Here are our top 5 songs to stream this week.
Miley Cyrus – Slab of Butter feat. Sarah Barthel
Who knew the girl from Hannah Montana would turn out to be such a controversial figure? Miley Cyrus is one of the most polarizing pop stars, and the surprise album, Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz — which she dropped immediately after hosting the VMA Awards — is probably the largest wedge she’s ever created. It’s split fans and reviewers down the middle, dividing them into two camps: Those who see it as experimental genius, and those who see it as experimental nonsense.
Even those who don’t care for the new brand of Miley have to admit that some of the tracks on the record are legitimately catchy pieces of oddball pop. Slab of Butter is a perfect example. Cyrus calls upon Sarah Barthel of Phantogram to deliver the through-line of the song, while Miley pops in and out in more of a support role to occasionally compliment Barthel’s voice.
Los Colognes – Backseat Driver
Los Colognes, a six-piece set of rockers out of Nashville, dropped their sophomore album Dos this week. The band didn’t just avoid the typical sophomore slump — they obliterated it. Los Colognes put together one of the better cuts of Americana you’ll hear. Backseat Driver is a solid encapsulation of what the band is capable of. A pearly guitar and rough vocals are the focal point of the song, while a surprisingly rich tapestry of sound develops in the background.
Frances – Let It Out
Frances has made quite a stir since debuting with the song Grow a few months ago. The song made the rounds on a variety of ads and popped up on the radio, which sets a high bar. The hype surrounding the Londoner has only compounded. And yet, Let It Out manages to clear it. It’s a bare-bones track with Frances’ impressive voice front and center. There’s little more than a keyboard behind her, but the combination produces a chant-ready chorus that will stick in your brain all day.
The Wonder Years – Cigarettes and Saints
Pop-punk outlet the Wonder Years feel mighty grown up on their new album No Closer to Heaven. The fifth studio album to come from the Pennsylvania punks is unquestionably the best collection of material they’ve put together thus far. Cigarettes and Saints shows the maturity of the group, both in terms of lyrical content — as Dan Campbell sings about troubling situations — and sound, as the song builds quietly to a powerful crescendo.
The Zombies – Moving On
The song Moving On started coming together in 1977. That’s when the Zombies keyboardist began writing the lyrics for it. The track got shelved for nearly four decades, and now it’s being dusted off, touched up, and put on the track list for the upcoming record Still Got that Hunger. The bluesy, upbeat song written in the wake of Elivs Presley’s death deals heavily with the topic of mortality, which gives the front porch jam session vibe of the song a bit of a melancholy undertone.
That’s it for now, but check back every week for more new tunes to stream!
