’s as much cathartic as it is contagious.
Central Cee – “BOOGA”
Returning with his first new music since January’s debut album, UK rap heavyweight Central Cee delivers a slick single, “BOOGA”. There’s bouncy, atmospheric production, sharp wordplay, and a Skepta cameo in the don.prod directed visuals.
Jordan Rakei x Jalen Ngonda – “What It Gave Me”
Accomplished multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer-songwriter Jordan Rakei has been Abbey Road Studios’ Artist in Residence for the last 18 months. You can only imagine that music he made behind those walls – not least “What It Gave Me”, this gloriously soulful collaboration with rising talent, Jalen Ngonda.
ELIZA – “Anyone Else”
Rising soulstress ELIZA is back with a new release, and it’s the first real love song the singer-songwriter has ever written. “Anyone Else” is grungy, groovy, and gleaming – a taste of what she has to offer in this next chapter. Lathered with soulful falsettos and doting lyrics, the cut is to the point, with room for a little whimsy. It’s her own lover’s rock, and we’re grooving to it.
MAVI ft. Mike – “Triple Nickle”
North Carolina rapper and artist MAVI proves again to be one of the most articulate and adept in the US scene with an excellent new mixtape, “The Pilot”. There’s several standout cuts and features, but it’s with Mike on “Triple Nickle” that MAVI feels most seamless.
TTSSFU – “Upstairs”
To be or not to be obsessed? This is the question that Wigan native TTSSFU ends a great 2025 run asking with fresh single “Upstairs”. Self-produced by the young artist, her vocals are sultry yet spooky, the melody is hypnotic, the message, unnerving.
Feux – “BREAK”
Over the last few years, rapper and artist Feux has experimented with genre and continuously reached new musical heights in the process. “BREAK” sees him ambitiously nestled in his alternative and atmospheric hip hop bag, with a cinematic visual coming alongside the fiery new single.
AE MAK – “We Came From Stars”
Irish art-pop artist AE MAK has begun her next era, sharing a gorgeous and giving slice of introspective goodness. “We Came From Stars” is vocally and sonically stunning.
BombayMami – “Jaloux”
BombayMami returns with sultry Anglo-French single, “Jaloux”. This track takes a twinkling melody, an acoustic guitar, and turns it into an enchanting R&B track, dispelling a frustrating love story to its listeners in both French and English. From its fiery lyrics to its whimsical, ambient production, it’s a sonic juxtaposition that works – really well.
Mudd the student – “123”
A member of Balming Tiger, the alternative collective rewriting the rules of K-pop, Mudd the student is making some incredible solo music too. He’s shared his debut album, LAGEON, an eclectic and enduring 14-track opus. Lead single “123” is tender and complex, and comes accompanied by a heart-warming video.
Fletcher Fletcher – “Find Happiness”
Rising UK indie band Fletchr Fletchr have dropped their first full statement of intent in the form of debut EP, “We All Feel The Same”. There’s plenty to like about the anthemic, emotional songwriting, with lead single “Find Happiness” particularly emblematic of the band’s appeal.
Laroie – “Waterfall”
Electro-pop artist Laroie returns with new heart-lunging single “Waterfall”. With this track, we see the full breadth of her artistic evolution. “Waterfall” presents a more intimate, emotional direction with a slower tempo – because love doesn’t always feel like a dance. Instead, it doefully portrays surrender and renewal.
KILIMANJARO – “Culture Club”
London-based Zambian-Scottish producer KILIMANJARO has had a huge 2025, and finishes it with power and purpose, delivering a broody and bohemian four-track EP “KUSAMBILA (First Phase)”. New cut “Culture Club” is particularly rousing and rave-inducing.
Marti Perramon – “Mutual”
The boy from Barcelona is back, baby – and this time, with his full EP, Boy From Barcelona, Baby. The five-track project includes the favourites, “All My Life”, “Sugar (Honey Ice Tea)”, and “Peace”, and is now joined by new tracks, “Cellotape” and “Mutual”. The latter is one of the most emotive; a heart-tugging story, told in a slow jam with an upbeat chorus, exploring his complex thoughts around closure. It’s a charming confession, blended under his self-described ‘wonky pop’, an infectious mix of alt-pop, R&B, and hip-hop.
Skream & Benga ft. Emily Makis – “Midnight Control”
Savants of the game Skream & Benga deliver a knockout blow with “Midnight Control”. Only the pair’s second ever digital release, after a decorated career in a time pre-DSPs, the producer duo enlist the vocals of Emily Makis for an electric and eccentric rave banger.
Catching Cairo – “High Speed Chase”
North London musician Catching Cairo is making waves across dance, drum and bass, and the jungle scene – and she’s sending another with her new track “High Speed Chase”. It’s the Jessica Rabbit dancing gif, but rather than being in the middle of a swanky jazz bar, she’s in a warehouse on a Thursday night with other ragers. It’s bassy, pulsing, and yet, fully sexy.
Ellie O’Neill – “Bohemia”
Irish songstress Ellie O’Neill has developed a knack for telling those hard truths. From intimacy to friendship, loss to queer identity, “Bohemia” tenderly traces the ‘homecoming’ to the site of a sacred space where people from near, far, and beyond gathered to commune, to party, maybe even fall in love. Swirling with grounding lyrics and her mature tone to a gentle guitar motif, you can’t help but want to be caught up in Ellie’s world.
Truman – “BUZZIN”
London-born artist, rapper, and poet Truman releases “BUZZIN” – a potent cut that offers the first glimpse of his forthcoming album, Kid Raise Kid, due early next year. Driven by punchy, syncopated production from Jakwob, the track captures adolescence, identity, and the harsh realities of his own upbringing.
Soane – “She Was”
French-Moroccan artist Soane unveils her striking new EP ‘She Was.’ Across five tracks, the project forms a graceful and profoundly expressive body of work, shaped by traces of her former self – someone who once loved gently and learned to find strength in stillness.
AKIA ft. Aaron Page – “Side Bitch SZN”
AKIA continues to gain traction across both sides of the Atlantic for crafting some of the most addictive R&B records to surface. Her new single “Side Bitch SZN” surfaces as an immaculately crafted standout track, melding crisp percussive, soft piano touches and subtle synth lines — creating the perfect bed for AKIA and Aaron Page to exchange verses with a balance of vulnerability, playfulness and pure finesse, turning the track into something effortlessly magnetic.
July Jones – “Body Of Work”
July Jones returns with her latest boundary-pushing pop anthem “Body Of Work”. Drawing strength from an industry that often stifles true expression, she transforms vulnerability into empowerment. Her voice glides effortlessly from crystalline falsetto to bold, full-bodied power, reaffirming her status as a true rising star.
