A selection of new and/or relevant pop tracks from August 2026 that have recently left an impression on us. For the full playlist, click here.
Tom Relling – “Secret”
Tom Relling’s “Secret” has the kind of swagger rock ’n’ roll loses when it gets too polished. The guitars are big and crunchy, the drums hit hard, and Relling sounds completely at home in the middle of the noise. There’s some MC5 grit in there, alongside the glam-rock strut of Marc Bolan and T. Rex and even a little of The Darkness at their most playful. But Relling never sounds like he’s simply borrowing from his record collection. At 3:12, “Secret” gets in, lands its hooks and gets out. It’s messy in the right places, ridiculously catchy and, above all, genuinely fun.
Son of Jacob – “Livin’”
Son of Jacob’s “Livin’” settles into its groove almost immediately. A warm bassline and crisp drums give the track its backbone, while flashes of guitar and keys keep the arrangement light on its feet. Jacob’s vocal is the real draw: relaxed and soulful, but with enough personality to make the repeated hooks stick. There’s something of Tom Misch in the easy musicianship and Jordan Rakei in its blend of soul, jazz and indie textures, though “Livin’” never feels overly polished. Instead, it carries the looseness of musicians simply enjoying the pocket. Smooth without becoming sleepy, it’s an effortlessly likeable listen.
Madeline Rosene – “I’ll Seduce God to Get into Heaven”
With a title like “I’ll Seduce God to Get into Heaven,” Madeline Rosene already has your attention before the first note hits. Thankfully, the song lives up to it. Rosene moves through dark, theatrical alt-pop with a vocal that can sound intimate one moment and wonderfully dramatic the next. There’s a touch of Lana Del Rey’s doomed romanticism here, with some of MARINA’s sharper pop instincts underneath. The production gradually fills out around her without swallowing the vocal, giving the track an almost cinematic pull. Strange, seductive and knowingly over-the-top, it’s the kind of pop song whose personality is impossible to miss.
Steven Winton – “Wee Small Hours”
Steven Winton’s “Wee Small Hours” starts like a rowdy country-rock singalong and ends somewhere much closer to the dancefloor. Stomping acoustic guitar drives the opening, with Winton’s rugged vocal and stacked harmonies giving it the warmth of a late-night pub chorus. Then the four-on-the-floor beat arrives, turning the track into an unlikely but surprisingly convincing country-EDM crossover. Think Mumford & Sons after a few drinks, with a touch of Avicii’s folk-meets-dance instinct. The genre switch could easily feel gimmicky, but Winton commits to it. “Wee Small Hours” is boisterous, slightly chaotic and built for nights that run later than planned.
Chip Greene – “Strike a Match”
Chip Greene lets “Strike a Match” simmer rather than rush toward a payoff. A steady rhythm section sits beneath expressive electric guitar, while Greene’s weathered vocal gives the song its late-night, slightly bruised character. The guitar is particularly good, slipping between restrained phrases and sharper flashes that add tension without crowding the arrangement. There are shades of Mark Knopfler in that understated playing, while the darker atmosphere occasionally recalls Chris Isaak. Greene understands that this kind of song needs space, and he gives it plenty. Moody, bluesy and refreshingly unforced, “Strike a Match” makes its mark without ever needing to shout.
