A force to be reckoned with since the day he joined the R&B scene, Khalid has returned with a new EP, Scenic Drive. The nine-track project includes features from big-names like Alicia Keys, 6LACK, Lucky Daye, Kiana Lede, Ari Lennox, and Smino, but make no mistake, Khalid’s distinctive voice is unmistakable. Scenic Drive is a whole different ball game compared to the artist’s wildly popular American Teen, which held the 2017 music scene in a trance. The new Khalid is much more mellowed-out: this time he settles comfortably into his lower octaves. His voice meshes beautifully with his fellow collaborators. Longtime fans of the “Location” singer may be surprised at the new direction he’s taken, but upon closer inspection, the same honest and heartfelt elements that marked his earlier work are still present, just repackaged into a sleeker, more suave form.

Born Laura Pergolizzi in Long Island, N.Y., LP is a composer and singer-songwriter with an extensive résumé. Best known by their stage name LP, they made a breakthrough with their songwriting career, having penned songs for A-listers like Rihanna, Cher, the Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion, and Christina Aguilera. LP’s latest album, Churches, however, tells the story of a songwriter with decades of experience under their belt. The album feels experimental, switching between genres like rock ’n’ roll, country, pop, and R&B. Here, LP shows off their impressive vocal range and skillful lyricism. Standout tracks include One Last Time and Safe Here, with LP hitting notes on the latter that feel almost sacred.

Powerful composer and vocalist J-pop duo Ayase and Ikura make up YOASOBI, the musical duo that has taken Japan by storm. Their concept of creating “music from novels” has landed them chart-toppers, starting with their debut single, “夜に駆ける” (Yoru ni kakeru), which dominated the number one spot on Billboard Japan Hot 100 for weeks. Their latest seven-track EP, The Book 2, is full of energy, with dance-pop bangers that make you want to get up and boogie or sing your heart out. Bright and delightful, their latest songs explore the importance of not taking love for granted and of living in the moment, all while making sure to put a smile on your face.

Ian Bavitz (CFA’98), known professionally as Aesop Rock, met friend and fellow artist Blockhead during his college days in Boston. Blockhead ultimately decided to pursue production over rapping, and the two formed a business relationship, with Blockhead producing most of Aesop’s earliest work. Nearly a decade later, the two have reunited for a collaborative album, Garbology. And what an album it is! Aesop’s spur-of-the-moment, hard-hitting lyricism is reminiscent of his late underground rapper peer MF Doom. Blockhead’s beats complement the verses so adeptly, it’s as if the rapper had produced the album himself. The closing track, “Abandoned Malls,” best sums up the somber feeling from which Garbology was born. Aesop threw himself into the project following the death of a close friend, Kurt Hayashi, and the track reveals the grief and pain the artist felt. “Oftentimes the body spits the spirit out and carries on/To engineer some semblance of a normal life, yours and mine/Then of course it’s normalcy where paranormal’s normalized.” Other must-listen tracks include the three-song run “Legerdemain,” “Difficult,” and “All the Smartest People.”