We're three months into a year that already feels like eternity, but at least we've had an abundance of tunes to keep us occupied. From a bittersweet posthumous release to petty breakup bops, here are the best songs 2020 has to offer so far. Nadine Royale has reached her wits' end in a relationship and regrets the time she wasted going "crazy" over her old lover. Though she wants to start a war, she has a new man who treats her better and brings her peace. Valentine's Day is long gone but James Blake's "You're Too Precious" is hauntingly beautiful song you can sing to your loved ones year-round. From the Aaliyah sample to the booming bass, Ilham's newest song is a bop in every sense of the word. My only qualm is that the song is entirely too short. Apple told ELLE the “delayed angst” of childhood defines the songs on her masterful new album Fetch the Bolt Cutters. But the bouncy, joyful “Shameika” celebrates a creative milestone in young Fiona’s life—the time a classmate told her she “had potential.” Play it at top volume in tribute to the real-life Shameika, without whom we might've never heard Apple’s electrifying discography. Marling describes her new album as a “triumph over trauma,” and her soothing vocals and defiant lyrics offer unexpected solace in this time of crisis. The title track, “Song for Our Daughter,” faces down the thorny “bullshit” of coming of age as a young woman, imagining a world where Marling’s hypothetical daughter knows enough to shun it.
