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.
John Legend — Penthouse Floor (Ft. Chance The Rapper)
The latest single from John Legend is a bass-driven jam which seems perfectly timed. “All this trouble in this here town/All this shit going down/When will they focus?/On this,” Legend croons to begin Penthouse Floor, the lead single about wealth inequality from his upcoming album Darkness and Light, which hits shelves on December 2. Chicago’s Chance The Rapper echoes the soul singer’s downtrodden proletariat sentiments later in the track, exclaiming, “My folks downstairs still waiting in line/They never been in these rooms never stayed with these folks/never laughed at the news/never hated these jokes.” They may have been laid down well before the current political climate, but these words cut deeper now — a reminder that we always need to pay attention to all levels of wealth and stature.
Ty Segall — Orange Color Queen
There’s a gorgeous, distinctly post-Bowie quality that we love about Ty Segall’s latest single Orange Color Queen — a clean acoustic number with billowy harmonies, a fully-orchestrated guitar interlude, and multiple tempo changes. The first-released song from his recently-announced (and still-untitled) LP which will hit shelves on January 27 of next year, we hope there is plenty more where this came from.
Jason Isbell — Speed Trap Town
The songwriter’s songwriter Jason Isbell recently performed several of his most soul-searching singles on A Prarie Home Companion, now under the direction of the great Chris Thile. But none are as powerful as Speed Trap Town, a song about meaning and loss in small town America.
Midnight Faces — Germanium
If there’s a better song for your daily run than Midnight Faces’ Germanium, we’d love to hear it. Great guitar and bass tones meet a steady-rolling, eighth-note drum groove, pulling your body forward for the entirety of its five minutes.
Cigarettes After Sex — K.
A steaming cup of coffee, a weekend morning, and Cigarettes After Sex’s K. are a match made in indie-rock heaven. A lovely ballad about falling in love that is light on frills, the Brooklyn band’s new single is soft and introspective, gently lulling you into a slow-paced day of thoughtful self-examination.
That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more tunes and check out our playlist loaded with our recent selections below:
