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May 19, 2017 Phoenix By Christopher Roberts

It’s been a topsy-turvy week, with a new Trump scandal practically every day and tragic passing of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell in his Detroit hotel room Wednesday night. To help us through it all was a plethora of exciting new tracks. And to help you sort through the multitude of new songs released in the last seven days, we have picked the five best. Below that we have also highlighted other notable new tracks shared this week.

1. Grizzly Bear: “Mourning Sound”

Grizzly Bear announced their new album, Painted Ruins, earlier this week and the announcement was accompanied by a fantastic new song, “Mourning Sound,” which sounds as dynamic and modern as anything the band has done. It follows the equally great previously shared Painted Ruins song “Three Rings.” Painted Ruins is due out August 18 via RCA, their first for the label (previously they were on Warp).

2. Beach Fossils: “Tangerine” (featuring Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell)

New York-based trio Beach Fossils are releasing a new album, Somersault, on June 2 via Bayonet. Previously they had shared Somersault tracks “This Year,” “Saint Ivy,” and “Down the Line” (the latter two via videos). This week they shared two more songs from the album, “Tangerine,” which features the guest vocals of Slowdive singer Rachel Goswell, and “Social Jetlag.” Both were lovely (this album is shaping up to be Beach Fossils’ standout release), but “Tangerine” was the highlight of the two, in part because of Goswell’s sublime vocals.

3. Broken Social Scene: “Hug of Thunder” (featuring Feist)

Broken Social Scene are releasing a new album, Hug of Thunder, on July 7 via Arts & Crafts. Broken Social Scene premiered a new song, “Halfway Home,” in March and the next day the band stopped by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform the new single. This week they shared the album’s title track, “Hug of Thunder,” which features vocals from longtime collaborator Feist. The chaotic “Halfway Home” was perhaps a bit underwhelming, but this was more like it. “Hug of Thunder” is a more atmospheric undertaking and a Broken Social Scene song prominently featuring Feist’s vocals is always welcome.

4. Phoenix: “Ti Amo”

Broken Social Scene weren’t the only band to share the title track to a much-anticipated new album, Phoenix did the same. The French band are releasing a new album, Ti Amo, on June 9 via Glassnote. They have already shared its first single, shiny album opener “J-Boy,” performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and shared a video for the song. This week they shared the album’s title track, “Ti Amo,” via a lyrics video.

5. Beach House: “Chariot”

Baltimore duo Beach House (Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally) previously announced that they were working on a B-sides and rarities compilation and this week that release was officially announced. It’s titled, wait for it, B-Sides and Rarities, and it’s due out June 30 via Sub Pop (and Bella Union in the U.K./Europe). It features two previously unreleased songs (“Chariot” and “Baseball Diamond”) and this week the band shared “Chariot.” If it sounds like something the band could’ve released on either of their two 2015 albums (Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars), that’s because it was recorded in that period.

Other notable new songs this week include:

Amber Arcades: “Wouldn’t Even Know” (featuring Bill Ryder-Jones)

Amber Coffman: “Nobody Knows”

Beach Fossils: “Social Jetlag”

Courtney Barnett: “How to Boil An Egg”

Danger Mouse: “Chase Me” (featuring Run the Jewels and Big Boi)

Flying Lotus: “Night Grows Pale”

Marika Hackman: “Violet”

Local Natives: “The Only Heirs” (featuring Nico Segal)

Briana Marela: “Quit”

Mogwai: “Coolverine”

Muse: “Dig Down”

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: “Anymore”

Sparks: “What the Hell Is It This Time?”

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