10 Best Songs of the Week: Sharon Van Etten, Soccer Mommy, Momma, Good Looks, and More

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Welcome to the 35th Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Mark Moody, Matt the Raven, Scotty Dransfield, and Stephen Humpries helped me decide what should make the list. We considered over 20 songs and narrowed it down to a Top 10.

Issue 73 is out now. It features Maya Hawke and Nilüfer Yanya on the two covers and can be bought from us directly here.

In recent weeks we posted interviews with Ekko Astral, Miki Berenyi of Lush, Sophie Thatcher, Nada Surf, and more. We also posted an article on the creation of Elliott Smith’s From a Basement on the Hill in honor of its 20th anniversary.

In the last week we reviewed some albums.

To help you sort through the multitude of fresh songs released in the last week, we have picked the 10 best the last seven days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below.

1. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory: “Afterlife”

This week, Sharon Van Etten announced a new album written and recorded with her backing band, The Attachment Theory, and they have shared its first single, “Afterlife,” via a music video. They have also announced some EU and UK tour dates. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory is due out February 7, 2025 via Jagjaguwar. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as the tour dates, here.

The Attachment Theory is Jorge Balbi (drums, machines), Devra Hoff (bass, vocals), and Teeny Lieberson (synth, piano, guitar, vocals). While they have previously backed Van Etten on some of her solo work, this was the first time that the singer/songwriter/guitarist wrote and recorded an album in full collaboration with the band.

“For the first time in my life I asked the band if we could just jam. Words that have never come out of my mouth—ever! But I loved all the sounds we were getting. I was curious—what would happen?” says Van Etten in a press release. “In an hour we wrote two songs that ended up becoming ‘I Can’t Imagine’ and ‘Southern Life.’”

Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory was recorded at The Church, Eurythmics’ former studio in London, and was produced by Marta Salogni (Björk, Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Mica Levi).

Susu Laroche directed the “Afterlife” video, which features footage of the band debuting some of the album’s songs in London’s iconic 100 Club during the recording of the album.

“Sometimes it’s exciting, sometimes it’s scary, sometimes you feel stuck,” Van Etten says of fully collaborating with her band on the album. “It’s like every day feels a little different—just being at peace with whatever you’re feeling and whoever you are and how you relate to people in that moment. If I can just keep a sense of openness while knowing that my feelings change every day, that is all I can do right now. That and try to be the best person I can be while letting other people be who they are and not taking it personally and just being. I’m not there, but I’m trying to be there every day.”

Van Etten was on the cover of our My Favorite Movie issue.

Van Etten’s most recent album was We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong, which was released in May 2022 and landed on our Top 100 Albums of 2022 list. A deluxe edition of the album was released in November 2022.

Read our review of We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong here.

Read our in-depth interview with Sharon Van Etten on 2019’s Remind Me Tomorrow and check out our exclusive photo shoot with her. By Mark Redfern

2. Soccer Mommy: “Abigail”

Earlier this week, Soccer Mommy, the musical project of Nashville songwriter Sophie Allison, unveiled her latest single, “Abigail,” as a final teaser before the release of her highly anticipated album Evergreen, which came out today. The dreamy track, inspired by the video game Stardew Valley, is a love letter to Allison’s in-game wife, Abigail, accompanied by a nostalgic, ConcernedApe-inspired music video that shows Allison’s avatar trying to win over her beloved.

“Abigail” follows earlier singles “Driver,” and the more acoustic-led “Lost” and “M,” contributing to the evolving soundscape of Evergreen.

Allison explained her vision for Evergreen, saying, “I wanted it to feel like you’re laying outside, eyes closed, the sun is on you, and you can feel the warmth and flowers and trees.” She hopes the album can offer listeners a sense of peace and renewal, even in darker times. By Andy Von Pip

3. Momma: “Ohio All the Time”

This week, Brooklyn-based band Momma shared a new song, “Ohio All the Time.” The single is out now via Polyvinyl/Lucky Number.

Momma is Etta Friedman (songwriter/vocalist/guitarist), Allegra Weingarten (songwriter/vocalist/guitarist), Aron Kobayashi Ritch (producer/bassist), and Preston Fulks (drummer).

They collectively had this to say about the new song in a press release: “We wrote it about a summer when we were on tour, and it felt like everything in our lives changed within a one-month span. We wanted the video to capture that youthful feeling, like the world is brand new and everything is ahead of you. We went upstate to our friend’s house near Hudson to film, and just spent the whole day goofing off and running around.”

“Ohio All the Time” follows “Bang Bang,” a new song the band shared in 2023 that was one of our Songs of the Week.

Momma’s most recent album, Household Name, came out in 2022 via Polyvinyl.

Read our review of Household Name. By Mark Redfern

4. Good Looks: “Chase Your Demons Out”

Austin, Texas four-piece Good Looks released a new album, Lived Here For a While, in June via Keeled Scales. This week they shared two new songs, “Damage Control” and “Chase Your Demons Out.” We liked them both, but “Chase Your Demons Out” won out to make the main list, while “Damage Control” makes the honorable mentions list further below.

Frontman Tyler Jordan had this to say about “Damage Control” in a press release: “I wrote this song in two parts—the first during a rough patch in the relationship, and the second after we finally broke up. I was listening to a lot of Big Star when I started writing, and you can definitely hear their influence in the chord progression. It’s not the most gracious breakup song, but it’s a photo of a feeling and a moment in time.”

“Chase Your Demons Out” was written close to the release of the band’s 2022-released debut album, Bummer Year, and, as a press release puts it, the song “explores the group’s feeling of knowing they are older than most of their indie rock peers releasing a debut album.”

Jordan adds: “That gave us some distinct advantages in being ready for the road ahead. This song is about standing on the edge of the future, feeling prepared for a moment you’ve been working toward your whole life.”

Previously the band shared its first single, “If It’s Gone,” which was one of our Songs of the Week. Then they shared its second single, “Self-destructor,” via a music video. It was also one of our Songs of the Week. Then they shared its third single, “Can You See Me Tonight?,” via a music video. It again made our Songs of the Week list.

Lived Here For a While is the band’s second album and the follow-up to 2022’s Bummer Year.

Good Looks are interviewed in our current print issue (Issue 73). By Mark Redfern

5. World News: “Junkie”

The British band World News are releasing a new EP, Mindsnap, on November 14 via Pie & Mash Records. This week they shared another song from it, “Junkie,” which has a Stone Roses flavor to it. Previously the EP’s title track also made our Songs of the Week list. By Mark Redfern

6. Great Grandpa: “Doom”