Every week, one or two songs inevitably elbow their way into my daily soundtrack. They survive the first listen, then the second, until I find myself reaching for them without thinking, and there was no shortage of new music this week. Punk veterans returned, longtime favorites teamed up, and a few artists managed to surprise me. These were the three releases I couldn’t stop coming back to.
We’re kicking things off with Green Day.
The band’s new single, “I’m Never Gonna R.I.P.”, serves as the lead single from the upcoming Nimrods original motion picture soundtrack, arriving July 31 alongside the comedy film inspired by the band. Rather than functioning as a standard movie soundtrack, Nimrods reaches across Green Day’s catalog while making room for artists including The Paradox and Ultra Q, giving listeners a broader musical experience than the typical companion release.
“I’m Never Gonna R.I.P.” leans hard into a twangy, rockabilly sound that immediately reminded me of the Stray Cats, Brian Setzer, and the late-’90s swing revival. It has that loose, vintage energy that feels pulled from a jukebox somewhere between 1958 and 1998. It’s playful, confident, and refreshingly unconcerned with chasing whatever happens to be trending.
I couldn’t help but wonder whether touring guitarist Kevin Tyler Preston has had at least some indirect influence on the band’s recent sonic direction. Preston has long embraced rockabilly and vintage American guitar styles, and while there is nothing to suggest he was involved in writing or recording the song, the stylistic overlap is difficult to ignore. Whether intentional or simply a coincidence, Green Day sounds like they’re having a lot of fun exploring those textures.
More importantly, it fits the film.
Rather than feeling like a standalone single that happened to land on a soundtrack, “I’m Never Gonna R.I.P.” feels built for the world of Nimrods. It has the kind of carefree, windows-down, summertime energy that immediately conjures road trips, bad decisions, and coming-of-age comedies. It makes me even more curious to see how the song functions within the movie itself.
I’ve already added “I’m Never Gonna R.I.P.” to my punk playlist, and I have a feeling it’ll stay there long after summer is over. It’s catchy without trying too hard, nostalgic without feeling dated, and just plain fun. If this is any indication of what Nimrods has in store, both the movie and its soundtrack are shaping up to be one of the season’s most entertaining releases.
Nia Archives & Jorja Smith – “Get Me Down”
The next release that completely grabbed me this week comes from two U.K. artists I’ve been keeping a close eye on over the past couple of years: Nia Archives and Jorja Smith. On paper, it’s one of those collaborations that almost feels inevitable. In practice, it’s even better than I hoped.
I’ve been a fan of electronic music for decades, but jungle has always been one of those genres I’ve admired from a distance more than one I’ve claimed to know inside and out. Nia Archives is one of the few artists who’s genuinely pulled me into that world. She has a way of modernizing jungle without sanding off its edges, creating music that feels simultaneously nostalgic and completely forward-thinking.
Jorja Smith, on the other hand, has always been a bit more complicated for me. I adore her voice. Some of my favorite work she’s ever done has been through collaborations and dance-oriented records, where her smoky vocals have room to breathe. But after seeing her at Outside Lands last year, I walked away underwhelmed. The performance felt too restrained, too slow, and never quite found its energy.
“Get Me Down” reminded me why I keep coming back.
The song opens almost like a siren’s call, ethereal, watery, and dreamlike before Nia Archives’ unmistakable production slides in underneath it. The beat is glitchy, hypnotic, and endlessly addictive without ever becoming overwhelming, but it’s the way her production locks together with Jorja Smith’s voice that really sold me. Their harmonies are stunning, weaving around one another with an ease that feels completely natural. It’s the kind of chorus that quietly gets under your skin and keeps pulling you back for another listen.
If I heard this playing at a hotel rooftop bar, a beachside day party, or drifting through an open-air lounge on vacation, I’d have my phone out to Shazam it before the first chorus was over.
That’s one of the things I appreciate most about Nia Archives as a producer. In an era where electronic music is often defined by oversized drops and festival-ready EDM, she seems more interested in texture, movement, and atmosphere. Her music has a liquidity to it, constantly shifting, constantly pulling you forward. It makes you want to move without demanding that you do.
This was an unusually competitive New Music Friday, with major artists releasing new singles across nearly every genre. The fact that “Get Me Down” still rose to the top of my playlist says everything.
It’s an easy win, one of the best collaborations either artist has released in recent memory, and another reminder that I’ll probably always have a soft spot for British music.
Genesis Owusu – “Human Again” (feat. KYE)
Rounding out my picks this week is “Human Again” by Genesis Owusu featuring KYE. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Owusu’s new album lately, and it’s full of bangers, but this was the track that immediately separated itself from the pack. It’s a club gem.
From the second it starts, it grabs your attention. If you rolled into the club a little late, had a couple of shots, and were still standing at the bar trying to catch up with your friends, the second this song came on you’d abandon the conversation and make a beeline for the dance floor. That’s the effect it had on me.
It reminds me of old Jamiroquai filtered through the kind of infectious, repetitive grooves Fatboy Slim built a career on. KYE’s looped vocals add this light, almost ethereal layer over the top, while Genesis Owusu keeps everything moving underneath with an effortless combination of rapping and singing.
That’s probably my favorite thing about him as an artist. When he leans into a melodic rap cadence, I hear shades of 2 Chainz. Then he’ll pivot and start using his voice almost like another instrument, in the same way artists like will.i.am or T-Pain have always understood how to blur the line between singing, rapping, and production. He’s not imitating any of them, but those reference points help explain why his records feel so distinctive.
This was an incredibly crowded New Music Friday. There were major releases everywhere, which makes “Human Again” rising to the top of my playlist all the more impressive.
I’ve also been fascinated watching Genesis Owusu’s momentum build over the last couple of years. Spend five minutes on Reddit, X, or Bluesky and you’ll see people talking about him. The buzz is there. I’m honestly surprised he isn’t an even bigger artist than he already is.
I’ve always loved club pop that exists outside the usual Top 40 dance-pop formula. “Human Again” has a real signature to it. It’s heavy on vibe, full of little production details that reveal themselves with every listen, and the kind of song that reminds me why I still get excited about discovering new music. There will always be room for introspective singer-songwriters and experimental records, but sometimes all I want is a song that makes me want to move.
This one absolutely does. I can’t wait to see Genesis Owusu live.
Newly released music never really slows down, which means neither will On Repeat. Check back next week for three more songs that earned another spin.
