News
Plus Mitski, Guerilla Toss, Methyl Ethyl, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 14, 2022
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the second Songs of the Week of 2022. It was a spectacular week for new songs, overwhelming almost, with several notable album announcements. So this week we have an oversized Top 14, rather than our regular Top 10. Fourteen songs for January 14! More
Plus Father John Misty, Let’s Eat Grandma, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 07, 2022
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Hayden Merrick)
Welcome to the first Songs of the Week of 2022. We haven’t done a Songs of the Week in almost a month, as the holiday season slowed the release of new songs in mid December. But the first week of 2022 presented enough new tracks to warrant a return to Songs of the Week. More
Plus Shame, Tame Impala, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Dec 10, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 46th Songs of the Week of 2021. As the Christmas holidays creep in there are fewer new tracks of note to choose from. This week’s list is mainly populated with reliable established artists, rather than new up and comers. More
Plus The Soundcarriers, Boy Harsher, Tears for Fears, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Dec 03, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 45th Songs of the Week of 2021. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because of Thanksgiving, so this week’s list includes songs from the last two weeks. Even taking into account two weeks worth of songs, the pickings were a little slim. We came up with 10 we liked. More
Plus Sweeping Promises, Just Mustard, Aeon Station, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 19, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 44th Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a fairly slow week for new songs, perhaps with Thanksgiving impending next week, but we found 10 we liked. More
Plus Jarvis Cocker, C Duncan, Yumi Zouma, Pom Pom Squad, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 12, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 43rd Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a packed week for new songs. There were lots of big album announcements (Jack White even announced two new albums, although he didn’t share any new songs from either of them). And Under the Radar favorite Beach House put out four new songs! So the best we could narrow it down to this week was a Top 12. More
Plus Silk Sonic, Cassandra Jenkins, alt-J, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 05, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 42nd Songs of the Week of 2021. More
Plus Ibibio Sound Machine, Yard Act, Midnight Oil, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 29, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Caleb Campbell)
Welcome to the 41st Songs of the Week of 2021. It may be Halloween on Sunday, but there weren’t any particularly spooky new songs this week. More
Plus Aeon Station, Boy Harsher, Beauty Pill, Clinic, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 22, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 40th Songs of the Week of 2021. More
Plus Laetitia Sadier, Michael Kiwanuka, HARD FEELINGS, Hamilton Leithauser and Kevin Morby, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 15, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 39th Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a blockbuster week for new songs, although the week’s biggest song (Adele’s “Easy On Me”) didn’t make the list. But “Easy On Me” did set the all-time record for biggest single day streams for a song in Spotify history, so Adele will be fine. This week we have a supersized Top 12 and a solid honorable mentions list. More
Plus Sloppy Jane, Silverbacks, Lionlimb, Gang of Youths, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 08, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 38th Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a solid week for new tracks, including the first single from the first album in 17 years from some 1980s icons. More
Plus Field Music, Hovvdy, IAN SWEET, Gone to Color, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 01, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Caleb Campbell)
Welcome to the 37th Songs of the Week of 2021. Old school rock was alive and well this week, with new songs from The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Stevie Wonder, Sting, John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen, and David Bowie, but none of those tracks made our Songs of the Week list. More
Plus Absolutely Free, Bartees Strange, Geese, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 24, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 36th Songs of the Week of 2021. Whereas last week’s list was a supersized Top 14, this week was a bit calmer, with 10 songs we particularly liked. More
Plus Tonstartssbandht, Snail Mail, My Morning Jacket, Coco, Ducks Ltd., and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 17, 2021
By By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 35th Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a blockbuster week for new songs, with lots of strong contenders. We tried to show a bit of restraint and keep it to an already over-stuffed Top 12, but then we just went for it with a Top 14. I mean, whose going to tell us we can’t pick 14 favorite songs? It’s our website and we have no corporate overlords. More
Plus Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, Field Music, Colleen Green, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 10, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 34th Songs of the Week of 2021. There were a whole lot of new songs this week, even though Monday was a holiday (Labor Day) here in the U.S. We narrowed it down to 12 favorites this week, with lots of good honorable mentions too. More
Plus Damon Albarn, Proper., Suuns, The Dodos, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 03, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 33rd Songs of the Week of 2021. We liked enough new songs this week to form a Top 11. More
Plus The Fiery Furnaces, La Luz, My Morning Jacket, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 27, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 32nd Songs of the Week of 2021. It was an eclectic week for new tracks and there were lots to choose from (hence we have a slew of honorable mentions). More
Plus Dean Wareham, Matthew E. White, Penelope Isles, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 20, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 31st Songs of the Week of 2021. It wasn’t the most overwhelmingly amazing week for new songs, so instead of a Top 10 we’ve picked eight songs we liked. More
Plus Big Thief, Trace Mountains, Macie Stewart, and a Wrap-up of the Last Two Weeks’ Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 13, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Caleb Campbell)
Welcome to the 30th Songs of the Week of 2021. As I was on vacation last week, this week’s list covers the last two week’s worth of songs. So it’s a super-sized edition with a Top 12. More
Plus Dry Cleaning, Amyl and the Sniffers, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 30, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 29th Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a light week for great new tracks, but we came up with nine we really liked. More
Plus Big Red Machine, Ora the Molecule, Low, illuminati hotties, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 23, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 28th Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a nice week for new music, with some strong new singles (some connected to album announcements) and some wonderful album tracks we’ve long wanted to share with our readers and can now that the albums are out. We had enough tracks for a Top 12 this week, but many of the honorable mentions are worthy too. More
Plus HARD FEELINGS, Wye Oak, Morly, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 16, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 27th Songs of the Week of 2021. There wasn’t an onslaught of amazing new songs this week, but we liked enough to come up with a solid Top 10. More
Plus Nation of Language, Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 09, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 26th Songs of the Week of 2021. The American music industry pretty took Monday off due to Sunday’s July 4th holiday, so we expected slimmer pickings this week. It was not to be, thanks for some exciting album announcements. We settled on a Top 11 this week. More
Plus Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth, Ade & Connan Mockasin, POND, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 02, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Caleb Campbell)
Welcome to the 25th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week we were feeling a bit indecisive and couldn’t really narrow it down to a Top 10, so we went with a Top 12 instead. More
Plus Damon & Naomi, John Grant, SPELLLING, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 25, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 24th Songs of the Week of 2021. Today was a blockbuster new album release day. It saw the release of new full-lengths by Modest Mouse, Lucy Dacus, The Mountain Goats, John Grant, SPELLLING, Faye Webster, Matthew Dear, Lightning Bug, Pom Pom Squad, Hiss Golden Messenger, Gaspard Augé, Hiatus Kaiyote, Squirrel Flower, and more. But it was also a strong week for new singles. More
Plus Mega Bog, Water From Your Eyes, koleżanka, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 18, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 23rd Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a strong week for new songs, so we ended up with a Top 12 and some excellent honorable mentions as well. This is a very Scandinavian Songs of the Week, with artists from Denmark (two of them), Sweden, and Norway. More
Plus Jessie Ware, José González, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 11, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 22nd Songs of the Week of 2021. Admittedly, there weren’t too many new songs that overly impressed us this week. We almost considered taking a week off. But there were enough tracks of note to keep us in the game. Still, we only came up with a Top 8, instead of our usual Top 10 (or sometimes we have an expanded Top 12). More
Plus Teenage Sequence, Nation of Language, LUMP, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 04, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 21st Songs of the Week of 2021. We figured it would be a quiet week for new songs, with Monday being a holiday here in America, but we were wrong. More
Plus Chelsea Wolfe, Modest Mouse, Gone to Color, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 28, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 20th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week, Republicans successfully blocked a commission that would have probed the January 6 storming of the Capitol. More
Plus Lucy Dacus, POND, Gruff Rhys, CHAI, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 21, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the 19th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week there was finally a ceasefire in the latest Israeli Palestinian conflict. More
Plus St. Vincent, Leon Bridges, Sleater-Kinney, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 14, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 18th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week the CDC relaxed mask guidelines for those who have been vaccinated, helping to further pave the way for live music to return this fall. Although, right now there’s no clear way for venues or stores to check if someone is vaccinated. More
Plus HARD FEELINGS, Alex Lahey, Caveman, Liars, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 07, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 17th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week wasn’t overly eventful, in terms of U.S. news. More
Plus black midi, CHAI, Squid, Anika, Hiatus Kaiyote, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 30, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 16th Songs of the Week of 2021. This week President Biden celebrated 100 days in office with a speech to Congress that laid out his accomplishments (including a successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccines) and ambitious future plans. More
Plus UV-TV, CHVRCHES, Iceage, Pom Pom Squad, Yola, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 23, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 15th Songs of the Week of 2021.The big Under the Radar news was that on Wednesday we announced our new print issue. The issue features Japanese Breakfast and HAIM on the two covers and is another edition of The Protest Issue, which examines the intersection of music and politics and features musicians photographed with protest signs of their own making. More
Plus Anjimile and Jay Som, Far Lands, Desperate Journalist, José González, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 16, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone, Caleb Campbell, and Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 14th Songs of the Week of 2021. In this week’s news, the case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd wound down, with closing arguments expected on Monday. More
Plus Rostam, Darkside, Prince, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 09, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Caleb Campbell)
Welcome to the 13th Songs of the Week of 2021. Today we lost two giants of completely different worlds: Prince Phillip (married to Queen Elizabeth II) died at age 99, only two months before his 100th birthday, and influential rapper DMX lost his life at age 50 due to an apparent drug overdose. More
Plus Sons of Kemet, CHAI, Storefront Church, POND, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 02, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Emma Goad)
Welcome to the 12th Songs of the Week of 2021. In the nation was gripped (or more accurately, traumatized) by the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with murdering George Floyd. More
Plus Anna Fox Rochinski, Beachy Head, Sons of Raphael, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 26, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 11th Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a strong week for new tracks and so we present a Top 12 this week, rather than our usual Top 10. More
Plus Flock of Dimes, Lana Del Rey, Teenage Fanclub, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 19, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the tenth Songs of the Week of 2021. Last week I told you that the wife and I got the Johnson & Johnson shot. This week more and more people I personally know are also getting vaccinated, and I’m talking people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, not just 65 and older. More
Plus Tony Allen, Ryley Walker, Sophia Kennedy, Everything Everything, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 12, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the ninth Songs of the Week of 2021. President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill was signed into law by the president yesterday and many Americans will soon be receiving new $1400 stimulus checks, as well as other relief. More
Plus Silk Sonic, Mdou Moctar, James, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 05, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the eighth Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a fairly quiet week on the news front, with President Joe Biden’s pandemic stimulus bill getting closer to passing in the Senate, but without a minimum wage hike. More
Plus Ian Daniel Kehoe, Adrian Younge, Lost Horizons, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 19, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the sixth Songs of the Week of 2021. There was finally some good news this week. We landed on Mars! On Thursday NASA’s Perseverance rover successfully landed on the red planet, a tricky engineering feat, to answer David Bowie’s question: “Is there life on Mars?” More
Plus Another Michael, Alex Lahey and Gordi, Allie Crow Buckley, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 12, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Emma Goad)
Welcome to the fifth Songs of the Week of 2021. The week’s big news was the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. More
Plus New Madrid, Du Blonde, Indigo Sparke, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 05, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone, Emma Goad, and Jimi Arundell)
Welcome to the fourth Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a fairly low-key week, news wise, although crackpot Q-Anon believing Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was removed from her committee assignments, thanks in part to 11 Republicans who crossed the aisle and voted with Democrats, and the Senate passed a budget resolution early this morning that paved the way for President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 relief package to be passed without any votes from Republicans. More
Plus Madeline Kenney, Ohtis, Tune-Yards, Arlo Parks, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 29, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone and Caleb Campbell)
Welcome to the third Songs of the Week of 2021. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week. Due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and the inauguration, it was a week light on compelling new tracks. So this week we chronicle the best songs of the last two weeks, so it’s a Top 12 (and our Top 2 are both super long songs). More
Plus Jane Weaver, Still Corners, Sleaford Mods, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 15, 2021
By Mark Redfern (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the second Songs of the Week of 2021. It was a little less trying than last week, but Donald Trump did earn the dubious honor of being the first ever president to be impeached twice. It was a fantastic week for new songs; after a slow week last week with only a Top 6, this week we present double the songs with a Top 12. More
Plus Viagra Boys, London Grammar, Shame, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 08, 2021
By Mark Redfern
Welcome to the first Songs of the Week of 2021. And what a week it’s been! More
There’s Also a Separate Playlist for the #1 Songs of Each Week This Year
Dec 31, 2020
By Mark Redfern
Almost every Friday in 2020 we have posted a list of our favorite Songs of the Week and now we’ve put together a massive Spotify playlist collecting every song that made our main Songs of the Week list in 2020, in chronological order. There’s also a separate playlist just featuring the songs that made it to #1 on each Songs of the Week list, again in chronological order. More
Plus Julia Jacklin, The Besnard Lakes, Anna Burch, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Dec 18, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 45th and likely very last Songs of the Week of 2020. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because there weren’t quite enough inspiring songs to put together a full list, so this week’s list covers the last two weeks, but we still only came up with nine choices rather than a Top 10. More
Plus U.S. Girls, Arab Strap, Bernice, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Dec 04, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 44th Songs of the Week of 2020. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, so this week’s list covers the last two weeks and thus it’s a Top 12 rather than a Top 10.
More
Plus Bleachers and Bruce Springsteen, Hannah’s Little Sister, Speed Stick, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 20, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 43rd Songs of the Week of 2020. Whereas last week’s Songs of the Week covered three weeks’ worth of songs, this week we’re back to just covering the last seven days. More
Plus Kevin Morby, Crowded House, Django Django, and a Wrap-up of the Last Three Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 13, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Joey Arnone)
Welcome to the 42nd Songs of the Week of 2020. We haven’t done a Songs of the Week in three weeks. Because of last week’s presidential election there were hardly any new songs of note released and we were too on edge awaiting the outcome to be decided to focus on new music. The week before was the run up to Halloween and there were certainly some worthy songs then, but for whatever reason we didn’t get Songs of the Week finished in time and abandoned it. So this week’s Songs of the Week covers the last three weeks, but mainly songs from this week and two weeks ago. More
Plus Badge Époque Ensemble, Julien Baker, Ela Minus, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 23, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the 41st Songs of the Week of 2020. This week there was a second and final presidential debate that, unlike the first one, was an actual debate. More
Plus James Blake, Maxband, Julie Byrne and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 16, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Caleb Campbell and Stephen Axeman)
Welcome to the 40th Songs of the Week of 2020. Last week we had a supersized Songs of the Week because it covered two weeks’ worth of songs. This week’s list is supersized because there were so many great tracks shared in the last seven days. Thus this week we’ve got a Top 12 (and could’ve easily had a Top 13 or 14) instead of a Top 10, as well as a lot of honorable mentions. More
Plus Jesse Kivel, Lost Horizons, Midnight Sister, TRAAMS, and a Wrap-up of the Last Two Weeks’ Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 09, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the 39th Songs of the Week of 2020. We skipped Songs of the Week last week because we had other plans last Friday, so this week’s list covers two weeks worth of songs. More
Plus Bruce Springsteen, Tunng, Hayden Thorpe, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 25, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the 38th Songs of the Week of 2020. This was the week where those on the left mourned the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and worried about the future of the Supreme Court, as her dying wish to have her replacement be appointed by the next president was ignored by hypocritical Republicans who blocked President Obama’s Supreme Court pick because it was an election year. Meanwhile America reached the sad milestone of 200,000 COVID-19 deaths, there was no justice for Breonna Taylor, and President Trump strongly suggested that he may not leave office peacefully if Biden wins. More
Plus Tim Heidecker, Sufjan Stevens, Future Islands, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 18, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the 37th Songs of the Week of 2020. Just as we were finishing up this week’s list we got word that beloved Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died. As if 2020 couldn’t get any worse. R.I.P. a true legend, the Notorious RBG. More
Plus Everything Everything, Seamus Fogarty, This Is the Kit, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 11, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the 36th Songs of the Week of 2020. This week’s list is a supersized one, with 12 instead of 10 songs (and last week we only had eight), which is surprising considering Monday was the Labor Day holiday here in America, meaning few new songs were shared that day. More
Plus John Jeffrey, Kevin Morby, BUMPER, Adrianne Lenker, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Sep 04, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the 35th Songs of the Week of 2020. This week’s list is a bit more scaled back than usual, but there was still much to like. More
Plus Tim Heidecker, Tunng, Travis, The Flaming Lips, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 28, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Jennifer Irving and Samantha Small)
Welcome to the 34th Songs of the Week of 2020. The Republican National Convention was this week, in which President Trump and his party attempted to convince the country that if Joe Biden and the Democrats take over it will be a lawless land with a defunded police and riots in every city (um…no, that won’t happen). In a nomination acceptance speech on the White House lawn (which was a breach of protocol), complete with fireworks and an opera singer, Trump tried to pull one over on America that he has handled the coronavirus well (um…no, that hasn’t happened). More
Plus IAN SWEET, Angel Olsen, Tomberlin, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 21, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Jennifer Irving and Samantha Small)
Welcome to the 33rd Songs of the Week of 2020. The Democrats had a virtual Democratic National Convention and made a convincing case against reelecting Donald Trump and for electing Joe Biden. Not that we needed convincing. More
Plus Marie Davidson, The Flaming Lips, TRAAMS, Future Islands, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 14, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Jennifer Irving)
Welcome to the 32nd Songs of the Week of 2020. This week’s big political news was Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announcing his highly capable running mate, Senator Kamala Harris. More
Plus Cults, Cut Copy, Young Jesus, snny, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Aug 07, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Samantha Small, Jennifer Irving, and Caleb Campbell)
Welcome to the 31st Songs of the Week of 2020. This week Democrats, Republicans, and the Trump Administration couldn’t all agree on a new stimulus package a week after expanded unemployment benefits expired (something Democrats wanted to extend and Republicans didn’t). More
Plus Wye Oak, Ela Minus, Glass Animals, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 31, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Samantha Small and Jennifer Irving)
Welcome to the 30th Songs of the Week of 2020. This week President Trump suggested that November’s election be pushed back, something he thankfully has no authority to do. Meanwhile on the same day three other living presidents were honoring the late Congressman John Lewis, with President Barack Obama’s moving eulogy offering a stark contrast to the current commander in chief. More
Plus Wye Oak, Hoops, Death Valley Girls, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 24, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Samantha Small and Julian Roberts-Grmela)
Welcome to the 29th Songs of the Week of 2020, the most exhausting year in recent memory. President Trump finally wore a mask and kind of admitted that things weren’t going so great in the fight against COVID-19 here in America. It seems inevitable that they are going to need to shut the economy down again if we are to get this thing under control—close the bars, restaurants, and beaches again for starters. Will it happen? More
Plus Oceanator, The Go! Team, IDLES, Moses Sumney, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 17, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Samantha Small, Stephen Axeman, and Julian Roberts-Grmela)
Welcome to the 28th Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week where the pandemic continues to spread all around America, with the Trump administration doing little to stop it. As a consequence, parents across the land (including this one) are wrestling with whether or not to send their kids to school this fall. More
Plus My Morning Jacket, Liv.e, Travis, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 10, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Samantha Small and Julian Roberts-Grmela)
Welcome to the 27th Songs of the Week of 2020. There was a brief time when maybe one could have felt cautiously optimistic about the coronavirus, when it felt like it was okay to at least leave the house and interact with people outdoors in a socially distant way, but now it’s all feeling dire again, with COVID-19 cases soaring across the land. And we know who to blame. More
Plus Ganser, Glass Animals, NZCA LINES, Fear of Men, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jul 03, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Stephen Axeman)
Welcome to the 26th Songs of the Week of 2020. Tomorrow is Independence Day here in America, but it’s hard to feel overly patriotic this year with the Trump administration continuing to botch the response to the pandemic and with so much to fix in this country—including systemic racism, police brutality, gun reform, climate change, and wealth inequality, to name just a handful of challenges. More
Plus Cults, Hoops, Flock of Dimes, Silverbacks, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 26, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the 25th Songs of the Week of 2020. We’re almost halfway through this trying year! Yay? Thanks in part to ineffective leadership at the top, coronavirus cases have skyrocketed across the land. All we can say to that is: wear a mask!!! More
Plus The Killers, Guerilla Toss, Hannah Georgas, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 19, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Samantha Small and Julian Roberts-Grmela)
Welcome to the 24th Songs of the Week of 2020. These days life is just overwhelming, at least if you pay attention to the news at all. It’s just one long parade of understandable outrage. Sure, some good things also happened this week. More
Plus Leon Bridges, Plants and Animals, Michael Stipe, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 12, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Mark Moody and Samantha Small)
Welcome to the 23rd Songs of the Week of 2020. It was a bit more of a chill week than last week. Black Lives Matter protests continued across the world, but generally remained peaceful. More
Plus Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Hinds, NZCA LINES, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jun 05, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Mark Moody, Samantha Small, and Jake Uitti)
Welcome to the 22nd Songs of the Week of 2020. And what a trying week it was. More
Plus Club Intl, Skullcrusher, Art Feynman, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 29, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Lily Guthrie, Samantha Small, and Julian Roberts-Grmela)
Welcome to the 21st Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week under quarantine, the same as the last week. In terms of this week’s new songs, the pickings were somewhat slim, perhaps partly because Monday was Memorial Day, meaning less new tracks of note were shared these week. But we’ve still come up with some that we liked (albeit, only a Top 9, instead of our usual Top 10). More
Plus Khruangbin, Sad13, Sondre Lerche, Owen Pallett, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 22, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Samantha Small)
Welcome to the nineteenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week under quarantine, the same as the last week. This week we were quite indecisive about our favorite songs and even polled our readers on Facebook and Twitter, which helped a little. More
Plus Nick Hakim, The 1975, Moses Sumney, Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 15, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the nineteenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week under quarantine, the same as the last week. Not much has changed, except that more and more people seem to think it’s a good idea to get back to normal, but a return to anything close to the pre-pandemic society seems a long way off. More
Plus Jenny O., I Break Horses, Cut Copy, Westerman, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 08, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Samantha Small)
Welcome to the eighteenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week under quarantine, the same as the last week. There were more ridiculous politics and it still seems like the health of the economy is being put before the health of the people, with premature calls to scale back social distancing and reopen everything while COVID-19 still spreads. We’ll see how that works out. More
Plus HAIM, Khruangbin, Protomartyr, Glass Animals, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
May 01, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the seventeenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week under quarantine, the same as the last week. Some states, most notably Georgia, are starting to open up again, even though most experts say it’s too soon. More
Plus Car Seat Headrest, Everything Everything, Jessie Ware, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 24, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Lily Guthrie)
Welcome to the sixteenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week under quarantine, the same as the last week. More
Plus Muzz, Ela Minus, Austra, Faye Webster, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 17, 2020
By Christopher Roberts (with Lily Guthrie)
Welcome to the fifteenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s another week under lockdown, with lots of debate on when things can get back to normal. Still not anytime soon it seems. More
Plus (Sandy) Alex G, Gum Country, Gorillaz, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 10, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the fourteenth Songs of the Week of 2020. Our new normal of being under lockdown during COVID-19 continues. More
Plus Jess Williamson, EOB, The 1975 and Phoebe Bridgers, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Apr 03, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the thirteenth Songs of the Week of 2020. While more album release dates were pushed back due to COVID-19 and it seems we haven’t reached the peak number of coronavirus cases in America yet, none of that stopped artists from sharing a whole lot of new songs this week. More
Plus Bob Dylan, Man Man, Hamilton Leithauser, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 27, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the twelfth Songs of the Week of 2020. It was another scary week out there, as America surpassed China and Italy to become the country with the most COVID-19 coronavirus cases in the world, with 101,242 known U.S. cases at the time of this writing and 1,588 American COVID-19 deaths. Meanwhile the world economy is in tatters and there’s no realistic end to the quarantine in sight, despite what President Trump says about everything opening back up again in time for Easter. More
Plus Margaret Glaspy, Shura, Moaning, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 20, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the eleventh Songs of the Week of 2020. How’s everyone doing out there? It’s definitely scary times. We know we should stop watching the news, but we can’t stop watching the news. The COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread and not everyone is taking it seriously enough. More
Plus Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Vundabar, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 13, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the tenth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s been a scary week thanks to the COVID-19 coronavirus, which meant the postponement of Coachella, Record Story Day, various movie releases, sporting events, and more, as well as school closings and a stock market crash. More
Plus Muzz, The Lemon Twigs, Caroline Rose, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Mar 06, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the ninth Songs of the Week of 2020. It’s been a topsy-turvy week. SXSW was just cancelled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus. The Democratic presidential primaries have dramatically changed in the last week, with Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Tom Steyer, Michael Bloomberg, and, sigh, Elizabeth Warren all dropping out of the race, leaving just Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. More
Plus Real Estate, Perfume Genius, Christine and the Queens, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 28, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the eighth Songs of the Week of 2020. It was busy week of new album announcements and surprise EPs. That led to another super-sized edition. More
Plus Nap Eyes, Jay Som, Wye Oak, Glass Animals, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 21, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the seventh Songs of the Week of 2020. Since Monday was President’s Day here in America, it should’ve been a less busy week for new tracks, but there was still plenty to choose from and this week we’ve got 12 songs that we consider the week’s best. More
Plus U.S. Girls, Moaning, Anna Burch, Alex Lahey, Caroline Rose, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 14, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the sixth Songs of the Week of 2020. It was a solid week for new tracks, but we managed to keep it reined in to our regular 10 tracks as opposed to last week’s supersized 13-song edition. And in a rarity for Songs of the Week, the same artist is #1 two weeks in a row! More
Plus Christine and the Queens, Jehnny Beth, Hamilton Leithauser, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Feb 07, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the fifth Songs of the Week of 2020. It was tough to narrow things down to a Top 10 this week, too many great tracks, so we’ve got a super-sized edition. More
Plus Shopping, Anna Calvi and Courtney Barnett, Braids, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 31, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the fourth Songs of the Week of 2020. There are lots of bass-heavy dance-y songs in the Top 4 this week. Some of this week’s best tracks were connected to albums newly announced this week, others were standalone singles, or additional new songs from previously announced albums. More
Plus Sorry, Badly Drawn Boy, Waxahatchee, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 24, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the third Songs of the Week of 2020. It was a mixed week for new songs. There were certainly some good tracks this week, but few that screamed Top 10 of the week. More
Plus Moaning, Anna Burch, U.S. Girls, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 17, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the second Songs of the Week of 2020. It was a very strong week for new songs, especially as a slew of notable new albums were announced this week. More
Plus Summer Camp, The Orielles, Caroline Rose, Wolf Parade, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Jan 10, 2020
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to the first Songs of the Week of 2020. We haven’t done a Songs of the Week in a month, since December 6, but this list still mainly covers songs released in the last week or so. There weren’t too many new songs of note released in late November. More
Plus Rose Elinor Dougall, Caribou, Shopping, Tame Impala, and a Wrap-up of the Last Two Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Dec 06, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. We didn’t do a Songs of the Week last week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, so this week’s installment covers songs from the last two weeks. Hence we have a Top 13 instead of a Top 10. More
Plus Girl Ray, Field Music, Max Bloom, SASAMI, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 22, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. There were quite a few notable cover songs released this week, including some of the Christmas variety, but not as many strong originals as the last couple of weeks. Hence we are down to a Top 8 instead of our preferred Top 10. More
Plus Moses Sumney, Andy Shauf, Grimes, Hoops, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 15, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. Lots of big songs this week from some notable artists, so the pickings weren’t slim. More
Plus Yorkston/Thorne/Khan, Graham Coxon, Jehnny Beth, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 08, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. The last three weeks we could only come up with a Top 8, instead of our customary Top 10, but this week’s choices were surprisingly much stronger once we did some deeper digging. More
Plus Cate Le Bon and Bradford Cox, Tindersticks, TORRES, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Nov 01, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. It was another light week, in terms of compelling new songs this week. Hence, just like last week’s list and the week before, we only have a Top 8 again, instead of a Top 10. More
Plus Leonard Cohen, Sorry, Little Dragon, and a Wrap-up of the Week's Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 25, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. It was another light week, in terms of compelling new songs this week. Hence, just like last week’s list, we only have a Top 8 again. The top two were pretty much a tie. We’re as surprised as you about our #1. More
Plus Michael Kiwanuka, Little Scream, Matt Berninger, and a Wrap-up of the Week’s Other Notable New Tracks
Oct 18, 2019
By Christopher Roberts
Welcome to another Songs of the Week. It was a pretty light week, in terms of new songs this week. Hence we only have a Top 8. More
