Get your snowshoes on because we’re heading off-piste on this month’s Dazed playlist. April has come and gone with barely a peep from music’s headline names – Tyla and M.I.A. are two of the only familiar faces you’ll find on our list – but that doesn’t mean we’ve been wanting for good music. This month has seen some stellar releases from the stars of tomorrow, including: Dazed-artist-to-watch Deela’s sweltering afro-house collab with South African DJ Vanco, Irish producer and world builder (no, really, he made a whole animated storyline around our interview with him last year) Sloucho’s summer sadness-filled “All Night”, and underground German rapper Ceren’s breakout single “Fashion Killa”. 

Still, even amid these highlights, some tracks have been particular mainstays in our headphones this month. Below, we break down our five favourite tracks from April 2026 (and, when you’re done, check out our full playlist of this month’s musical highlights above). 

“GUERILLAZ FEAT. LUCY PARK” – H.LLS

Anonymous dance trio H.LLS have long been London’s best-kept secret, but it seems that the secret is finally getting out with this latest single. It’s a crystallisation of their singular alt-dance-RnB sound, conjuring up sun-soaked memories of London day parties-gone-by in its tactile, early James Blake-esque textures, 2-step garage beat and artwork homage to the Gorillaz’ landmark self-titled debut album. 

“THINGS 2 MAKE U SMILE” – RIAN BRAZIL

Another Dazed-artist-to-watch alumni, Brighton-born singer-producer Rian Brazil is really in a world of his own. His lore runs deep, from his early lo-fi hip-hop releases under the pseudonym Sly Fieri, to his previous work with cult Brighton rap trio Nokia Mansion, but his latest releases still manage to catch us off guard. Case in point is new single “things 2 make U smile” sits somewhere between Adele-style piano ballad and UK Ug distortion. Pixellated yet lucid and despairing yet euphoric, it’s a sound that’s full of contradictions – and all the more beautiful because of it.

“BITCHES TALK SHIT” – SOPHIA STEL

If this month is all about rising stars, then Sophia Stel only barely makes the cut. We’ve had all our eggs in the Canadian-born singer’s basket for a while now, featuring her in both our Dazed 100 and ten artists to watch lists, but Stel’s latest single “Bitches Talk Shit” (her first since signing to A24’s new record label) signifies arrival. Blending dream pop reverie with hedonistic electronic pop production, Stel waves goodbye to the haters and the doubters on the track, with lines like “Jealous bitches finish never” and “You have got to show me something / Girls like me get so far but we don't do this shit for nothing.” 

“BLOND” – JALDA

If you can count on anything, it’s that Swedes know how to pen a pop banger. But what’s particularly cool about fresh face Jalda is that she’s fusing this rich lineage with the maximalist EDM pop sound that has come to define her generation. Her latest single “BLOND”, her first since releasing her debut album Springer Du Till Eller Från (Are You Running To or From), is an absolute pocket rocket of dynamic electronic production and lyrical earworms. Buy your Jalda-coin early because she’s about to take off.

“TO THE SKY” – LOUKEMAN

Fresh off work with A$AP Rocky (producing no less than four tracks on his latest album) and PinkPantheress (featured on last year’s Fancy Some More? Remix project), Loukeman is ready to step into the limelight with his latest album SD-3, the third and final instalment in his SD series. Far from these more assertive collaborations however, the new project delivers something a little more muted and complex, arriving as a mix of Jai Paul’s Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones)-style organic grooves and Nujabes-esque lofi melodies. Lead single “To The Sky” remains a standout from SD-3, with its reverie-filled mix of shuffling percussion and stuttering samples.