The Weeknd's eerie trip to Brazil, and 3 more songs you need to hear this week

Songs you need to hearis CBC Music's weekly list of hot new Canadian tracks.

Scroll down to discoverthe songs our producers are loving right now.

'So Paulo," the Weeknd feat. Anitta

The music video for the Weeknd's new song, "So Paulo," featuring Anitta, is taking inspiration from the zeitgeist, but, having dropped on Oct. 30, it now also feels eerily prophetic. Directed and conceptualized by Freeka Tet, "So Paulo" is a fetishistic body horror about a nightmare pregnancy. Anitta, the Brazilian pop singer, songwriterand dancer, prowls and prances, writhes and wretches, and licks a car and all the while her distended belly begins to move and morph, eventually growing a cavernous mouth and the outline of a chin and nose, sweat glistening above its lips, the Weeknd's voice spilling forth from its gaping maw.

Anitta's verses are explicit, rapid-fire dares to the men who want to eat her up the cleanest lines translated from Portuguese go "put it in your mouth/ put it in your face/ put it wherever you want" and the stomping Brazilian electro-funk is a brilliant vehicle for her provocative subversion of sexist machismo. Anitta is turning the tables and taking control, and the Weeknd is only too happy to be the submissive: "Baby, ride me to the darkness of the night / kill me softly like you want me euthanized." If it all feels a bit over the top, well, that is by design. Anitta told Billboard Brasil that she "wrote some verses as a joke and never imagined they would become serious." A joke nobody believed would turn serious is a very 2024 vibe, and "So Paulo" is somehow the perfect encapsulation of art made for this new era. Andrea Warner

'Rush,' Shanuka feat. Benita

Spellbinding and lush, "Rush" by Shanuka and Benita is an immediate standout on the former's recently released debut EP, A Safe Return Back. The Toronto artists'distinct voices complement and contrast one another, as they trade verses about the whirlwind, lust-filled rush of falling for someone. Miami producer Justin Wiggins comes into the mix with a gorgeously layered track, mixing electronic and instrumental sonics to create anew wave R&B sound. Shanuka has been releasing music since 2018, dropping the occasional single here and there, but on this new EP she clicks into her pocket, positioning herself as one to watch in Canadian R&B. Kelsey Adams

'Practice,' Nia Nadurata

Over the last year, there's been an influx of TikToks from women sharing funny musings about men stealing their personalities and ripping off their interests. From emulating the way they dress, to suddenly becoming obsessed with their favourite bands, no one is guiltier of this copycat effect than an ex-boyfriend and Nia Nadurata analyzes this phenomenon with wit and charm on her bubbly pop anthem "Practice." "So you got new hair and some new tattoos/ but the books you read, got it all from me," she sings near the start, reflecting on how her ex has moved on while co-optingher best qualities. Her voice switches from oozing heartache to scolding as she reflects on her past love: "How you kiss her neck, yeah I showed you that too/ everything you say, yeah it's me, not you." Nadurata's vocals sound jubilant as she belts out the soaring chorus, letting her ex know that he's simply an ersatz version of her. The lyrics are humorous and cutting, but it's the fizzy rhythm and infectious melody that transform the song into a scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs, middle-finger-up banger. Natalie Harmsen

'Heaven,' will hyde andBillianne

Australian singer-songwriter will hyde's diaristic bedroom pop is subdued as he hesitantly reveals his heart. But when Billianne comes in on the second verse of "Heaven," the song hits another stratosphere, as herverse is full of reassurance: "We'll b alright/ I'll be there whn you get too scared to try," she sings, offering a balance to Hyde's trepidation as her angelic vocals ring out, floating over the gentle guitar melody. Once the two vocalists begin harmonizing in the song's second half, that early hesitation has dissipated and the song blooms beautifully. With her previous solo singles this year,Billianne has proven she's a force when it comes to crystallizing young love in song, and this duet tacks another notch in her belt. KA

To hear more about these standout songs, tune in to CBC Music Mornings every Thursday (Canada-wide) with producer Nathan Gill and host Damhnait Doyle, and Here and Now with Ramraajh Sharvendiran every Wednesday afternoon (in Toronto). Both are available via CBC Listen.