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Jun 28, 2024 By Mark Redfern (with Andy Von Pip and Marina Malin)

Welcome to the 21st Songs of the Week of 2024. This week Andy Von Pip, Caleb Campbell, Mark Moody, Matt the Raven, and Scott Dransfield helped me decide what should make the list. We seriously considered over 25 songs this week and narrowed it down to a Top 12.

Recently we announced our new print issue, The ’90s Issue, featuring The Cardigans and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth on the covers. Buy it from us directly here.

In the past few weeks we posted interviews with Tomer Capone of The Boys, Arab Strap, Sarah McLachlan, John Carpenter, and others.

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 12 best the last seven days had to offer, followed by some honorable mentions. Check out the full list below.

1. Bright Eyes: “Bells and Whistles”

This week, Bright Eyes announced a new album, Five Dice, All Threes, and shared its first single, “Bells and Whistles.” They also announced some tour dates. Five Dice, All Threes features Cat Power and The National’s Matt Berninger and is due out September 20 via Dead Oceans. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as the tour dates, here.

Bright Eyes is Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nathaniel Wolcott. Five Dice, All Threes is the band’s 10th studio album and follows Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was, which came out in 2020 via Dead Oceans. Read our interview with Bright Eyes on the album.

The band self-produced the new album, which was recorded at ARC, in Omaha, Nebraska, the studio run by Mogis and Oberst.

Oberst had this to say about “Bells and Whistles” in a press release: “This is a song about the many little details in life that can seem insignificant or frivolous or temporary at the time but eventually end up forming your destiny. And it’s also kind of a whistle while you work scenario.” By Mark Redfern

2. GIFT: “Later”

Brooklyn-based psych-rock quintet GIFT are releasing a new album, Illuminator, on August 23 via Captured Tracks. This week they shared its third single, “Later,” via a music video.

GIFT features vocalist/guitarist TJ Freda, multi-instrumentalists Jessica Gurewitz and Justin Hrabovsky, drummer Gabe Camarano, and bassist Kallan Campbell.

Gurewitz and Freda co-wrote “Later.” Freda had this to say about it in a press release: “While writing Illuminator I found myself clinging to intense emotions, reluctant to release them. ‘Later’ stands out as one of the darkest songs I’ve made. Making it was cathartic, diving into darker themes. The song explores surrendering to the overwhelming sensation of life slipping away before my eyes.”

Illuminator is the band’s sophomore album and first for Captured Tracks. It follows their 2022 debut, Momentary Presence, released via Dedstrange. The album includes “Wish Me Away,” a new song GIFT shared in April via a music video. “Wish Me Away” was one of our Songs of the Week. When the album was announced they shared its second single, “Going In Circles,” via a music video. It was also one of our Songs of the Week.

Of the new album as a whole, Freda says: “We had a lot more confidence going in. The main goal was to take a big swing, embrace the pop sounds we love and clear the mist and clouds surrounding the last record to make it a lot punchier.” By Mark Redfern

3. MJ Lenderman: “She’s Leaving You”

This week, North Carolina singer/songwriter and musician, MJ Lenderman announced a new album, Manning Fireworks, which is due for release on September 6 via ANTI-. He also released the album’s first single, “She’s Leaving You,” with a video. Find the Whitmer Thomas and Clay Tatum-directed music video below. Find Manning Fireworks’ tracklist and cover art, with MJ Lenderman tour dates, here.

Manning Fireworks follows his 2023 live album, And the Wind (Live and Loose!), 2022’s Boat Songs, 2021’s Ghost of Your Guitar Solo, and 2019’s MJ Lenderman. The album was recorded at Asheville’s Drop of Sun Studios during any offtime Lenderman had from touring (he’s also a member of the band Wednesday). Co-produced with Alex Farrar, the instrumentation is almost entirely performed by Lenderman. The album will be his fourth full-length album, but his studio debut for ANTI-. By Marina Malin

4. The WAEVE: “You Saw”

This week, The WAEVE—aka Rose Elinor Dougall and Blur guitarist Graham Coxon—announced a new album, City Lights, and shared its second single, “You Saw,” via a music video. City Lights is due out September 20 via Transgressive. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork here.

The band shared the album’s title track, “City Lights,” in May. It was one of our Songs of the Week.

City Lights is the band’s sophomore album and follows the duo’s self-titled debut album, which came out last year via Transgressive and was one of our Top 100 Albums of 2023.

As with their debut album, James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence & The Machine, Foals, HAIM) produced City Lights. As with their last album, the album features Coxon on saxophone, among other instruments.

Coxon and Dougall first met backstage at a charity concert in London in 2020 and soon the idea was hatched for them to collaborate.

“I didn’t know when I was going to work again or try writing again until Rose came out and said, ‘How about we try writing together?’” says Coxon in a press release.

“When I listen to the first album, I can hear me and Graham getting to know each other through making the record,” says Dougall.

They not only hit off musically, but romantically, falling in love and having a baby daughter together, Eliza, who was born in August 2022.

“The band had an identity this time around so we had a little bit more of a framework to know how we might operate,” says Dougall of the differences between recording to the two albums. “But obviously, the circumstances were quite different.”

Dougall says she was initially reluctant to write songs about her daughter. “I was really resistant for a while to even consider referencing it,” she says. “But actually, when I realized that I could use that experience to explore bigger themes—watching what’s happening in the news, all these terrible atrocities and the world falling apart. And in tandem with that, thinking about how life evolves and how my own sense of self has developed. It became a really good vehicle for the songwriting process.”

The album’s “Song For Eliza May” is an ode to their daughter.

“The first record was a way of escaping the constrictions of what was going on in the world,” continues Dougall. “I think this one was a way of railing against the more domestic constraints that we had. That’s partly where some of the urgency of some of the songs come from.”

“This album is definitely more neurotic and more grumpy—and that comes from me!” says Coxon. “I’ve always liked to be pretty straightforward about feelings, whether they’re ugly or beautiful, and I’ve always approached sound in the same way. I don’t always think that sound needs to be comfortable to listen to. That dynamic of putting discomfort next to something that is really lovely is something that I’ve always been interested in.”

Dougall and Coxon collectively had this to say about the new single: “‘You Saw’ is a song about acknowledging how seemingly tiny decisions can have a seismic impact on the course of one’s life, how sometimes it feels like the way things turn out are predestined. It’s about reconciling a past version with the new version of one’s self and being grateful for how things work out. It’s built around a rhythmic string line to reflect the sense of propulsive forward motion.”

The WAEVE were interviewed in Issue 71 of our print magazine (get it here).

Dougall was also one of the artists on the cover of our special 20th Anniversary print issue, where you can read an exclusive interview with her.

Dougall released her last solo album, A New Illusion, her third, in April 2019 via Vermillion (it was our Album of the Week and one of our Top 100 Albums of 2019). She was also previously in The Pipettes.

Read our interview with Dougall on A New Illusion.

Also read our interview with Dougall on her all-time favorite album.

Plus read our review of A New Illusion.

Coxon’s last solo album was 2012’s A+E, but he’s kept busy with soundtrack work, including releasing two albums of songs and score from the acclaimed TV show The End of the F***ing World and his 2021 score to the comic book Superstate. His memoir, Verse, Chorus, Monster!, got a U.S. release last year via Faber Books. Blur also released a new album last year, The Ballad of Darren. By Mark Redfern

5. Peel Dream Magazine: “Lie in the Gutter”

This week, Peel Dream Magazine announced their fourth full length album, Rose Main Reading Room. The album is due to be released on September 4 on Topshelf. They also shared the lead single, “Lie in the Gutter.” Find their tour dates and Rose Main Reading Room’s tracklist and cover artwork here.

Rose Main Reading Room follows their 2022 release of Pad (one of its singles, “Hiding Out,” was chosen for one of our Songs of the Week.

In a press release, Peel Dream Magazine’s Joe Stevens had this to say of the new single and video: “This video is cut from footage we filmed on a few different tours between the fall of 2023 and Spring of 2024, and I love it because it captures the amazing feeling and energy that those trips had. There’s cameos from bands we were touring with like Chastity Belt and Gift, and friends like Simi Sohota from Healing Potpourri. A lot of it was shot in the Pacific Northwest and features some hikes we got to take among the dense green forests up there. I wanted to capture that stuff because this theme of ‘the natural world’ has been jostling around my my brain for awhile and is a big part of the album. The song is meant to be a very simple statement about finding joy and wonder in life despite whatever may be on your mind. The phrase it’s taken from is the trite but sweet Oscar Wilde quote ‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.’” By Marina Malin

6. Party Dozen: “The Big Man Upstairs”

This week, Sydney-based musical duo Party Dozen, consisting of saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and percussionist Jonathan Boulet, announced their forthcoming album, Crime in Australia. The album, set for release on September 6th via Temporary Residence Ltd., follows their critically acclaimed 2022 album, The Real Work.

The lead single, “The Big Man Upstairs,” diverges from their characteristically frenetic sound, offering a softer, melodic exploration. The accompanying video delves into the tumultuous political landscape of Queensland during the reign of Joh Bjelke-Petersen, highlighting the power of music and activism in the face of corruption.

Party Dozen wrote, recorded, produced, and mixed the album entirely in their Marrickville studio, drawing inspiration from the area’s history as a notorious crime hub. The album is said to be split into two distinct halves, one showcasing a more accessible sound, the other venturing into their signature chaotic experimentation.

Boulet explains: “Marrickville in the 1960s-70s was a notorious crime hot spot. If a car was stolen, or someone was missing, they’d look for them in Marrickville. Since then, the area has been highly gentrified and slowly the once grimy industrial warehouse lined streets are being swapped for monstrous apartment blocks with palm trees.

We began without any theme in mind, just the beginnings of some song ideas. As we were discovering the songs for this album, each song felt more and more at home in an old cop tv series soundtrack. The Crime theme quickly became apparent. The record feels split into two contrasting sides: The first half is ‘order’, being as listenable as Party Dozen has ever been. Each song is law-abiding and dignified in its own place. The second half is ‘disorder,’ becoming more unlawful, unhinged, louder and noisier.” By Andy Von Pip

7. Pom Pom Squad: “Downhill”

This week, Brooklyn’s post-grunge project Pom Pom Squad shared their new single “Downhill” on City Slang which is their first release since their 2021 album, Death of a Cheerleader.

Frontwoman Mia Berrin had this to say on writing their new single: “In my everyday life, I’m pretty reserved and shy so it’s odd, even to me, that I feel this pull to be on stage—to put my music out and open myself up to everything that comes with that. When I was writing ‘Downhill’ I was thinking a lot about the push-pull between those opposing sides of my personality. Sometimes being ambitious feels like being self-destructive and I wanted to explore the line between the two. Also, it’s been nearly three years since I’ve released anything new so this song feels like my reintroduction to the world. Pom Pom Squad is soooo back, baby!” By Marina Malin

8. Naima Bock: “Kaley”

This week, London-based artist Naima Bock announced a new album, Below a Massive Dark Land, and shared two new songs from it, “Kaley” and “Further Away.” “Kaley” was our favorite of the two tracks.

She also announced some tour dates. Below a Massive Dark Land is due out September 27 via Sub Pop/Memorials of Distinction. Check out the the album’s tracklist and cover artwork, as well as the tour dates, here.

Below a Massive Dark Land is Bock’s second album, the follow-up to 2022’s debut album, Giant Palm. Jack Osborne and Joe Jones produced the album, with additional production and arrangement by Oliver Hamilton and Bock. It was recorded at The Crypt in north London.

Bock had this to say about “Kaley” in a press release: “‘Kaley’ was written whilst staying at a friend’s house in Tucson, or at least it was finished there. It’s about betrayal and the subsequent lack of direction that follows. At the time there was no ‘plan’ or ‘way’ that I had for myself, let alone anyone else.”

Of the other single, she had this to add: “‘Further Away’ was written in Greece whilst trying to learn mini Bouzouki and missing someone.” By Mark Redfern

9. Chinese American Bear: “Heartbreaker”

This week, Seattle-based C-pop duo Chinese American Bear announced a new album, Wah!!!, and shared a new song from it, “Heartbreaker,” via a music video. Wah!!! Is due out October 18 via Moshi Moshi. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover artwork here.

Chinese American Bear are married couple Bryce Barsten and Anne Tong and they sing in both English and Mandarin. While they started the band mainly for fun, the positive reaction to initial singles “Hao Ma” and “Dumpling” led them to be signed to China’s largest indie label, Modern Sky, and also to the British label Moshi Moshi (Girl Ray, Hot Chip, Anna Meredith). This is their first album for Moshi Moshi.

Previously the duo shared the album’s first single, “Feelin’ Fuzzy (毛绒绒的感觉),” via a music video. It was one of our Songs of the Week.

Tong had this to say about “Heartbreaker” in a press release: “We had this loose idea about someone who dreamed of becoming a big music star and then getting their heart broken by it. The verse lyrics are ‘Come and listen. I want to be a big star. Just you wait and see. Shining brightly and happily.’”

Barsten adds: “We’ve always wanted to write a song like ‘Heartbreaker’—this kind of playful, ’60s style, mid tempo heartbreak song. We like the juxtaposition of singing about heartbreak paired with a more playful/upbeat sounding song. Most heartbreak songs are really sad and slow!

“Production-wise, this song was recorded with the cheapest and dingiest sounding instruments we have. Which we love! A semi-broken $100 acoustic guitar tuned to Nashville tuning for that 12-string sound, and an old 1980s Casio CT-310 I got when I was 10 years old. It’s all truly heartbreaking.” By Mark Redfern

10. Loma: “Affinity”

Loma released a new album, How Will I Live Without a Body, today via Sub Pop. Earlier this week shared its third single, “Affinity,” via a music video.

Loma consists of Shearwater singer Jonathan Meiburg, alongside Emily Cross (of Cross Record) and Dan Duszynski.

Allison Beondé directed the “Affinity” video and had this to say about it in a press release: “In creating the video for ‘Affinity,’ I wanted to collect quiet moments that explore the experience of inhabiting a body, existing both collectively and simultaneously alone. Capturing people in public spaces embodying their own experience, their own world, while surrounded by others, the song is carried on a rolling rhythm reminiscent of waves—a soft and mysterious ebbing and flowing of time marked by something so elemental to our existence and uniquely capable of eliciting reflection on what it means to be alive.”

How Will I Live Without a Body follows 2020’s Don’t Shy Away. Previously Loma shared the album’s first single, “How It Starts,” via a music video. It was one of our Songs of the Week. Then they shared its second single, “Pink Sky,” via an animated video. “Pink Sky” was also one of our Songs of the Week.

The pandemic found the band living on different continents, with Duszynski in central Texas, Cross in Dorset, England (she’s a UK citizen), and Meiburg in Germany to research a book. Remote sessions didn’t work and an attempt to reconvene in Texas after the pandemic didn’t garner much fruit when it was cut short due to illness.

“We got lost,” says Meiburg in a press release, “and stayed that way.”

“It’s like a demon enters the room whenever we get together,” laments Cross.

Then, at Cross’ suggestion, they gathered in a tiny stone house in England, a house that used to a coffin-maker’s workshop and where Cross works as an end-of-life doula. They turned it into a makeshift studio, with a vocal booth made from a coffin woven from willow branches.

“There was a sense of, well, this is it,” Meiburg says of the stone house sessions. “And when the ice storm swept in I thought: here we go again, even the elements are against us. But sitting in our heavy coats around a little electric radiator, we realized how much we’d missed each other—and that just being together was precious.”

Legendary artist Laurie Anderson offered Loma an opportunity to work with an AI trained on her full body of work. The AI sent the band two poems in the style of Anderson, in response to a photo Meiburg sent from his book-in-progress about Antarctica. “We used parts of them in a few songs,” he says. “And then Dan noticed that one of its lines, ‘How will I live without a body?’ would be a perfect name for the album, since we nearly lost sight of each other in the recording process.”

Anderson gave her blessing for the band to use the title for their new album. “I think she was tickled that her AI doppelganger is running around naming other people’s records,” says Meiburg.

At the end of the day, the band’s resilience paid off.

“Making this record tested us all,” says Duszynski. “I think that feeling was alchemized through the music.”

“Somehow, out of the chaos, we made something that sounds very relaxed,” Cross says.

“I’ve never run a marathon,” she adds. “But I can imagine it’s kind of what that feels like.”

Read our 2018 interview with Loma. By Mark Redfern

11. Vundabar: “I Got Cracked”

This week, Boston’s Vundabar released a new single, “I Got Cracked,” which is their debut release on Loma Vista. Accompanied by the new track, Vundabar also announced an upcoming North American tour this fall. Find Vundabar’s tour dates here.

Vundabar consists of Brandon Hagen (guitar, vocals), Drew McDonald (drums), and Zack Abramo (bass). Their new track follows Vundabar’s 2022 Devil for the Fire, released on Gawk, and the resurgence of their 2015 song “Alien Blues” which went viral seven years after its release.

“I Got Cracked” is a sonic surrender to grief and dark nights of the soul. Frontman Hagen had this to say on the new track in a press release: “In a six week window that I could only describe as a careening crash landing, a long term relationship of mine imploded, my dad died, and I broke my arm in a hotel while on tour in Europe. One week after that I was at his funeral and the one after that I was recording this song in Los Angeles. I reeled at the connectedness of it all; so much of these intangible fractures now grounded in the very physical break within my body, this physical break then dictating the floatier bits as I made music determined by the limitations of that injury.” By Marina Malin

12. Bloc Party: “Flirting Again”

This week, Bloc Party shared a new single, “Flirting Again,” before headlining their biggest show to date, sold-out at London’s Crystal Palace Park on July 7. They are also playing Glastonbury this weekend. Find their live dates here.

“‘Flirting Again’ is about being thrust back into the scene and trying to remember how it all works,” says frontman Kele Okereke in a press release. “It’s about trying to appear desirable, whilst at the same time hiding the hurt that defines you. We are all carrying around the various scars that we have accumulated over the years, the heartbreaks that have come to shape how we give love and receive love. This song is about picking yourself up and carrying on.”

The band (Kele Okereke, Louise Bartle, Russell Lissack, and Justin Harris) has stayed busy since their most recent album release, 2022’s Alpha Games. Bloc Party have wrapped up co-headline tour with interpol in Australia and supported Paramore. Earlier this year, they made 2005 single “Two More Years” and Little Thoughts EP available to stream for the first time. These were the initial steps to ensure their entire discography is available to fans.

You can listen to our 2022 podcast interview with Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke here. By Marina Malin

Honorable Mentions:

These songs almost made the Top 12.

Bad Moves: “Hallelujah”

Being Dead: “Firefighters”

Bizhiki: “Unbound”

Kim Gordon: “ECRP”

Alex Izenberg: “The Wraith Behind Our Eyes”

Allegra Krieger: “Never Arriving”

Longplayer: “My Dreams of You”

X: “Big Black X”

Xiu Xiu: “Common Loon”

Here’s a handy Spotify playlist featuring the Top 12 in order, followed by all the honorable mentions:

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