@Eliana Leon

ALT CTRL is home to the latest and greatest in alternative music. Here, it’s as much an attitude as a sound—music that keeps things a little left of centre and rough around the edges. This week, Tame Impala continue to tease their upcoming album <i>Deadbeat</i> with new single “Loser”, which manages to make paralysing regret sound both deeply sad and mysteriously cool. Kevin Parker sets the scene of the end of a relationship before blaming himself for his part in the heartbreak on the chorus (“I’m a loser, babe/Do you wanna tear my heart out?/I’m a tragedy/Tryin’ to figure this whole mess out”). You’ll find yourself hoping for a resolution for Parker by the last chord as much as he is. Check back often, as our editors update this playlist regularly—and if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

Organised chaos and expressive dissonance mark these bursts from metal and hardcore’s noisy, scrappy offshoots. Find both catharsis and confusion in mathcore’s brain-boggling calculus, djent’s tricky grooves, metalcore’s artier fringes and more. Our editors update this playlist biweekly. If you like a track, add it to your library.

<I>Rock</I> and <I>chill</I> don't have to be mutually exclusive. From classic to contemporary, big names to indie players, these tracks capture the arty side of rock in repose: reflective but still with a little edge. We update this playlist regularly. If you like a track, add it to your library.

Straight from sticky basement floors and sweaty dives into your headphones, these emerging subterranean bands could be the next generation of metal heavyweights. Discover your new favorite now. We regularly update this playlist. If you like a song, add it to your library.

Packed with today’s biggest and best hard rock tunes, this playlist is like a fantasy festival of modern metal heroes, classic rock revivalists, enduring icons and sweat-soaked freshmen. Our editors update these tracks every week. If you find a new favourite to crank, add it to your library.

Venture into rock's darker corners: The moody throbs of industrial and synthwave. The brooding, ethereal swirl of modern goth. The hypnotic haze of atmospheric metal. The apocalyptic landscapes of neo-folk. You'll find them all in this playlist, updated by our editors each week. If you like a track, add it to your library.

Surfing the airwaves with earworms from across the musical spectrum, these French artists whip up a diverse but always modern spread for the day. Euphoric chanson, pulsating electro-pop and more keep the daytime mood upbeat, while hazy indie and hip-hop make for a casual, late-night vibe in the evening hours. This playlist is updated regularly—if you like a song, add it to your library.

In an ever-evolving French scene, LE CODE will be your how-to manual for exploring the local rap game. In this exclusive playlist, get the best tracks on this side of the Atlantic, from big-name bangers to streetwise indie darlings. With tracks hand-picked by local legend and hip-hop expert Mehdi Maïzi, this playlist is updated after every show. To stay in touch and never lose a beat, add it to your library.

This playlist tracks what’s happening from the heart of the country scene to its outer edges. Find fan favourites you already love next to breakout stars and emerging voices. Topping the list this week is Gavin Adcock with “Last One to Know”, a cut off the up-and-comer’s newly released album <i>Own Worst Enemy</i>. Adcock wrote the catchy tune with Luke Laird at the end of a writing session, ad-libbing the melody to a track Laird built before coming up with some especially wild lyrics. “Luke put together a little track and I just started freestyling the melody over the top of it,” Adcock says. “I’d say some gibberish, hit a word that sounded good right there, and we just put it together. That song kind of came out of nowhere. I think we wrote it in 30 minutes. And it’s one of the highest-streaming songs I’ve ever had.” Check back here early and often for updates, and if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

An irresistible synth melody. A snare drum loaded with reverb. A guitar line that’s tight and powerful. If the song you’re listening to has at least one of these things, it may be from the 1980s, the decade when disco waned and hip-hop emerged, Madonna blew up in the US, the hitmaking team of Stock Aitken Waterman pumped out smash singles for Rick Astley and Dead or Alive, and Michael Jackson broke sales and chart records around the world. Of course, thanks to MTV, this was also a decade when the biggest stars weren’t just heard but also seen, as the music video gave artists a new medium to explore. Peter Gabriel mastered the form with psychedelic mini-masterpieces to complement his vibrant art-pop, while Prince, in the midst of reinventing rock ’n’ roll, turned out two feature-length film masterpieces with classic soundtracks to match.