Check Out New Ones From North Texas Acts Matthew McNeal, Flexinfab, Go Yayo, Lil Lotus, G.U.N., ArraDon and Meach Pango.

Welcome to Songs of the Week, where we hip you to all the new local releases you should be caring about. By putting them all together here in one place, our hope is that you can spend less time searching for relevant new releases and more time giving each one of these jams the proper shine they so deserve. OK? OK.

Matthew McNeal – “Rumorosa”
RIYL: Early additions to your 2018 road trip playlists.
What else you should know: Earlier this week, Wide Open Country premiered this track from Matthew McNeal’s upcoming album Good Luck, which is set for release on February 16. The Fort Worth artist also gave the publication a simple summation of this standout tune: “Songs that I really love are the ones that you catch the vibe from the very beginning. You fall into it. We tried to take something from a whisper to a yell. There’s beauty in that.” As soon as the track starts, and that rumbling bass and kick drum get going, it’s plain to hear what McNeal is describing. Even truer? You’ll definitely be yelling the lyrics right along with him as it ramps up.

Flexinfab – “Snap, Crackle, Pop”
RIYL: Strength in numbers.
What else you should know: It’s really not possible to comprehend Flexinfab’s essence by just listening to a track without a visual aid. So, sure, while we wrote about this song a few weeks back when it was first released (especially since the Nawf Dallas rapper laid off the autotune and got back to rapping), we’re writing about it again in this week’s space because the video for “Snap, Crackle, Pop” is just so special — much as was the case with Fab’s “Friends” video. As with that other one, this Dance Dailey-produced video shines because it’s impossible not to be charmed by how much fun Fab and his friends have making music and hanging out. Plus, there are some great cameos from T.Y.E., Nawfside Kognac, Benny Bandit and GuitarEmoji, among others.

Go Yayo – “All I Wanna Be (Feat. Philthy Rich)”
RIYL: Masterful hooks.
What else you should know: Go Yayo’s been a stalwart on the scene for the last couple years thanks to his larger-than-life persona, his unique southern-born delivery and his knack for garnering polarizing media attention. But the Fort Worth rapper really is a master of hooks. From “Boom” to “Dammit Man” and now “All I Wanna Be,” it’s increasingly clear that he can make anything sound like a hit. And this latest track? It feels like an anthem.

Lil Lotus — “Bodybag ft. coldhart”
RIYL: Catching up.
What else you should know: “Body Bag” isn’t new — in fact, it already appeared in this column back in June of last year — but a teaser for an upcoming video for the track caught my attention this week, pushing it back into my consciousness. And now I want to push it into yours. Produced by Los Angeles’ Nedarb, who has developed into one of the most sought-after producers for emo-inspired beats and worked with Lil Peep, Xavier Wulf, Ghostemane, Lil Tracy and more, the song is emotive, affecting and has garnered quite the following for the Dallas artist.

G.U.N. – “Off Top (Feat. Larry June)”
RIYL: Rolling with what works.
What else you should know: If we’re being completely honest here, “Off Top” is eerily similar to the same artist’s “Overseas,” which we wrote about a few weeks back. Basically, it feels like Trill Sammy got swapped out for Larry June. Is this another “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” case? Not entirely. On this one, June brings an energy that Sammy can’t compete with. Really, if this song teaches us anything, G.U.N. may have the deepest Rolodex in the city. Do you even remember what a Rolodex was, bro?

ArraDon – “Skip Cheatem”
RIYL: Spending your Saturday nights watching FlavaTV.
What else you should know: The hero anthem intro that gets flipped into a hard-hitting beat here is justification enough for the track’s inclusion in this week’s column. As has been the case for years and years now, ArraDon proves himself here to be one of the city’s most underrated rappers. Plus, we’re definitely down for Skip Cheatham references.

Meach Pango – “Cuck”
RIYL: Right-wing web slang.
What else you should know: Released last year but buoyed this week by the above just-dropped video, “Cuck” is a great, energetic indie-pop tune that’s carried by Alex Mackenzie’s heartfelt vocals and lighthearted instrumentation, which combine here to sound like Coheed & Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez was fronting Fountain of Wayne. And, listen, that definitely sounds like a good time to us.

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