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This is one of our favorite tracks from the Black Kids’ debut, Partie Traumatic, an album overflowing with highly danceable neo-wave pop. “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You” is an infectious, synth-covered mix of joyous indie-pop with bubbly melodies and Go! Team-inspired cheers.

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Too bad that the Lost Trailers’ “Holler Back” wasn’t released a few months earlier. Otherwise, it very well could have been a strong dark horse for single of the summer. Opening with sassy fiddle and a humorous spoken word verse, this modern country gem builds up to a chorus featuring not only a tight backing vocalist but call and response shouts. So give “Holler Back” a listen and extend your summer — at least in spirit!

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Chilean teen pop sensation Kudai set its sights on the U.S. with the band’s third studio album Nadha, the first to be released here in the States. The song “Lejos de Aquí” is an electro-tinged pop track with airy vocals and lyrics focused on global warming, reminding us that we all have to take responsibility for our actions that impact future generations.

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Though they’re from the West Coast, Gran Ronde sounds as if they’d fit right in playing alongside Bloc Party or Interpol. The band’s debut album, Secret Rooms, shows off a melodic, post-punk sound with 11 tightly produced songs (including bonus track “Control”). “Wisdom” is one of the more upbeat singles, with its jangly guitars, catchy hooks, and sentimental lyrics about love lost.

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Austin-based Latin-funk orchestra Grupo Fantasma is one of the hardest working and most exciting bands around right now. Produced by co-founder and guitarist Adrian Quesada, the band delivers a modern twist on cumbia with the track “El Sabio Soy Yo,” laced with slick horns, driving percussion and blazing guitar riffs.

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SLO-O skates over a classic Dr. Dre-style production with his crisp, laid-back flow. The San Francisco newcomer’s hazy tale about grinding on sleepless streets takes on added drama thanks to strings that sweep across a hypnotic keyboard riff. The song’s title references Eldridge Cleaver’s collection of essays and SLO-O proves he too has literary flare: “I walk with my soul on ice, on gasoline blocks, matchbook ready to strike, I’m trying to weave out.”

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All-star producers Luny Tunes put their signature spin on the ultra-smooth urban bachata love song “Te Abrazare” from the self-titled debut album by newcomers Erre XI (a.k.a. Raphy Flores and Gerry Capo). The rest of the album jumps from driving reggaeton cuts to ballads to cumbia-pop fusions that include collaborations with Pee Wee (Kumbia All Stars), Zion & Lennox, La Sista, and more.

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Alabama’s Jamey Johnson has building up a strong fanbase since he debuted with “The Dollar” three years ago. In that time, he’s grown as a songwriter - inviting comparisons to Trace Adkins and George Strait (both of whom have sung his songs). Indeed, Johnson’s deep, rich vocals and rock-based twang have him on the fast track towards critical and commercial success.

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Carrie Rodriguez is a classically trained violinist who studied at the Berklee School of Music and made a name for herself as an earthy, passionate songwriter in the musician-friendly Austin, Texas. “Infinite Night” is a track from her second album, She Ain’t Me and it’s a murky bit of countrified, roots-y soul music with Rodriguez shining succinctly as a vocalist.

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The dub-reggae-rock feel of “Give Me Love” is one of the standout tracks on the debut from the Los Angeles group Monte Negro. On an album that is such a successful melange of ideas - from Latin pop, sugary alt-rock to mature synth-pop (to name just a few of the genres they touch on), we feel that’s saying something.