Barbie season is upon us – not just with the upcoming release of Greta Gerwig’s much-anticipated film, but also in the form of 454 and New Tork hip-hop crew Surf Gang’s joint EP, Fast 5, which features lead single “Barbie”. The track is a googly-eyed rap with glistening, sped-up production and loved-up bars like, “You know I miss yo’ face, I keep your picture in my wallet”.

454’s strength lies in his ethereal production, which he pairs with sugary hooks and glitchy, distorted R&B sampling. With influences spanning cloud rap, jungle, DJ Screw and Curren$y, it’s the sort of cartoon ambiance that first drew the attention of Frank Ocean, who took the Florida-born rapper under his wing. “Since I started making music, I haven’t done much collaborating, so the process of bringing this idea to life opened a new space for me,” 454 writes in Fast 5’s press release. Doing this project with Surf Gang pushed me to break out of my shell. Solely based on their workflow, it sparked inspiration from day one.”

Elsewhere, Caroline Polachek shares a remix edition of Bunny Is A Rider, Mahalia shares an introspective second project, and J Hus is back with a triumphant third album.