Every week, there are hundreds of thousands of new songs hitting the airwaves. It’s too much for just your two ears to handle: With all those options, you can’t be wasting your time on tracks worthy of a thumbs-down click.
But don’t worry, we’re going to save you the hassle. We listen to some of the most-hyped and interesting songs each week and tell you which are worthy of your precious listening time.
Here are our top 5 songs to stream this week. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our Spotify page for a playlist of our weekly picks, which can also be found at the bottom of this post.
Kevin Morby — Beautiful Strangers
Kevin Morby’s Beautiful Strangers is a meandering folk ballad about gun violence the world over. Featuring beautiful, church-like background vocals, simple bongo rhythms, and his iconic speech-song voice, Morby creates an elegant sort of protest song — the kind you can casually listen to without realizing how deep the lyrics really go. “Play for Paris/They cannot scare us/or stop the music,” croons Morby a few minutes in. Amen.
Taylor Hawkins — Range Rover Bitch
With Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters on hiatus, drummer Taylor Hawkins has set out on his own, releasing an LA rock single with a chorus that bears striking resemblance to his paused band’s repertoire. However, rather than glom on to Grohl’s post-grunge style, Hawkins brings a distinctly ’80s vibe to this one, curating an acid rocker complete with stylized digital artwork.
Kool A.D. — Visualize (Feat. Toro Y Moi)
Trippy electronica meets contemporary hip-hop on Kool A.D.’s latest single, Visualize, which was produced by electronic outfit Toro Y Moi. This one proves that the ex-Das Racist rapper has moved away from his comedic roots, now creating dense and elegant singles which would be excellently placed in a dystopian sci-fi thriller.
Grandaddy — We Won’t Wait
Fans who have waited a decade for new material from lo-fi legends Grandaddy were rewarded for their patience this week, as the band announced a new record and released the appropriately-titled We Won’t Wait, along with a music video starring Jason Ritter. It’s not lo-fi, but it is a chugging rocker that is well worth a listen; For those who were worried, they’ve definitely still got it.
Anderson .Paak — Come Down
California up-and-comer Anderson .Paak recently released a new video for this Malibu single Come Down, a nice little visual concoction that features his band performing in a brick-lined club “Somewhere in Malibu.” Despite its studio-perfect production, this one feels like a live cut, with a rolling hi-hat groove that has the on-screen audience dancing about as hard as you will in your living room. Save this one for a dark fall morning, when you could really use a pick-me-up.
That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more tunes and check out our playlist loaded with our recent selections below:
