Essential Listening: The best new music releases in May 2024

The best new music releases in May 2024, covering house, indie, DnB, hip-hop, techno, and more.

Skiddle Staff

Date published: 28th May 2024

As we get closer to June, we think we can say new music in May 2024 has been incredible. If you’ve been tuning in to Essential Listening this month, we’re sure you’ll agree.

Continuing with excellence, this week, we’ve got new tracks from Vince Staples, Gorgon City, Amyl and The Sniffers, Shy FX, Groove Armada, Bring Me The Horizon feat. AURORA, Joseph Capriati, Common and Pete Rock, Rapsody and Lil Wayne, and more.

Check out the brilliant new music releases in May 2024, follow the playlists, and secure tickets for our featured artists below.

Essential Listening: House and Techno

This Is My Life - Carl Cox remix

The man, the myth, the legend Carl Cox is back with a belter. Putting his spin on HoneyLuv and Roland Clark’s brilliant tune ‘This Is My Life’, Carl has added a deeper, darker dimension to the track.

A super club-ready track, with lyrics like "I dance all night, it's my salvation", you can just picture everyone singing at the top of their lungs, having the time of their lives, full of energy. It’s addictive.

We can't wait for him to drop this banger during a set. And with SYREETA, Franky Wah, Fish56Octagon, Dan Shake, Prospa, and more joining him in London soon for his High Lights show, we can already feel that crazy energy. Grab your tickets for that show below.

Get tickets to see Carl Cox live here:

High Lights: Carl Cox, Franky Wah, SYREETA, Prospa & more | Saturday 1st June 2024 | Barking Park in London

Buy tickets:

Essential Listening: Indie and Alternative

Raining On Your Pillow - DIIV

A bit grungy and pensive, ‘Raining On Your Pillow’ is the final single taken from DIIV’s album, Frog In Boiling Water, which was released last Friday.

The eerie instrumental is stunningly juxtaposed with the soft vocals, which gives it an oddly comforting atmosphere while still feeling somewhat menacing.

About the track, the band said, “[it’s] a song which brings to mind the shameful past (and present) of American imperialism. Lost in a terrifying landscape, a lone soldier ruminates on the existence of a landscape of his own far removed from conflict. Does it matter if this place is real or not? Is a false sense of hope enough to give our lives meaning in the midst of despair? A looping guitar figure plays underneath a driving rhythm in a cloud of murky atmosphere of analogue synths and tape loops. Menacing, doomed, and strangely hopeful.”

Get tickets to see DIIV live here:

DIIV | Friday 6th December 2024 | XOYO in Birmingham

Buy tickets:

DIIV | Monday 9th December 2024 | O2 Ritz in Manchester

Buy tickets:

Essential Listening: Drum & Bass and Jungle

Heavyweight - K Motionz, Arrdee, feat. Riko Dan

K Motionz is back with a heavy-hitter with rapper Arrdee and legendary MC Riko Dan.

After jumping on ‘Liquor & Cigarettes’ with Hedex and Chase & Status, it seems Arrdee is on his way to becoming the next big DnB MC, and we’re more than happy with that! He spits hedonistic bars about partying over horns and subdued drums before Motionz builds the chaos up to a drop with a, frankly, sick bassline.

Riko Dan’s contribution is equally essential from his verses, the hook, and ad-libs, which add an extra punch to the track. This one will be inescapable at raves for a while and, again, we’re more than happy with that.

Get tickets to see K Motionz live here:

DnB Allstars w/ K Motionz, Kings of the Rollers, Turno | Saturday 1st June 2024 | Motion in Bristol

Buy tickets:

WAH10: Hybrid Minds, K Motionz, Sota, Pola & Bryson & more | Friday 27th September 2024 | TESTBED in Leeds

Buy tickets:

Essential Listening: Hip-Hop and Jazz

Shame On The Devil - Vince Staples

Vince Staples is back with a new album, Dark Times, and we’re loving this laid-back ‘Shame On The Devil’ track.

Psychedelic and incredibly moreish, everything on this track sounds a bit like it’s melting from Vince’s relaxed vocal delivery - especially the reverbed and pitched-down parts - to the riff throughout. It gets especially trippy when the track begins dissolving at the end.

Stick your headphones on, lie down, and let this one take you to the clouds.

Love hip-hop? You might like…

Arrested Development | Tuesday 6th August 2024 | Margate Lido in Margate

Buy tickets:

Danny Chaska | Thursday 13th June 2024 | The Hackney Social in London

This event has been cancelled
This event is cancelled. Tickets will be refunded.

Follow our Essential Listening playlists featured above to discover the best new tracks released each week, as curated by the Skiddle team.

Check out our What's On Guide to discover more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.