May’s playlist floats somewhere between distortion and daydreams, perfect for late-night drives and disappearing into your headphones. There’s a big Asian pull, with Korean R&B and Malaysian underground rap blurring borders and expectations. Familiar names return with reinvention in mind, from CORTIS’ punk-pop EP to the futuristic trap tracks of BNYX. Some come in loud and chaotic, like the rock band The All-American Rejects. Others bring longing and nostalgia, like the sibling duo Wasia Project. Here are 10 of the month’s best.
After their breakout hit GO!, the South Korean boy band returns with their second EP, GREENGREEN. The six-track EP blends hip-hop, punk-pop and 90s Britpop influences, pushing CORTIS beyond conventional K-pop boundaries. The project carries a sharp, kinetic energy, with distorted synths, gritty basslines, and explosive hooks. The HYBE founder Bang Si-hyuk, best known as ‘hitman’ bang, contributed to songs such as “REDRED” and “ACAI”.
The alt-pop sibling duo, Olivia Hardy and William Gao, bring us a track that feels like a wistful ode to growing up. The song explores nostalgia and disconnection, the fleeting relationships made and lost through youth. The production moves through a stillness that surrounds Hardy's fragile vocals and guitar notes. As the second single for their Nocturne album, it’s scheduled for release on 18 September, following the era-defining single “2515”.
Drake’s holy trinity arrives with Iceman, Maid of Honour, and Habibti. Iceman features rap and hip-hop tracks that channel unresolved tension into sharp disses and industry fallout. Maid of Honour expands his electronic and dance direction from the 2022 album Honestly, Never Mind, sampling South Korean DJ Peggy Gou’s “(It Goes Like) Nanana” on "Cheetah Print”. Habibti drifts back into R&B, recalling Drake’s Take Care era through reflective writing. Read the full breakdown and review of each album here.
After releasing his debut EP Loading… in 2025, reading this tracklist feels like memorising a chemistry formula before the beat detonates. BYNX, the producer behind Yeat, Travis Scott and Lil Uzi Vert, releases his debut album with many big-name international features. From Quavo and Don Toliver to Clara La San and Peso Pluma, the trap rage and experimental hip-hop record twists together distorted synths, warped basslines, and a futuristic production.
Hailing from Denai Alam, Shah Alam, lucidrari returns with an experimental hip-hop single defined by a unique artistic identity. In 2022, his debut album broke through with “LAMPU BIRU”, reaching No. 8 on Spotify’s Malaysia Top 40 and earning recognition from MK of K-Clique, a Sabahan-based group. This collaborative track brings together Indonesian producer and rapper Concerto, rising Malaysian rapper Eemrun, and Indonesian artist and rapper Fury+.
The All-American Rejects unleashes our 2000s time capsule with a new 12-track album, marking the band’s comeback after 14 years. Expanding beyond their usual rock sound, this project blends alternative rock and pop-punk. Produced by fellow band members Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler, the record revisits heartbreak and growing pains, with vocal grit from the former and guitar work from the latter.
After 4SHOBOIZ MIXTAPE set the tone, LNGSHOT have turned it up a notch on a collaborative mixtape with American singer and rapper Jay Park. Formed by Park’s record label More Vision, the South Korean boy band builds a shared sonic universe in volume two. The eight-track album moves like a neon-lit drive, blending hip-hop, chill rap, hip-hop dance, and R&B genres. The second track, “YEAH! YEAH!”, garnered one million views in two days.
BigBang’s vocalist, Taeyang, turns longing into light with a solo album that explores identity and embracing oneself. It moves through themes of love, devotion, and quiet reinvention. Produced with longtime collaborators from the South Korean THEBLACKLABEL, the 10-track record is heavily rooted in R&B and pop. On day one, the album surged past Taeyang’s previous releases with 20,000+ physical copies sold, before tripling his earlier peak.
What if “My Friend?” isn’t a question, but a confession that James Alyn isn’t ready to say? Following the success of his debut album in 2019, the Thai-Singaporean singer-songwriter returns as a solo artist under indie label JUICEY. The track explores blurred friendships and modern romance, blending alternative and indie textures. As a former member of the duo HYBS, the music video showcases Alyn’s own vision, creating a visual that brings a bittersweet narrative to life.
“No Sugar in My Coffee”, because Gemini already makes it sweet enough. The South Korean artist Kim Jaemin (Gemini) debuted in 2020 with the single "Going". His latest track is rooted in alternative R&B and indie-pop, touching on fading connections and modern love fatigue. Produced with South Korean singer-songwriter KWACA, the song’s stripped-down, intimate production captures a love that’s close, but never open. The visualizer brews an immersive haze, pulling fans in and stirring obsession over Gemini’s next move.
Esquire Malaysia
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