100 gecs, Syd, Jamie xx and Toronto’s Dylan Sinclair: Here are 7 tracks you need to hear this weekend

Star Tracks compiles the most interesting new music from a broad range of established and emerging artists.

This week’s playlist features new music from Syd, 100 gecs, Doechii, Jamie xx, Dylan Sinclair, Built to Spill, LIA and Thomas White and more.

Click here to listen along to the Spotify playlist, which includes additional tracks we loved this week.

Syd: Control

Syd is smitten again, thank god.

“I can be your puppet, be your glove, babe / I fiend for your lovin’, like a drug, babe,” she sings in a feathery falsetto over a loping, downtempo beat. Produced by R&B mastermind Darkchild, the track’s smouldering vibe evokes the easy chemistry of peak Aaliyah-Timbaland. The lyrics may not be explicit, but Syd’s sultry obsession still feels NSFW.

“Control” is just one of the many highlights found on “Broken Hearts Club,” the second solo project from the California singer, who also fronts the alternative R&B band the Internet. Catch her at the Danforth Music Hall on May 26. — Richie Assaly

100 gecs: Doritos & Fritos

“Doritos & Fritos” is probably the closest that 100 gecs will sound to “normal” and it’s still bouncing off the walls. This time, the hyperpop duo have deployed a much more industrial sound, with disorienting machinery and wailing guitars to match Laura Les’s junk food-laden exclamations. The track is expertly held together by rock legend Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle) and his gorgeous drumming, which is left as a signpost to hold onto as the duo swirls around it. Meanwhile, a surfy bass line serves as the song’s driving force as Les drops humorous nonsensical lines like “I’m hard to please, I’ll punch a referee (Ooh!) / I bruised my knees, I’m pissing in the breeze.”

Much like all of 100 gecs’s previous songs, “Doritos & Fritos” is a bottle of controlled chaos tied to a plethora of genres, but the unlikeliest part of the pastiche is the hook. Shouting “Doritos and Fritos,” Les references MF DOOM’s iconic “Accordion” line: “And get more cheese than Doritos, Cheetos or Fritos.” It might seem totally obscure given the difference in genres, but considering DOOM’s visage being referenced in the song’s cover art, along with 100 gecs’ seemingly endless list of influences, it’s a clear line to the masked villain. — Demar Grant

Jamie xx: LET’S DO IT AGAIN

Remember back in 2015, when Jamie xx — producer for the indie pop group the xx — dropped “In Colour”? At the time, the brilliant and kaleidoscopic party soundtrack was ubiquitous and seemed to broaden the very horizon of popular electronic music. Feels like a lifetime ago. Let’s do it again?

The English producer’s latest single is a breezy dose of euphoria, one that stacks layers of chopped up vocal samples over a bouncy EDM beat and sparkling arpeggios. In other words, it’s classic Jamie xx: technically impressive but unpretentious, it’ll make you want to skip spring and dive straight into summer. — RA

Doechii: Crazy

My artist pick for two weeks in a row? Only the Tampa girl, 22-year-old rapper Doechii, could make it happen. Her newest single and visual, “Crazy,” is exactly what the music industry has been foaming at the mouth for. Recently signed to Top Dawg Entertainment — which boasts artists such as Kendrick Lamar and SZA — Doechii’s journey to make her mark might have already reached its pivotal moment.

“Crazy” explores the dichotomy between womanhood and manhood, and how power and agency is perceived in women versus the opposite sex. It’s about the limitations in women’s space for aggression and sisterhood, and so much more. It’s provoking and it’s bold — so bold YouTube limited its trending ability, Doechii tweeted. The only question left to answer: Why did it take TDE so long to bring the future of lyricism and artistry to us? — Annette Ejiofor

Dylan Sinclair: Lifetime

Toronto singer Dylan Sinclair is in a transitional period. In his early 20s with his music exploding in popularity, it’s only natural to ask “Could you trust me when I’m on the road? With beautiful women from L.A. and London.”

A master of pace, backed by swelling violins, Sinclair makes two verses and a hook of wondering about his evolving life feel long enough to contemplate your own love life. The sweet vocals on the bridge constantly asking “Will I be enough for a lifetime?” are enough to make you question your own feelings while standing in a puddle of tears. “Lifetime” finds its beauty in simplicity. Minimalist production coupled with minimalist lyrics and stunning vocals make for a soulful track that begs the listener’s vocals to accompany. — DG

Built to Spill: Gonna Lose

Brace yourselves, because BTS is back with a dynamite new single.

Yes, I’m talking about the legendary alternative rock group from Boise, Idaho, who this week released a new single off their forthcoming album “When the Wind Forgets Your Name” — their first new music in seven years. Led by guitarist and vocalist Doug Martsch, this iteration of the band includes two members of the Brazilian psych rock group Oruã: Le Almeida on drums and João Cases on bass.

“Gonna Lose” is a sludgy headbanger, complete with crunchy drums, distorted-to-hell guitar and trippy lyrics about losing your mind. “I’ve come to realize time’s all wrong / Answers materialize, then they’re gone,” Martsch sings during the track’s breakdown, a hint of melancholy in his voice. A few moments later, he launches into a killer guitar solo, as if wiping the uncomfortable epiphany into oblivion. — RA

LIA, Thomas White: Stardust

There’s a lot going on in “Stardust,” the first taste from a collaborative EP from Montreal-based singer-songwriter LIA and producer Thomas White — both members of the lofi trio Afternoon Bike Ride. The track opens with LIA’s airy pop vocals and a steady four-on-the-floor beat, but takes a sudden turn with the arrival of an explosive digital drum breakdown, paving the way for a chaotic detour into progressive electronica.

Inspired by “existential reflections on the current state of the world,” the dance-floor oriented “Stardust EP” is out now. — RA

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