The search for the ever-elusive "bop" is difficult. Playlists and streaming-service recommendations can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?

Enter Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. This weekly collection doesn't discriminate by genre and can include anything — it's a snapshot of what's on our minds and what sounds good. We'll keep it fresh with the latest music, but expect a few oldies (but goodies) every once in a while, too. Get ready: The Bop Shop is now open for business.

It might only be April, but it’s been 80 degrees in New York, so I’m calling it. “Mientras Me Curo Del Curo” by Karol G is my song of the summer. The instant mood lifter samples the 1988 hit “Don’t Worry Be Happy” as the Colombian superstar serenades us in her native Spanish with words of affirmation. It’s a delightful expression of love, gratitude, self-care, and optimism. “I'm alive, I don't need anything else,” she sings in the chorus. “It's OK to not feel good, it's normal, it's not a crime / And tomorrow will bе more beautiful.” —Farah Zermane

The latest from Kate Stables’s This is the Kit asks an unknowable question: “Was it the outside that made it happen on the inside / Or was it the inside that made it happen on the outside?” The Seussian query floats amid chiming guitar and laidback rhythm — the perfect musical mechanism by which to receive it. It’ll leave you contemplative but content, like you’ve spent all afternoon gazing at the sea. This is the Kit’s new album, Careful of Your Keepers, is out June 9. —Patrick Hosken

Eight years after discovering him, Daniel Caesar still sings for my soul. Never Enough, his new album, interweaves the self-deprecating sentiment of its title throughout, navigating love, loss, and loneliness through experimental compositions. The standout for me is “Cool” with its echoing croons of despair that whirl like a biting gust of wind. Its chilling lyrics personify that cruel voice inside your head that insists you don’t need support or the catharsis of articulating your emotions. Although it’s the easy way out of vulnerability, acting aloof to diminish your shine leaves you out to dry. —Gwyn Cutler

No one catches a summer vibe better than Masego. Channeling his Jamaican heritage, the R&B saxophonist gets the block party started on the cheeky “What You Wanna Try.” An instant fan favorite from his recent self-titled album, the song finds Masego combining his always witty wordplay with a sample of Craig David’s 2002 hit, “What’s Your Flava?” to create a song that feels simultaneously nostalgic and modern. The track layers a jazzy, cymbal-heavy melody with lyrics that compare romantic preferences with that of ice cream flavors. “Is you tryna fall for the night? Or is you tryna fall for life?” he asks. “City full of pеople, you got options, right? / Baskin’ Robbins, baby, what you wanna try?” —Sarina Bhutani

Finding a song that encapsulates the anxiety and overstimulation of pushing forward is not an easy feat. Luckily, we have talented singer Hannah Jadagu to express it well. She’s just like you — she can’t see the “Warning Signs'' when it matters most. Relatably, on top of her artistry, she’s a college student grinding her way to stardom, showing it takes more than beauty and a bold voice to tackle the music industry. Her latest hit’s honest lyrics and groovy bassline exhibit her undeniable potential. Jadagu’s debut album, Aperture, named after its balance of light and dark tracks, is out on May 19. —Gwyn Cutler

On her first release for storied indie label Kill Rock Stars, Hudson Valley artist Mikaela Davis weaves a tapestry. It’s not just the extended harp outro — Davis’s specialty — but the twilight folk vibes, soft pedal steel, and melancholic sweeping melody that meld into a twinkling patchwork. Once you’re done spinning Aurora, give “Far From You” a try. —Patrick Hosken

If you haven’t visited before, welcome to Planet Giza. The Montreal trio’s “Quiet on Set” may seem like it revolves around a film production, especially since the music video takes the title literally. But it’s peace they’re after. Like working a gig, the brain gets overwhelmed by frantic activity, and calling for silence on set alludes to pacifying ourselves to see clearly. “The streets cold if you need some assistance / In all states you can just dial my digits up / We be knowing what be up with the system / You doing something right if they talking against ya,” spits Tony Stone, the lead member on this track. Here, he creates a safe space to either calm down or act up, both for the sake of self-expression. —Gwyn Cutler

“We wanted it to sound like a Tom Tom Club song,” is how Phil Dickey explains his band Dragon Inn 3’s infectious, dim-neon new track, “See It Your Way.” Since he co-founded beloved 2000s indie band Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Dickey has gone on to make music in enterprises like the ‘80s-tinged DI3, which collaborates here with Kansas City, Missouri’s Salvation Choir. The result is best summarized by the second half of Dickey’s sonic explanation: “If [Tom Tom Club] wrote The Beatles’s ‘We Can Work It Out.’” —Patrick Hosken

Fresh off the success of the RM-featuring “Sexy Nukim,” Balming Tiger return to the scene with “SOS,” a creative, psychedelic love song for the modern age. On the first taste of their highly anticipated debut album, the members of the alt K-pop collective reveal a gentler, more endearing sonic dimension while retaining their experimental, genre-bending group ethos. The track layers a groovy, bass-heavy melody with their compounded arrangement of vocals to create a sound completely their own. Accompanied by a cinematic, Hong Kong-set visual, “SOS” is the perfect representation of the collective’s next iteration, which centers around taking their act worldwide. As they head in this new direction, it won’t be long before Balming Tiger is a household name, and they are certainly ones to watch this summer. —Sarina Bhutani

Alina Cherone has captured the calm and collected essence of acoustic alternative music from the early 2000s. “Spark” shines with its nostalgic sound and charming chord changes. It’s just one of the highlights from her new EP, Analog Love. I know her serene voice will ensnare the hearts of those considerate enough to give her the chance. —Gwyn Cutler