The year was off to a fast start in the music realm with releases from Lizzo, James Blake, Ariana Grande. But in the months that followed, drops from standouts like Brittany Howard and Summer Walker kept the momentum going. Here, we've rounded up the best, freshest “love” songs to spice up whatever love playlist you’re already working on. Whether it be about love for yourself, love for a partner, or love for your pals, this is the best 2019 has to offer so far.

“Closer To You” is a bit of a toxic love song, but technically a love song nonetheless. Clairo wails gently through a wall of autotune, desperately pleading for emotional availability, all while knowing her allegiance will lie with the broken relationship regardless. On a record that delivers most of its emotional commentary via matter-of-fact reservedness, “Closer To You” is a sonic exhale: “Shut up, don't wanna hear it now, I'm fed up / Wish I could say it was enough / To make me walk away.”

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As of last week, Summer Walker’s Over It is the biggest debut album from a female R&B singer in the last 10 years: a testament to the 23-year-old’s mastery, as well as the general public’s readiness, for female-led narratives in the genre. Beyond the tender Drake-featuring “Girls Need Love (Remix),” the album is a beautifully palpable walk-through of a 20-something's love life, with Summer’s endearing self-awareness as its connecting thread. On “Come Thru,” she pays homage to the R&B greats via an Usher sample that morphs into a collaboration with the artists—an impressive move from a rookie destined for Usher-like greatness.

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Newcomer Duah Saleh’s debut EP is a sophisticated, twisting introduction to the Sudan-born vocalist. “Warm Pants” is a stand-out—a woozy, pieced-together tale of late-night lust and newfound vulnerability, in part produced by Psymun, the quiet powerhouse responsible for the sound of original R&B e-boy Spooky Black.

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Lola is enigmatic. With only two songs in total on her Spotify, the 21-year-old London-based singer is a quiet rumbling under the surface. But “Care” seems to speak volumes. It's an ethereal track that laces in biblical references with lyrics that bring it a bit back closer to Earth: “Welcome baby, you took your time,” she coos.

Mimicking the monotony of a long drive, “Ghostride” floats up-and-down, sending a dazed-out myriad of images and thoughts that flowing past the car window and through singer Lila Ramani’s mind. While most of it seems arbitrary (“I’m so hungry”), there are a few romantic daydreams dispersed throughout the surface-level notes: “Come on now, don't let this go / Don't let my love fade away / People come and people go, but I …”

With its one-by-one piano note intro, “Hit The Back” is set up like a romantic power ballad. And while it technically is, King Princess phrased it much more succinctly when she tweeted its announcement, deeming it an “anthem for bottoms everywhere.” The track eventually kicks in, stretching out of its introductory formalities into a dance-centric pop composition.

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The opening track on Blood Orange’s is an obvious departure—a comparably stripped-back, acoustic take on Dev Hynes’s usual daydream-y joints. “I Wanna C U” is a testament to his sonic diversity.

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To anyone paying attention, Brittany Howard’s control, depth, and power isn’t necessarily a new or shocking feat. But the former Alabama Shakes singer fully comes into her own on her new solo venture Jaime, a spanning dissertation on queerness and intersectionality. On “Georgia,” Howard plays through the obsession that comes with a school-aged crush, an elementary-esque love song with a notable softness.

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“Anywhere” is an irresistible bossa nova track that somehow met its U.S. R&B influences exactly half-way, all via the vocals of the undeniable London-based Hope Tala. Following the seemingly never-ending wave of up-and-coming British neo-soul singers, there’s something quietly notable about Tala, whose vocal ease seems genuine and excitingly yet-untapped by mass audiences.

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After an untimely and illegal leak, pop music’s most promising, multifaceted enigma turned to radio silence for nearly six years. Then in June 2019, Jai Paul made his triumphant return—not only releasing the previously leaked album, but also blessing his restless, yet still attentive, fanbase with two new songs.

“Do You Love Her Now” is one of the new originals that floats effortlessly across synth-laced piano keys and layered vocals, proving Jai Paul still has the Midas touch for pop’s most loving gems.