First Listen Fridays – New Music to Know – 17th October 2025

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Welcome back to First Listen Fridays, your ultimate guide to the hottest new music released today. This week, our Editors Tom and Kloe have an eclectic mix of singles from stars you know to underground artists. Whether your weekend calls for some R&B, rap, indie, or pop, you can find it in one of our ten selections. Let’s jump straight into it!

Tom’s Picks

MOLIY & Tyla – Body Go

Fresh off the back of her summer hit, ‘Shake It To The Max‘, MOLIY has a fresh dancefloor anthem with Tyla. Both these artists know how to soundtrack the summer, and they are keeping the good vibes going in autumn. This is a more mellow sound from FRNCH and Deema, which complements both artists’ great vocals. Everything here, from the club-ready sound to the chemistry of both artists, just works, making for a sure-fire hit.

Ragz Originale – mad ova u

North London’s Ragz Originale is back and ready to prove his talents to the world. You are immediately hooked by his soulful vocals and those sampled in the background. This artist’s attention is on the special someone in his life, whom the lyrics show he is clearly enamoured by. Production-wise, it is very subtle till the last leg when the guitar and wavy synths come in, as well as some female vocals. It is a great return and has us excited for a new project.

Buy the track here.

Oliver Sim – Telephone Games

With an XX reunion on the cards, fans of the trio will be eagerly awaiting what they have cooking. However, Oliver Sim is also producing some solo material worthy of your attention. The bouncy beat kicks things off, before Sim’s vocals shine over this quirky electronic instrumental. This is a certified bop, as he uses the telephone as a metaphor for being played by a partner. The synths, background vocals, and everything else elevate this to earworm status.

Buy the track here.

Blaqbonez FT. AJ Tracey – Consistency

Bringing together boom bap and Afro-fusion, Blaqbonez knows how to make a hip-hop anthem. From his latest record, ‘No Excuses‘, he provides fresh flows over some sensational production. The bassy synths, prominent kick drums, and sax come together to make some glorious sounds to provide some bragadocia over. AJ Tracey comes in to match the vibe, providing a clean feature that hits the sweet spot. This is a great single that has me primed to delve into the rest of the album.

Buy the track here.

Magdalena Bay – Human Happens / Paint Me A Picture

We do love a double drop, and that is what the Miami synth-pop duo has done for us today. ‘Human Happens‘ is a blissful blend of pop and electronic music, with some heavy synths and Mica’s sensational vocals. As the title suggests, it is about giving in to feeling and just letting the night take its course. On the other hand, ‘Paint Me A Picture‘ has a more rocky edge and rising-airy synths, with a more anthemic tone. The song gives details of the lead singer’s desires for a night under the sheets. Together, it is two different-sounding, but equally great tastes of what is next, post-Imaginal Disk.

Kloe’s Picks

DJ Premier and Ransom – Amazing Graces

“Y’all need crack, so I brought Preem back / No more Mr, Nice Guy / We the owners of street rap.“. There’s too many quotable bars from the ever-impressive East Coast MC on his newest track. The moment I saw this drop, I knew it would be something special. Ransom never fails to deliver on razor-sharp penmanship that rivals any of is contemporaries. However, he needs exceptional beats to accompany his excellence. His previous works with Nicholas Craven have shown me the power of production quality alongside this wordplay wizard. Now, paired with the classic ‘Boom Bap’ trademark of Premo – we’re set for a noteworthy new chapter. Their collab album ‘The Reinvention‘ drops later this month.

Chloe Qisha – So Sad So Hot

Malaysian-born, London-based pop artist Chloe Qisha has yet again reminded us she’s the Gen Z it-girl. She takes on heartbreak with a spirited attitude here, juxtaposing being in the pits of sadness whilst recognising her worth. This empowering take transforms sadness into a scrumptious alt-pop banger.

Buy the track here.

bees & honey FT. Ruger, Daecolm, and 10.93 – barry wonder

This song is the feel good anthem of your weekend. Offering up a majestic international link-up, club classic hit makers, bees and honey, deliver a clean and catchy collab, with producer, 10.93. Here, they treat die-hard fans of Nigeria’s Ruger, one of Afrobeats most exciting voices, alongside up-and-comer Daecolm with their vibey groove. This ultra-smooth cross continental blend works wonders, and deserves it’s spot in your playlists.

Chrissi – ONE IN FIVE !

Chrissi’s buttery vocals have blessed our eardrums yet again, in her first release after a break from music. This song reminds me of the safe space music can create, as she opens the single with the gut-wrenching lyrics, “Scared to have a daughter ’cause it’s one in five.“. It’s known one in five children are likely to experience mental health problems or violent upbringings.

Admittedly, I wasn’t aware of this artist until I heard her on Kojey Radical‘s newest album ‘Don’t Look Down‘, where she features on ‘Baby Boy‘ alongside Ghetts. This is an artist who has been through mental battles and it manifests in a healing, angelic voice that stops you in your tracks. I can’t wait to see what more she can achieve.

Masego – Unhinged

Masego just gets music. He knows how to make a hit, and possesses an undeniable star quality that has catapulted him into the international limelight. However, the singer has been missing from the scene as of late. We’ve been waiting two years for new material, and I’m pleased to say this is a solid gold return for the Grammy nominated artist. P.S: prepare yourself for that beat switch, it will give you goosebumps.

Buy the track here.

Follow IndustryMe on Instagram, Threads, X, or YouTube. Press play on our First Listen Fridays playlist below to enjoy all our top picks. Read last week’s picks here. Don’t forget to follow the playlist on Spotify below or Apple Music.

About The Author