Every week, there are thousands of new songs hitting the airwaves — and it’s just too much for your two ears to handle. With all those options, you can’t be wasting your time on tracks that deserve 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 five 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.
Iggy Pop — Asshole Blues
A lo-fi punk-influenced blues number from rocker Iggy Pop, Asshole Blues channels old field-recorded classics, with deep acoustic guitar and vocal inflections that paint an emotional musical portrait throughout. The acclaimed Stooges frontman wrote and recorded this single to kick off a new flexi-disc (the paper-thin vinyl found in ’70s magazines) series for the Miami-based Mag Mag label, and we can’t think of a better genre — or performer — for the format.
Taylor Bennett — Only Brother (A Special Remix)
In honor of Chance The Rapper’s 24th birthday this week, Chance’s younger brother, Taylor Bennett, released this remix of D.R.A.M. Sings Special from his sibling’s Coloring Book mixtape. With quick-paced verses full of personal lyrics, Bennett — an up-and-coming wordsmith himself — had exactly the right effect on his big bro, with Chance tweeting after its release, “My only brother, Taylor Bennett, made me this song for my birthday and brought me to tears.”
Cende — What I Want (Feat. Greta Kline)
Brooklyn-based quartet Cende, with an assist from vocalist Greta Kline during a string-laden second verse, melds clean and catchy lyrics with a ’50s-style beat and shimmering keyboard lines on What I Want. There’s a steadily evolving arrangement on the track that evokes comparisons to the psychedelic explorations of late-’60s Beatles recordings — complete with a rocking midsong breakdown and a chimey, wall-of-sound outro.
Dion Lunadon — Howl
A Place to Bury Strangers’ bassist Dion Lunadon channels his inner Ty Segall on this bustling new rock single, which happens to be just the thing that we plan to shove in the earholes of anyone who tries to tell us rock is dead. Guitars in overdrive and cymbals dominate the soundscape, with distorted lyrics that howl you through the two-and-a-half-minute jam. Play it back to back to back, and we’re sure you”ll run the fastest mile of your life.
Haley Heynderickx — Untitled God Song
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ymjaWnyiaQ?feature=oembed&w=100&h=100]
Folk-influenced Portland, Oregon, songwriter Haley Heynderickx writes with an elegant lyricism that sticks immediately in your brain, penning poetic lines in songs like Untitled God Song that you’ll think about for days. “And maybe my God has a trot in her walk/And her Coach bags are knockoff/Her shoes are all dressed up,” she sings to open up this live video that was recorded recently for Seattle’s KEXP Radio. Her voice immediately captures your ears, before her band joins in and takes you even deeper.
That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more tunes — and check out the playlist loaded with our recent selections below: