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.
Run The Jewels — 2100 (Feat. Boots)
For all the uncertainty that has come about this week, one positive thing did come to music fans: Famed Southern rap group Run The Jewels released a single that would otherwise have waited on their hard drive until next year. “For everyone who is hurting or scared right now. Here is a song we wrote months ago. We weren’t planning on releasing it yet but … well it feels right, now,” the duo wrote in a note accompanying their latest single. “It’s about fear and its about love and it’s about wanting more for all of us. It’s called 2100. We hope it finds you well.”
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats — Look It Here
Soulful throwback rocker Nathaniel Rateliff and his band the Night Sweats returned to James Cordon’s Late Show this week, offering a cathartic, high-energy performance of Look It Here that feels particularly well-suited to a crisp fall morning. Rateliff and his seven-piece band layer their old-school sounds beautifully, curating a pick-me-up single that should help everyone glimpse the light.
Cloud Nothings — Modern Act
Despite a myriad of emo-influenced melodies, songwriter Dylan Baldi’s material has always managed to be uplifting and cheerful underneath it all. In the video for their most recent single, Modern Act, the Cleveland-based Cloud Nothings explore this sort of yin and yang, mourning the imagined death of drummer Jayson Gerycz on screen, while providing a soundtrack of pulsating, forward-chugging music.
Malihini — Waiting
The first single from London-based pair Malihini (Hawaiian for “newcomer”) is a synth-driven track called Waiting that will be playing on repeat for your entire week. Simple clavichord tones meet call-and-response verses from Giampaolo Speziale and Federica Caiozzo, whose soft mid-ranges and deep drum tones grab your ears and don’t let go.
Littler — Oversteeped
Dense and lo-fi, the latest song from the Philadelphia four-piece offers longtime fans of Pavement something new to chomp on, and some great visuals to boot. In the video for Oversteeped, which was colorized by Andrew Francis (The Tree of Life, The Avengers), various beach scenes are juxtaposed with shots of deconstructed suburbia, a context in which the band’s distorted guitars and ping-y ride cymbals particularly shine.
That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more tunes and check out our playlist loaded with our recent selections below:
