“January 10th, 2014” – The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die

Emo revival collective TWIABP released their sophomore album “Harmlessness” in late September, setting a high standard for emo and post-punk. The choicest cut off the record is “January 10th, 2014,” which tells the story of Diana, a vigilante from Mexico who murdered bus drivers for committing sexual assaults. Complex instrumentation and tight storytelling makes this song stand out, and the male/female harmonies create a powerful, emotional aesthetic.

“Shadow” – Chromatics
Chromatics have been teasing their latest album “Dear Tommy” for months now, and the last announced release date was back in February. While we wait on Johnny Jewels’ decision, we get another track. “Shadow” combines Ruth Radelet’s classic ethereal, breathy vocals with a new driving drum beat. The driving imagery that Chromatics relies on (think 2007’s “Night Drive,” the 2011 film “Drive” soundtrack) comes back as Radelet sings of driving cars into the night.

“How Do You Do It” – Empress Of

I’m a sucker for electropop, especially when it’s weird. Empress Of just released her debut album “Me” to critical acclaim, and track “How Do You Do It” shows why in just four minutes. Bubbly synths dance around as harsh bass lines and Empress Of’s vocals take center stage. This dancey track shows that Empress Of can hold her own in the overpopulated indie pop genre, and stand out from the crowd.

“MSMSMSM” – SOPHIE

For those who haven’t heard anything by SOPHIE or the similar electronic collective PC Music, you’ve been missing out on the weirdest, most satirical EDM movement happening in the past few years. SOPHIE’s previous tracks like last year’s “Hard” and 2013’s “Bipp” twisted vocals to unnaturally high ranges and used abrasively sweet synths to craft songs. “MSMSMSM” ditches the vocals for a slightly more traditional club track, but only as traditional as SOPHIE can really ever be. SOPHIE’s music is unconventional and unpredictable, and that’s just the way I like it.

“Close Your Eyes And Meow To Fluff (Geoff Barrow Remix)” – Run the Jewels (feat. Zack De La Rocha)

If you listened to Run The Jewels’ excellent RTJ2 in late 2014, you may have thought it didn’t have enough cat samples. Lucky you, El-P and Killer Mike have released a redo album, made with 100 percent cat samples and the original vocals. This purrfect (ugh) remix replaces the bass line with an intense purring and meows filling in the synth track. De La’s feature is more fun than ever when it’s over meowing.

TBT: “Idioteque” – Radiohead

Fans of Radiohead know that Kid A, arguably the band’s magnum opus, came out 15 years ago this week. “Idioteque,” one of many highlights off the album, is one of Radiohead’s first full forays into electronic-influenced songs. Dark themes have never been foreign for Radiohead, but nuclear holocaust can be rough to tackle, as Thom Yorke panics “We’re not scaremongering / This is really happening.” Kick back and revisit “Kid A” this week for a much needed throwback.