Top-tier critics* all took a stab at unpacking the record, with fairly unanimous praise from The New Yorker’s Mitch Therieau, NPR’s Ann Powers, Vulture’s Craig Jenkins, The Atlantic’s Spencer Kornhaber, Stereogum’s Danielle Chelosky, and Pitchfork’s Sam Sodomsky, who stamped it with the coveted Best New Music label.

I particularly loved the NYT review (gift link) from Lindsay Zoladz, who took a zoomed-out, macro lens…

• Connecting the album’s sound to its release-day rollout of planetarium listening sessions: “Caked in mud and stardust, Lost Weekend sometimes feels like a 21st-century realization of what the country-rock outlaw Gram Parsons once called ‘cosmic American music,’ steeped in folk tradition but unafraid of psychedelia’s mind-expanding drift.”

• Clarifying the collabs: “Among the others invited are the folk singer-songwriter Christian Lee Hutson (who co-wrote 12 of the 16 tracks) and his new wife Maya Hawke; indie absurdist Alex G; and Bridgers’s romantic partner Bo Burnham, who gets a co-writing credit on seven songs, including the ecstatic ‘Bobby,’ which is totally about him.”

Phoebe also delivered a more traditional batch of seasonal sounds — an “exclusive” summer mix for Apple Music (I’ve ported it over to Spotify) featuring songs from album collaborators like Alex G, Cameron Winter, Dan Reeder, and the other 2/3 of boygenius.

Here’s how she sets the scene: "You're sitting in a park with your friends around a Bluetooth speaker. No one notices night falling. Walking home alone, a little drunk, you wonder if you'll ever all be together like that again. You feel guilty for not being more present, which makes you feel even less present.”

Keep scrolling for more stellar Summer 2026 playlists, all less melancholy than this one!

*Speaking of top-tier music journalism, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Live Nation’s bleak gutting of legendary blog Brooklyn Vegan. Follow writers & as they bring their curation skills to newsletters, and photographer Amanda Hatfield on IG.

Lizard Season 2026 from

The NYT culture reporter has coined this “climactic stretch of July and August” as Lizard Season — a time that “calls for welcoming the sun’s sweet, hot sting against your skin; leaning into the melt; basking in the too-muchness, knowing that one day soon there won’t be nearly enough.”

For the second year, he’s assembled 10 songs from up-and-coming artists to capture this spirit.

• “No Cameras,” Victoryland: “A shot of golden-age, indie rock effervescence from the outstanding debut full-length album by Brooklyn’s Julian McCamman.”

• “Lean,” Charlotte Day Wilson ft. Saya Gray: “Float away on a bed of dreamy, alternative pop/R&B by two rising singer-producers from Toronto.”

• “yes,” Lauren Auder: “a husky-voiced British-French singer and producer.”

• 2 artists we’ve covered in Hear Hear: Way Dynamic, the project of Melbourne-based singer-songwriter Dylan Young with shades of Nick Drake // Gabriel Jacoby, “a Tampa-raised, R&B/neo-soul singer-producer”

• 5 more artists to know: Lime Garden, a promising four-piece from Brighton, England // Namasenda, “synth-pop escapism from a Swedish former PC Music affiliate” // London’s LOLITAH, whose “self-assured single sounds like a lost file from early millennium Neptunes sessions with Kelis or Mýa” // Joshua Idehen, the “infectiously optimistic British-Nigerian poet and songwriter” // TOMORA, a Euro club duo between Norwegian singer-producer Aurora and Tom Rowlands, one half of the Chemical Brothers.

The Last Stretch of Summer from Kelly Kerrigan

In her wonderful newsletter Silly Love Songs, curated a catalog of albums to soundtrack the season’s final month, pulling highlights into a playlist — ft. Linda McCartney, Jackson Browne, Nina Simone, America, Greg Freeman, Minnie Riperton, and more.

“To me, there are three categories of late summer music: the kind you listen to outside, the kind you listen to at night, the kind you listen to in the morning or in mourning of its soon-to-be absence. To our luck, it’s not over yet.”

Summer Songs Supermix from Blackbird Spyplane

Jonah Weiner and Erin Wylie’s essential newsletter on style, travel & culture dropped their annual summer mix, spanning eras but spotlighting a batch of buzzy artists.

“It’s 25 songs long, 2 and a half hours in all — though the last ‘song’ is actually an hourlong composition. Each of these artists has gems where these tracks came from, so please treat this mix not only as a self-contained collection, but also as a cluster of rabbit holes to tunnel down in 25 different directions…”

ft. zeitgeist artists you already know from Hear Hear: Oklou, Aldous Harding, This Is Lorelei, and Smerz

plus a few rising artists I haven’t featured yet, worth a mention…

• They Are Gutting a Body of Water, aka TAGABOW: Philly DIY shoegaze revivalists // frontman Doug Dulgarian is also getting acclaim for electronic-pop side project God of War, a collaboration with fellow Philly band Hooky

• YHWH Nailgun: NYC art-punks who became “one of the buzziest bands in underground rock with last year's debut album 45 Pounds”

• Bladee: the elusive Stockholm rapper who leads Drain Gang, “exalted by gothic teenagers, esoteric shitposters, and pop It Girls alike” according to Meaghan Garvey’s Pitchfork cover story

2 summer mixes from ’s Jared Smith

• 😎 Patio Grooves Summer 2026: “33⅓ tracks spanning 50+ years of music, with roughly half released within the last year. Sunny grooves, deep cuts, and a bunch of future classics.” // ft. Khruangbin, Wild Pink, Kevin Morby, Steely Dan, Nelly Furtado, and English art-rockers man/woman/chainsaw (much more on them coming next issue)

• 🍹 SPRITZCORE: “a little yacht, a little disco, a little French pop, a little Balearic,” Smith writes. “Bookending the playlist is Nirosta Steel, who’s the talk of music discourse right now,” as the Arthur Russell collaborator “just dropped his four-decades-in-the-making MY SKYSCRAPER, an 83-minute uneven collection of works-forever-in-progress.”

David Byrne’s Biking Playlist

Per an email dispatch from the living legend: “If I have an afternoon off I’ll often go for a ride to clear my head, and if I’m on my own and it’s a secure path or not a busy road… I’ll listen to this playlist.”

ft. Kacey Musgraves, Mitski, Audrey Hobert, WILLOW, Yebba, Kelsey Lu, Harry Styles, ROSALÍA (who fittingly put on one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen, taking inspiration from Byrne’s theatrical + sequenced approach), and Olivia Rodrigo (who made one of my favorite albums of the year)

speaking of Olivia Rodrigo… she’s been covered plenty, but I just wanted to share this mini-mix that made to spotlight the inspirations behind second single “the cure.”

Olivia has made it clear that she loves The Cure, and she even name-checks ‘Just Like Heaven’ in her earlier single. But I should add that notes of The Cure aren’t present in “the cure.” This song feels like a scrapbook of ‘90s music that Olivia has and hasn’t mentioned loving. Some examples…

RIP Glen Hansard

Sharing this playlist and reflection from Brassland co-founder .

Finally, a housekeeping note: this newsletter has been free since it launched in January 2020, and it’s staying that way. That said, I recently got laid off from my day job, just as I started building my new “Letterboxd/Goodreads for concerts” platform: encoreconcerts.fm. (Maybe a blessing in disguise?)

So I’m flipping on a paid “tip jar” subscription — $15/year or $2.50/month — mostly as a small way to support my work if you’ve gotten anything out of the last six years of Hear Hear. (It'll also make Hear Hear eligible for Substack’s “trending” charts, which only include paid newsletters.)

If you want to go a step further, there’s also a “Friends of Hear Hear” tier, and anyone who joins that gets a personal playlist from me, either built around a vibe you’re looking for, or a batch of new artists I think you’ll like.

Thanks for six years of reading, and here’s to many more!

Encore is like Letterboxd/Goodreads/Beli, but for concerts. You can log every show you've ever been to, track what's coming up, follow trusted tastemakers and critics alongside your friends, and share the photos, videos, and memories that make live music so special.

I’ve wanted this thing to exist for over a decade, and I’m thrilled that it’s finally happening. If you read this newsletter, you know how deep my passion for the music world runs — which is why I wanted to tell you first. Sign up here for early access.

More to come soon! And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Catching up: The Best Albums of 2026 So Far

My favorite way to track the year’s essential albums is to find the overlaps between premium lists. Fortunately, my favorite music blog (Stereogum) and newsletter (Josh Terry’s No Expectations) both listed their top LPs of ‘26 so far.

Here are the 10 that appeared on both lists — all worthy of a front-to-back listen. As always, highlights are in the Hear Hear playlist.

• Friko — Something Worth Waiting For: The Chicago band “makes big-swinging indie rock look easy…string arrangements and piano tones feel right at home, not like a self-serious front.” [Abby Jones] // “Recommended if you like: David Bowie, Geese, Modest Mouse” [Terry]

• Jana Horn — Jana Horn: “Sharing the easygoing grace of her Texas to NYC compatriot Katy Kirby, Horn demonstrates a scalpel-like attention to detail in her sparse, evocative lyrics and a thoughtfulness that lends gravitas to her dreamy arrangements.” [Terry]

• Kevin Morby — Little Wide Open: “Morby has been making ultra-chill rustic folk-rock solo records for well over a decade now, but he's never been quite this blissfully settled. Here, he's got the assistance of producer Aaron Dessner, as well as a whole battalion of likeminded allies. When Lucinda Williams' voice crackles up on ‘Natural Disaster,’ it sounds like a blessing from above.” [Tom Breihan]

• My New Band Believe — My New Band Believe: “Disbanded English experimental rock group Black Midi’s music was so audacious that I kept thinking I was an idiot for not fully connecting with it. I may try again because of the astounding inventiveness of this new project from bassist and co-vocalist Cameron Picton. Enlisting the U.K. rock collective Caroline as his studio band…the arrangements evoke musical theater, British folk, jazz, and prog.” [Terry]

• Ratboys — Singin’ to an Empty Chair: “Julia Steiner writes with such tenderness, such intimacy, such preternatural sweetness that Ratboys’ music should be gentle and fragile as a rule. Yet these songs unfold into so many shapes, with such energy and assurance. Often, they rock hard, even triumphantly.” [Chris DeVille]

• Robber Robber — Two Wheels Move the Soul: “Alongside Vermont compatriots Greg Freeman and Lily Seabird, this might be the band I’ve written about most. They are all now dear buds, but even if they weren’t, I would be fully in the tank for this quartet’s cyclonic and innovative brand of post-punk.” [Terry]

• Star Moles — Highway to Hell: “The Philly musician born Emily Moales makes eccentric, hooky, DIY folk-rock ballads with lyrics informed by the observational humor of outlaw country, the wacky infatuation of Kate Bush, and the everyday mysticism of fairytales.” [Jones]

• Stuck — Optimizer: “There’s a surfeit of post-punk records that reckon with the advancement of tech, but Chicago’s Stuck have managed to make one that sticks out.” [Jones]

• Victoryland — My Heart Is A Room With No Cameras In It: “Euphoric and feral, packed with massive pop choruses that crash through all the noise.” [Margaret Farrell]

• youbet — youbet: “Recommended if you like: The Smashing Pumpkins, Sword II, Warehouse” [Terry]

12 more albums to hear from Stereogum

• Rounding out their top 10: Varying degrees of hyperpop from Slayyyter, underscores, and Grace Ives, “folksy art-pop” from Aldous Harding, and a gentle, meditative record from Arima Ederra

• Other notable picks: Philly singer-songwriter Greg Mendez, “fairytale pop through shimmering '80s synthscapes” from hemlocke springs, an “abrasive and immersive” sonic atmosphere from ear, and bedroom pop from Quiet Light

• Plus, a few more artists we’ve featured in Hear Hear: Cardinals, Lala Lala, Robyn

8 more albums to hear from No Expectations

• Hazel City — goblynmarkytt: “intimate and openhearted folk music” from Chicago artist Clay Frankel, “best known for his bands Twin Peaks and Grapetooth”

• Pearla — Song Room: “introspective, cloudlike, and spellbinding folk-pop” from the “Brooklyn via New Jersey songwriter” Nicole Rodriguez

• villagerrr — Carousel: “No band is better at crafting Midwestern lullabies that will make you feel less alone.”

• Tyler Ballgame — For The First Time, Again: “Armed with an immaculate falsetto, a commanding charisma, and tasteful arrangements that translate a warm ‘70s-indebted palette…garnering comparisons to Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, and at least two Beatles.”

• Plus, top-tier indie twang from: mildred & i26connector

• And more artists we’ve featured in Hear Hear: Otto Benson & Momoko Gill

Playlists for Summer 2026

We’re a few weeks away from the true first day of summer (June 21) — but walking around an 80-degree NYC in full Knicks fever, you wouldn’t know it. Here are a few playlists to get the season started…

YES GODDD summer boptacular 2026, “a collection of high energy up tempo songs for summer” from of Fluxblog // ft. Slayyyter, Fcukers, NIN x Boys Noize, Wet Leg x The Dare, Fred Again..

fuchsia, the “indie pop summer soundtrack of your dreams” from , aka music curator @hahakcoolgtgbye // ft. Olivia Rodrigo, MUNA, Quiet Light, Audrey Hobert, Gatlin, Holly Humberstone, Raffaella

Summer 2026, a playlist to “just throw on shuffle during the summer, with mostly upbeat stuff from across the decades” from of Can’t Get Much Higher // ft. Grateful Dead, Prince, Harry Styles, Djo, Bad Bunny, Joni Mitchell

Hanover June 2026, the latest monthly mix curated by How Long Gone host Chris Black for his new clothing brand // ft. Hiss Golden Messenger, Samia, Bob Dylan, Big Star, Wednesday, Iceage, Big Thief, Mazzy Star

all your summer songs, “90 minutes of songs for dancing to, sweating to, and spacing out to” from of New Bands For Old Heads // ft. Yumi Zouma, Smerz, Gelli Haha, Junior Varsity, Palehound

My annual Spring Starter Pack is the mix that energizes me most — there’s something about that first stretch of crisp air, blooming trees, Mets opening day excitement-turning-to-heartbreak, iced coffees, sidewalk spritzes, and slower sunsets that pairs perfectly with the barrage of new albums, buzzy bands, and tour announcements.

This year’s playlist is properly sequenced, so I recommend listening through without shuffling. You’ll recognize plenty of artists from past issues, but let’s spotlight a few tracks:

• “TIME,” Sofia D’Angelo: I featured D'Angelo (formerly of MICHELLE) last year with her addictive slice of coffeeshop folk, “The Fall.” Her new track brings booming synths and drums into the mix, conjuring major summer anthem territory with shades of Indigo De Souza’s poppier stuff. (NYC folks can catch the next edition of her songwriter showcase on 4/21.)

• “By Sunday,” Cactus Lee: Gentle, twangy folk out of Austin, Texas that sits comfortably alongside artists like Cut Worms, Mapache, and Esther Rose.

• “Reputation,” Ravyn Lenae ft. Dominic Fike: An inspired team-up between two of my favorite rising pop stars, making the most of their distinct voices.

• “Violets of Dawn,” Tony Molina: King of the short song, Molina’s latest album of 80-second delights is worth a listen if you love jangle-pop and Beatles-y melodies. This track stands out simply by stretching for a blissful fifteen seconds beyond the two-minute mark.

• “In the Business of Feeling,” Arima Ederra: Discovered via a rave Pitchfork review from Stephen Kearse, who writes that the LA singer-songwriter’s sophomore album “offers a bolder, sleeker take on the golden-hued folk and R&B of her debut.”

• “Sunshine Kisses,” Sabine McCalla: I first saw McCalla opening for the collaborative New Orleans five-piece The Deslondes, and was struck by her voice and presence. This horn-laden track is a standout from her debut record, which filters influences “through the lens of her Haitian heritage and her music community” in NOLA, with more than a dozen local musicians contributing.

• “Long Way to Fall,” Bedouine: The singer-songwriter returns with a lush, “part-baroque pop, part-country folk tune about maintaining a relationship with a family member struggling with addiction,” as Abby Jones covered for Stereogum.

• “Paralyzed,” the booyah! kids: Another great bop from another project of former MICHELLE members, continuing the spirit of that band’s bouncy sound.

There’s plenty more to discover in this +70-track playlist, including…

• Phantastic Ferniture, aka Julia Jacklin’s peppier side-project

• A “more than a one-hit-wonder” track from Ella Mai (of “Boo’d Up” fame) and “they’ve still got it” tracks from Death Cab For Cutie, The New Pornographers, Fruit Bats, and The Strokes (who played a sharp Coachella set of greatest hits)

• Live album cuts from Hurray For The Riff Raff, Peach Pit, and Bon Iver

• Covers from Del Water Gap (a lovely take of Gigi Perez’s new-to-me “Sailor Song”) and CHVRCHES (putting their spin on The Postal Service)

• More gems from Rostam and Avalon Emerson: The former was featured last issue for his work with Sung Holly, but is prepping a new solo album and lead single “Like A Spark” is lovely. He also produced two tracks (“Jupiter and Mars” and “Earth Alive”) for the latest album from Emerson, who was known as a prominent underground electronic artist and DJ in Berlin before pivoting to dream-pop.

• A last-minute entry from Olivia Rodrigo, whose highly-anticipated single and music video dropped at midnight, delivering an instant karaoke anthem and Versailles tourism propaganda

3 more Spring playlists showcasing new artists

spring26 comes from music supervisor Jules Zucker, who always surfaces exciting artists worth hearing. A few to know…

• Robber Robber: From the Burlington, Vermont scene, this band’s “explosive and innovative brand of post-punk” on album Two Wheels Move the Soul was hailed the “best indie rock record of 2026 so far” by No Expectations’ Josh Terry. (Who admits he’s biased, since the band’s drummer — of side project Dari Bay — created the newsletter’s logo.) [Featured song: “Pieces”]

• Monster Rally: This project from “Ohio-bred crate-digger Ted Feighan” has a warm, collaborative spirit, as he “produces sample collages drawing from lounge and tropicalia as well as hip-hop, bringing to mind the Avalanches or Madlib on an exotica bender.” [Featured song: “Holiday Haze”]

• Gelli Haha: “On last year’s Switcheroo, lapsed L.A. folkie Angel Abaya reintroduced herself as Gelli Haha, a Pierrot clown garbed in red Latex,” explains Pitchfork’s Walden Green, stamping her latest track as Best New Music. “She sang about peeing in jars and likened her sexual stamina to the Energizer Bunny.” Naturally, her fantasy world is catching on. [Featured song: “Bounce House”]

• Tōth: Reliably whimsical, catchy alt-pop from the solo project of Rubblebucket’s Alex Toth. [Featured song: “Not Broken”]

• beaming: A “playful indie pop duo” comprised of Braden Lawrence (from The Districts) and Derek Ted (who has produced rising stars like Runnner and Field Medic.) [Featured song: “Stuck (here)”]

• Kelsey Lu: This LA-based artist is “a classically trained cellist with a tremendous sense of vision,” as Tom Breihan writes for Stereogum, calling her upcoming album’s lead single a “gorgeously graceful piece of synthy art-pop.” [Featured song: “Running To Pain”]

• Chinese American Bear: I’ve been loving the endlessly fun songs of this indie-pop husband-and-wife duo, whose bilingual tracks hop between English and Mandarin. [Featured song: “Forever Lover”]

• Snail Mail: I caught Lindsey Jordan at Brooklyn Paramount on Wednesday (with a tight opening set from expert jangle-poppers Sharp Pins) supporting her first album in five years, Ricochet. While her performances can be unpolished, it was still a treat to hear her strongest stuff old and new on such a grand stage, from 2016’s “Thinning” to the solid batch of slick-yet-grungy new tunes. [Featured song: “Tractor Beam” — and I’ve also been into the strings-driven “Cruise”]

PATIO GROOVES from The Wax Museum’s Jared Smith features “33⅓ tracks across genres, decades, and moods, with 14 from the past year, built for backyard hangs, pool days, and everything in between,” including…

• “Riff-y, feel-good indie rock” from Ovven: Influential music critic Steven Hyden called this band’s Gnawing At The Cord — made in Asheville, NC with super-producer Alex Farrar (who we’ve interviewed in this newsletter about his work with MJ Lenderman, Wednesday, and Wild Pink) — his favorite album of the year so far. [Featured song: “Dishes”]

• “Pillowy, feather-light” alt-pop from waterbaby: “Born and raised in Stockholm, waterbaby got her start doing make-up and singing back-up vocals for fellow Gambian-Swedish artist Seinabo Sey” writes Gemma Samways for Dazed. With a strong debut album, her sound is now finding a wider audience. [Featured song: “Memory Be a Blade” — I’ve also been into “Beck n Call”]

spring2026 from seasonal playlist connoisseur Adam Sharp spotlights a few new releases worth noting…

• Kevin Morby’s expansive singles from Little Wide Open: Morby’s 2022 record This Is a Photograph didn’t quite land for me, but all three new tracks — “Javelin,” “Die Young,” and “Badlands” — are excellent, with the confidence of a veteran freshly inspired and operating at the peak of his powers.

• Future Islands celebrating 20 years as a band, “from the first house parties to the rooms we’re playing today,” with a compilation of rarities and alternative cuts — led by double-single “Sail” and “Find Love.”

• Waxahatchee covering This Is Lorelei, just in time for her co-headlining tour with MJ Lenderman, which features a seated, MTV Unplugged-style set as the two duet on each other’s tunes.

Finally, a word from The Boss!

Unsurprisingly, the song is a jam, an instantly addicting slice of polished bedroom pop guided by warm, endearing vocals.

But for someone with 74K followers on TikTok and 100K on IG, it was surprisingly hard to find out anything about who Sung Holly actually is — or how she ended up working with Rostam in the first place. So I asked her!

She replied with some helpful context about her rapid rise:

“I’d say a Mk.gee cover I posted at the end of 2023 got around to some music people and ended up helping me get out to LA to make music more often. Then I met Jack (Hallenbeck), who played it for Rostam. Both wanted to help me finish the song, so we went in on it together and ended up re-producing it into something that sounds pretty different from the original demo.” You can read our full Q&A here. (Her follow-up, “Second Guesser,” is another winner.)

Holly’s just one of many artists I’m excited about this year. Since my last issue focused on bigger names — from Bad Bunny to Robyn to Harry Styles — I figured it’d be nice to focus this one on some emerging artists you should know. (All featured in the Hear Hear playlist, as always.)

6 more artists catching my ear

• Bory: Infectious power-pop from Portland // Signed to a new label launched by fellow jangle-poppers Ducks Ltd., Bory’s debut album is packed with great songs — standout “We’ll Burn That Bridge When We Get To It” is an “uptempo analog rocker with abundant hooks and all kinds of rad guitar action,” writes Stereogum’s Chris DeVille.

• Otto Benson: “Watery pop-ambient soundscaping” // The “gently psychedelic” sound of Peanut, the New York musician’s first album with vocals, was stamped with Pitchfork’s Best New Music label and prompted a deep dive in Another Thought, the delightful newsletter from KEXP’s .

• Sarah Kinsley: Cinematic, atmospheric dream-pop // This 25-year-old Greenpointer is on the rise after a viral TikTok hit, following it up with a stellar EP that has a massive sound, creating a sonic world a la Caroline Polachek and Magdalena Bay. (Her playlist of influences nods to Depeche Mode, Lykke Li, and U.S. Girls.)

• Cardinals: Dive bar rock from an Irish quintet // As Margaret Farrell writes in this Stereogum Band to Watch piece, “Sitting with Masquerade feels like stepping into one of the dive bars Cardinals love: dimly lit, intimate, a little rough around the edges, but alive with character and memory.”

• Westside Cowboy: Post-Pinegrove twang-rock // Said The Gramophone’s “Best Songs of 2025” list introduced me to the “surprising harmonies” of “Shells,” which initially reminded me of Pinegrove’s classic “Aphasia.” After Paste gave the band a “Best of What’s Next” feature, I dove into their new EP — and quickly realized their sound has its own distinct pull.

• Twisted Teens: “Southern garage rock at its best.” // Also stamped with Pitchfork’s Best New Music, the new record from this “New Orleans punk duo channels American country and folk music for a raw, righteous, and impressively original sound,” writes Nina Corcoran.

7 more songs from buzzy artists

Essential music blog Gorilla vs Bear has started maintaining their trusty songs-of-the-year playlist — always an excellent way to keep up with fresh sounds and rising artists, especially in the synthy dream-pop space.

• “Everyone Around Me Dancing,” Gia Margaret: Margaret’s style of quiet, ambient folk keeps evolving. This lovely new single — also featured on All Songs Considered — drifts along in a haze, while the just-released “Good Friend” is an exciting pivot toward something brighter and more upbeat. [Bonus companion playlists: Margaret’s sporadically updated “things of beauty” and her “precise and melancholy” mix for Herb Sundays from 2022]

• “Sunday,” Hannah Lew: A synthy jam, one of two initial singles from Lew that “balance the line between pop’s embrace and the cold edges of her post-punk past” writes Raven Sings The Blues.

• “I love being sad,” Dottie Anderson: The Swedish artist nails a “contradiction done right,” according to Northern Transmissions, with a “bright, vibey indie-pop gem.”

• “All in bet,” Jana Horn: The singer-songwriter’s “acoustic arrangements are sparse and lyrics are fragmentary, but the mood is warm and inviting” according to Marissa Lorusso for Pitchfork.

• “Faded Rose,” Georgia Gets By: Another great tune from Georgia Nott’s solo project — Nott is best known from BROODS, the CHVRCHES-esque electronic band she started with her brother back in 2013.

• “Miss You,” Ms Ray: “Baltimore-born singer-songwriter Nourished By Time contributes guest vocals in his first appearance of 2026, meshing with London vocalist Ms Ray’s melodies against a backdrop of synths and 80s-inspired R&B basslines,” writes Line of Best Fit.

• “Prophetic Life,” Babe Dylan: Already getting accused as an industry plant, this mysterious duo’s song gave me MGMT vibes with its booming, buzzing chorus.

2 more lists of artists to watch

• Pigeons and Planes’ 26 Artists to Watch in 2026: A classic music blog has returned, with a well-done feature covering a wide range of artists — including a batch you’ll recognize from recent issues: Jim Legxacy, Sophia Stel, Gabriel Jacoby, Hudson Freeman, and Deki Alem. I’m intrigued by the “impossible-to-Google” band ear, a duo making “restrained electronic pop that packs a surprising punch to the gut.”

• The Amplifier’s “hotly anticipated” upcoming releases: Lindsay Zoladz’s NYT newsletter continues to be a great resource for music discovery. I particularly enjoyed her shares from “idiosyncratic electro-pop” artist Grace Ives, Brooklyn-based R&B artist Yaya Bey, and country-pop crossover star Ella Langley — plus more deserved hype for Friko and Courtney Barnett, who I covered last issue but recently released more great tracks to dive into.

Leftover love song playlists from February

Yes, Valentine’s Day was weeks ago. And yes, today is a gorgeous NYC day. But it still feels a little early for a full spring playlist roundup — especially since many of my favorite curators haven’t refreshed their mixes yet.

But just as a teaser, here’s a great one for the 70-degree weather we’re getting in these final days of winter: Maya Kosoff’s “first euphorically warm spring day” mix. (She made a new one this year that I discovered via some light Spotify stalking, but last year’s is a bit more complete.)

In the meantime, here’s a belated batch of love-song playlists I didn’t get to share last month. Expect a proper spring starter pack (here’s last year’s to tide you over) and more warm-weather playlists in our next issue.

From Dinner Music: Songs that sound like falling in love

Jacqui Devaney’s newsletter continues to be a stellar source of joyful music discovery across eras and genres. In a rare off-schedule edition, she curated “a playlist of songs that sound, to me, like falling in love. Is there anything more worthy than the trying and trying again to uncover that feeling?” // ft. Sky Ferreira, Clairo, The Ronettes, Sade, Japanese Breakfast, The Walkmen, Faye Webster, Townes Van Zandt

From The Wax Museum: Favorite love songs of the last decade

Jared Smith refreshed his excellent “This Modern Love” playlist — “so modern that it includes a track released today from Lykke Li.” // ft. Alvvays, Hovvdy, The Lemon Twigs, Dijon, Wednesday, Horsegirl, Local Natives

From Some Velvet Blog: 100 love songs

WXPN Philly’s trusty DJ Bruce Warren curated a love song mega-mix, loaded with classics // ft. Hall & Oates, Talking Heads, Sia, Norah Jones, Billie Holiday, Roxy Music, Stevie Wonder

From Laufey: Valentine’s Day and “Lover Girl Summer”

The Icelandic singer-songwriter (who dropped another lush single from the deluxe version of her 2025 album) is also an excellent playlister, crafting a short-and-sweet 18-track mix of love songs. // ft. Chet Baker, Billie Eilish, Mitski, The Ronettes

She also made a companion playlist last year for her single “Lover Girl,” collecting classic songs in the same jazzy Brazilian bossa nova style that inspired it.

Unsurprisingly, the song is a jam, an instantly addicting slice of polished bedroom pop guided by warm, endearing vocals. But it was surprisingly hard to find out anything about who Sung Holly actually is — or how she ended up working with Rostam in the first place. So I asked her!

She replied with some helpful context about her rapid rise. Our email Q&A is below — I’m excited to hear whatever comes next for this emerging artist.

For someone who has 74K followers on TikTok and almost 100K on Instagram, it’s surprisingly hard to find biographical information about you! Can you share some context about where you grew up // are living, when you started making music, and how you grew such huge audiences on these platforms?

Sure! I’ve moved around quite a bit growing up, but I’ve spent the most time in the suburbs around Dallas. I’ve been making music since like 5th grade. As for social media I think I’ve just stuck around long enough.

Was there a specific song or cover that led to you “blowing up” — or a moment when you realized you wanted to start releasing your own singles?

There have been a couple covers here and there that did well, but I’d say a Mk.gee cover I posted at the end of 2023 got around to some music people and ended up helping me get out to LA to make music more often. Not that you need to be there to make music but… it was definitely the catalyst that got things rolling for me to release my first single. I think I would’ve released the song if whole cover thing didn’t happen though. It was about time.

How’d you get connected with Rostam? That’s the reason I heard about your first single, personally, as whenever he works with any new artist I view that as an instant stamp of high quality talent. What was the dynamic like working with him?

Tracking back to February of last year, I had a pretty fleshed out demo of “Simple” that I produced and was planning to release on my own. Then all the trips out to LA started happening, and I met Jack (who I made “Simple” and “Second Guesser” with!), who played it for Rostam. Both Jack and Rostam wanted to help me finish the song, so we went in on it together and ended up reproducing it into something that sounds pretty different from the original demo. Rostam is the best — he doesn’t second guess himself very much but is also very open to hearing out all the ideas in the room. He knows very clearly what sounds he likes, which is something I want to get better at as a producer.

What do you have in store? I love “Second Guesser” (and I love the “Another Lap” snippet that just went up on your YouTube, I hope you add that one to streaming services, even though you said it’s probably not gonna happen — curious if there is an EP or album in the works and if you’ll keep working with Rostam or other producers? And do you plan to tour?

I’ve got three more singles ready to go after “Second Guesser” that I’m putting out monthly! Don’t want to put every plan out there but there is a lot of music in the works and I’ve got some ideas on how I want to group and present them. There aren’t tour plans either, but I’m itching to get out there.

Lastly, I really enjoyed the playlist you shared recently with music you’ve been listening to — that Mereba song stood out as something that feels tied to your style. Have any of those songs or artists (or any others) felt especially influential as you’ve been working on new material?

That playlist I made was really just me vibing haha. I’ve been trying to be more intentional and specific when it comes to references. For that specifically I’ve been listening to the Stone Roses quite a bit. But of course the playlist is a reflection of my taste and that goes into everything I make. The pop and the R&B are all in the works.

Thanks again for loving “Simple” and for all of these questions! Excited for you to hear all the new songs — let me know what you think!

Since our interview, Sung has published a few more playlists that nod to her influences for her first two singles!

What a week for Bad Bunny, who became the story of the Grammys without even performing — by having the first Spanish-language release to win album of the year, generating a new hall-of-fame reaction meme, and claiming the biggest applause line of the night with two words: “ICE out.”

He followed that up with a festive, joyous halftime show full of sounds, symbols, and slogans built to last. Here’s a roundup of reactions…

• The NYT’s Jon Caramanica expertly deconstructed the “history lesson” within the set: “It started in the sugar cane fields — once Puerto Rico’s cash crop, and a source of rampant labor exploitation. Bad Bunny began his show with the frisky “Tití Me Preguntó” from 2022, walking amid laborers in pavas chopping at stalks and tall plants forming something of a labyrinth. The first two minutes took place largely within that maze, an almost-protected space that projected safety and ease, before he emerged on the roof of La Casita, the replica of a traditional Puerto Rican home that served as the centerpiece of his set.”

• For the LA Times, Tatiana Tenreyro “decoded” the performance from a Puerto Rican POV: “During the staged wedding sequence, I saw myself in the tired child napping over two chairs, waiting for the adults to wind down the party so I could go home to my own bed.”

• NPR Music’s Anamaria Artemisa Sayre dove deep into the show, including its surprise cameos: “It may have felt easy to chalk up her inclusion as a way to pander to non-Spanish audiences, but Lady Gaga, as the wedding singer, fit too. The inclusion of her track ‘Die With a Smile’ felt almost Latin, yes for the salsa arrangement, but more because its refrain — "If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you" — resonated perfectly with an underlying sentiment you’ll find at any wedding in Latin America: Hay que vivir. You have to live.”

• Pitchfork’s E.R. Pulgar highlighted a local legend in NYC: “Latinxs who have found refuge in Williamsburg social club Toñitas will have been moved to see the legendary Nuyorican stronghold’s namesake matriarch where she is usually found: behind a bar, with a kind word to give, squeezing liquid courage into Benito’s hand.”

• Former WaPo music critic Chris Richards challenged the “language barrier” in the first issue of his newsletter — subscribe here! — launched because Jeff Bezos laid him off after 16 years with the paper: “Of course Bad Bunny’s lyrics are rife with meaning and intention, but if those meanings aren’t instantly available to my English-speaking mind, is his music rendered meaningless? It sure wasn’t on Sunday night. As a sound, his voice was plain enough to feel personal, deep enough to feel steadying, rich enough to feel intimate, alert enough to make everyone listening feel like we might be having a new kind of fun together.”

• The Cut’s Andrea González-Ramírez covered the politics of the performance: “In the end, Bad Bunny raised a football that read ‘Together, we are America.’ It served a dual-purpose: as a reclamation of the name to mean the American continent rather than just the US and a reminder that, no matter what this administration may say, we all belong in this country.”

• Plus: WIRED has a cool behind-the-scenes look at the production that explains why all those people dressed up like plants // WBEZ covered the inclusion of Chicago conductor Giancarlo Guerrero

Beyond Benito, I could do a whole newsletter on the Grammys and how today’s pop stars are approaching this fraught political moment. (One impactful approach: Bon Iver released a pay-what-you-want live version of “Naeem” with all proceeds going to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.)

Still, for my sanity and yours I’m trying to find joy in broader music discovery — so as always, here are some new playlists, albums, and artists to check out!

🎧 Keeping up with new music in 2026

Robyn. Harry Styles. Noah Kahan. Bruno Mars!

Big names are kicking off the year with new music — not to mention the endless stream from indie bands and rising artists. It’s impossible to truly keep up, but here are a few highlights worth checking out, all captured in the rolling Hear Hear playlist…

• Mitski // Snail Mail // Courtney Barnett: Three idiosyncratic indie stars with distinct voices all returned with striking new songs from highly anticipated albums. Mitski’s “Where’s My Phone?” “erupts into a cathartic, fuzzed-out guitar solo” // Snail Mail’s “Dead End” “gives off mid-’90s alt-rock vibes” // and Barnett’s “Site Unseen” features another singular vocalist, Waxahatchee.

• Ratboys’ new album was stamped with Pitchfork’s coveted Best New Music: “Bringing their country-tinted indie rock to boundless new landscapes, the Chicago band returns with their most emotionally affecting and compositionally advanced songs to date.”

• Lala Lala’s brand of powerful indie pop is sharper than ever on a new batch of songs from an upcoming album co-produced by Jay Som.

• Christine & The Queens dropped a collab featuring a fellow French artist, “longtime friend and collaborator Thee Diane…a classically trained musician who combines afrobeats and alt-pop.”

• Ari Lennox, “one of contemporary R&B’s premier sophisticates,” writes Shaad D’Souza for The Guardian, has a vibey new album “preferring a palette of lush jazz, soul and 90s hip-hop over the more genre-fluid sound pushed by contemporaries SZA and Kehlani.”

• The Format’s comeback continues: I covered the return of one of my favorite bands back in the fall, with Nate Ruess emerging from a hiatus after the “We Are Young”-fueled success of his other project, fun. I’m thrilled to report that the first proper Format album since 2006’s Dog Problems more than delivers. The band also released a b-side protest track, “The Bar Is Set So Low,” with all proceeds going to immigrant rights organizations.

More returning artists to note: Ambitious chamber-rock from Chicago band Friko, Icelandic singer-songwriter Ásgeir, indie rock stalwarts The New Pornographers, retro power-popper GUV (fka Young Guv)

And back, briefly, to Harry Styles. Based on resale prices for his 30-night residency at MSG, he certainly doesn’t need any more coverage — but his new music video is a genuine treat.

🥶 Playlists for this chilly winter

Winter Mix No. 08 from graphic designer Laura Filas melds “the elegance of ‘60s soul, the sound of freezing rain on a window pane, country-tinged power pop, Brazilian pop, pedal steel, snowflakes glittering in headlights, Laurel Canyon stuck somewhere else in time” // ft. Mapache’s Sam Blasucci, Sharp Pins, Silver Synthetic, This Is Lorelei, Whitney, The Replacements, Rose City Band, Kate Bollinger

WINTER A-GO-GO from Fluxblog’s has “a little under 3 hours of snow day indie from the 21st century — a relaxed wintry mood.” // ft. Mazzy Star, The Walkmen, Real Estate, Beach House, Vampire Weekend, Feist, Cat Power

Jan 2026 from culture critic anchors a casual email blast covering what she’s been into lately, including a few emerging artists: “British jazz vocalist/producer/percussionist Momoko Gill, who’s releasing her debut album next month; Dove Ellis, a 22-year-old from Galway who opened for Geese; and Not for Radio, Maria Zardoya of The Marias’ solo project.”

📺 Late night corner: Geese, A$AP, Silvana Estrada

• Geese “brought its off-kilter aesthetic to network TV, with performances that were both confounding and audacious,” writes Lindsay Zoladz about the band’s divisive offering on SNL.

• A week earlier, A$AP Rocky brought out bassist Thundercat and composer Danny Elfman to drum for his SNL stint, pairing with a Tim Burton-designed album cover to successfully pique my interest for his exciting record Don’t Be Dumb. “PUNK ROCKY” is a highlight, with a Mac DeMarco sound — apparently stemming from genuine collaboration, referenced with another song playfully subtitled “BLACK DEMARCO.”

• And this was back in December over on Kimmel, but I’ve been wanting to share it — a simply lovely performance from Mexican musician Silvana Estrada with members of the LA Philharmonic.

🍿 Movie music: Marty Supreme & Ann Lee

Two Daniels are making some of the most thrilling music in film right now…

• Daniel Lopatin, aka the alternative electronic artist Oneohtrix Point Never, continues his collaboration with the Safdie Brothers after memorably scoring Uncut Gems, with “versatile, freewheeling, and adventurous” music for Marty Supreme that stands on its own outside of the film, as writes for Boardroom. [Standouts: “Holocaust Honey,” “Force Of Life,” “Hoff’s” and “I Love You, Tokyo”]

• Daniel Blumberg, former frontman of rock band Yuck, followed up on his brilliant score for The Brutalist by collaborating again with the film’s husband-wife director duo, Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, on songs for The Testament of Ann Lee, an unconventional musical about the Shaker movement full of surprisingly catchy repurposed 18th-century hymns. [Standouts: “Hunger & Thirst,” “Worship,” “All is Summer”]

Finally, I’ll leave you with two unexpected new songs from legends: Bruce Springsteen’s “Streets Of Minneapolis,” instantly memorializing the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good with an anthem worthy of the moment, and a much lighter one from David Byrne — a choral cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License.”

As NYC’s first snow of winter fell in mid-December, the New Yorker’s Rachel Syme sprung into action, quickly crafting a cozy mix to meet the moment. Even as the snow faded away, her playlist served as a balm for that foggy twelve-day stretch between Christmas Eve and the first Monday of 2026, with gentle tunes from the likes of Mitski, Geese, Sufjan Stevens, Adrianne Lenker, Bonny Light Horseman, and Annahstasia.

As the year kicks off in earnest, with bleak headlines in tow, here are a few more playlists from curators that have been providing me much-needed warmth and comfort. (As always, standouts have been added to the Hear Hear playlist.)

• winter 25/26 from music supervisor Jules Zucker, who just launched her wonderful newsletter Cue Sheet celebrating highly personal soundtracks // ft. emerging artists like Dove Ellis, Wormy, Ally Evenson, Way Dynamic, Quadeca, and the ever-rising Sam Fender.

• DEAD DAYS (Dec ‘25 - Dec ‘25) from The Ringer’s Andy Greenwald, originally crafted for that hazy week between Xmas and NYE, but still effective on the first week of January. // ft. The Feelies, Linda Ronstadt, Grateful Dead, Jim Legxacy, Big Star, Bob Dylan, and mysterious masked British rapper EsDeeKid. (Who was suspected to be Timothée Chalamet but apparently isn’t? I’m admittedly confused and still uncertain.)

• to new beginnings from curator Kasey Gelsomino, a playlist that “feels like a fresh start” for the new year // ft. Olivia Dean, The South Hill Experiment, Hippo Campus, Samia, Palace, and Slaughter Beach, Dog

• wintry mix 25 from Hannah Claire Baker, writer of the excellent film newsletter Never Cursed, who features arguably the GOAT New Year’s movie scene (from Phantom Thread) as the cover image // ft. film music from Jonny Greenwood, Explosions In The Sky, Ennio Morricone, and a lovely cover of Elliott Smith’s “Angel in the Snow” from Fleet Foxes.

More artists to know from the “Best of 2025”

In my last issue, I brought you discoveries galore from year-end 2025 lists. Of course, by publishing on December 17, I missed a few — so here are some leftovers from top-tier curators, with more tunes to get into before the big albums of 2026 start to drop.

Hanif Abdurraqib‘s Favorite Songs of 2025

“I still remember hearing ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ for the first time, huddled in the back seat of my oldest brother’s car and looking out of the window in joyful disbelief,” writes Abdurraqib for The New Yorker. “I have kept up my eager pursuit of new music all these years later, because I refuse to believe that the hope of brain-shifting listening experiences must be abandoned with childhood.” That pursuit has led me to some wonderful songs, including…

• “This Night Has Been Unkind,” Superstar Crush: This Hamilton, Ontario band is indebted to fellow Canadians Arcade Fire and luminaries like Blondie and Pulp, with an impressive debut album full of “big, flashy guitar work, churning and relentless rhythms, and songs that feel like they never stop building.”

• “Sopro,” Unflirt: “Stage name of the London singer-songwriter Christine Senorin, whose voice has a sweetness that makes language feel secondary to the pleasures of sound — which isn’t to say that the lyrics to her songs are skippable.” I’m loving her seven-track EP Fleeting.

• “Green Juice,” anaais: “From the French Senegalese singer-songwriter, a sparse production featuring a bouncy bass line and twinkling bells that hover in the background of her light, airy vocals.”

• “Ate the Moon,” Tunde Adebimpe: “It was a bold move for the co-front man of TV on the Radio to release a debut solo album this deep into his career. The boldness paid off.”

• “Heart of a Child,” Mereba: “An airy, bouncy R&B track, alive and playful. Additionally, I adored the music video, which Mereba, who is half Ethiopian, filmed on the streets of Addis Ababa.”

• “BTNY,” Bartees Strange: “In February, I wrote about the sprawling, high-concept album Horror, by this genre-spanning Baltimore-based singer-songwriter. A six-song EP he released in October is sparser and conceptually looser, highlighting his lyrical and vocal chops.”

10 for ‘25 from NYT culture reporter Reggie Ugwu

This ten-track playlist is an annual tradition on Ugwu’s Instagram, and while many of his picks come from genres outside my comfort zone, I ended up enjoying the chaotic sounds across all of them…

• “Life so far,” from experimental dance-pop duo Bassvictim: “A 4am dispatch from a haunted house party”

• “Fadeoutz,” glitchy maximalist hyperpop from Jane Remover

• “be careful,” which “pokes at the ceiling of early aughts neo-soul,” from Gabriel Jacoby

• “HARDSTYLE” from Sydney band Shady Nasty, who call their sound an “experimental blend of post-punk and hip-hop”

• “Fun,” from Swedish twins Deki Alem, which will almost certainly be soundtracking a party montage in a coming-of-age movie soon.

• “Music” by underscores, stage name of 25-year-old April Harper Grey, which “teleports her busy, off-kilter electronic pop straight into the club”

• Plus, three songs I haven’t featured yet from artists you know — Nourished By Time, FKA Twigs, and Wednesday — and one I have featured from shoegaze rockers Wishy

50 favorite songs (each) from directors Edgar Wright & James Gunn

Both quirky directors are known for their playful needle drops, and I’m glad they’ve continued sharing these lists to give a taste of what they’re into every year. There’s tons of Hear Hear overlap, but plenty of stuff I haven’t shared…

• From Wright, director of Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: Tunes from Sudan Archives, Wolf Alice, Sunflower Bean, Gelli Haha, Pulp, Little Simz, De La Soul, and another standout from Tunde Adebimpe

• And from Gunn, director of last year’s Superman and the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy: Sunny, Kooks-esque indie pop from Mustard Service, Alaska Reid’s new duo Witch Post, nice tunes from Japanese Breakfast and CMAT. (I also appreciated the winking pick at the end of the playlist from Jukebox the Ghost.)

Barack Obama’s Favorite Music of 2025

I know, I know, people don’t think he really picks these. (And I do wish he’d share more than just playlists right now.) But to me these always sound like fairly standard selections from a middle-aged dad who listens to NPR Music. Two choices in particular caught my eye…

• “Please Don’t Cry,” Kacy Hill: Hill has been on a quietly stellar run, pivoting from a synthy alt-pop album in 2024 to a stripped-down country-folk EP in 2025. I’m excited to see what she does next with her new duo project, Girlfriend Wife, which sounds like another left turn towards a grungier sound.

• “Never Felt Better,” Everything is Recorded ft. Sampha & Florence The Machine: A lovely track from a collective project of electronic folk from XL label head Richard Russell.

• I was happy to see a few more indie faves get the presidential seal of approval: Jay Som, The Beths, Obongjayar

Don’t Rock The Inbox: The Best Country Albums & Songs of 2025

This newsletter from Natalie Weiner and Marissa Moss is how I keep up with the world of country music, which admittedly isn’t my forte. Their top songs this year went beyond the typical confines of the genre, both musically and lyrically…

• "Wildfire Season,” Jobi Riccio: “Riccio sums up our moment's crises with startling urgency and clarity.”

• “Heavy Foot,” Mon Rovia: “Manages to deliver his message in a gorgeous package of kindness, writing songs with the desire to make them truly stick, not go viral.”

• “The Crown,” Kip Moore: “Such a fun distillation of the heartland country rock sound like Moore is just so damn good at.”

• Plus nice tunes from more new-to-me artists: Megan Maroney, Olivia Ellen Lloyd, Ella Langley, Kassi Ashton, and topical tracks from Jim Lauderdale (“Artificial Intelligence”) and Croy and the Boys (“Fuck I.C.E.” — more true than ever today.)

• And albums from artists we’ve featured: Tyler Childers, Esther Rose, Margo Price

Favorite Songs 2025. from Rostam

Former Vampire Weekend member and prolific producer Rostam compiled his essential yearly mix, which always introduces me to artists worth knowing and sounds worth hearing…

• Experimental alt-pop: Zsela // Junior Mesa // Dean Blunt ft. Elias Rønnenfelt // Sophia Stel

• Your favorite singer-songwriters’ favorite singer-songwriters: Hudson Freeman // Tobias Jesso Jr. // Billie Marten

• Plus some gems that I haven’t shared yet from Hear Hear faves: Wet // Wild Pink // Japanese Breakfast // Twin Shadow

Bonus track: A collaborative fundraiser song release from Gracie Abrams, Bon Iver, and Aaron Dessner of The National, with all proceeds going to Everytown For Gun Safety.

Thanks for reading (and listening) with me all year long, and see you in 2026!

Follow the Hear Hear playlist to stream along, with selections from all the music referenced below.

2 lists for the year’s essential albums

The New Yorker’s Best Albums of 2025 from Amanda Petrusich: Surveying the landscape with her stellar taste, Petrusich highlighted 15 albums that “kept her afloat” throughout this heavy year, and I especially loved her top five:

5. Cover The Mirrors, Ben Kweller: “While animated by the cognitive dissonance of grief, it’s also an explosive, occasionally ecstatic rock record.”

4. LUX, ROSALÍA: “Her vision of what global pop music can be comes across as cerebral and expansive. In some ways, her closest contemporary is Björk, who is featured on the thorny, operatic single ‘Berghain.’”

3. Baby, Dijon: “Easily the most compelling experimental R&B record since Frank Ocean’s Blonde—these are deep, haunted, romantic songs about devotion, sacrifice, and time.”

2. New Threats From The Soul, Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band: “Tuneful, funny music that’s vaguely rooted in country and indie-rock, but also leaves room for hard left turns, including unforeseeable breakbeats.”

1. Getting Killed, Geese: “This (very) young Brooklyn band (very) occasionally sounds like other bands (Radiohead, Anohni and the Johnsons, Suicide), but mostly Geese sounds unlike anything I’ve ever heard before — in part because of the front man Cameron Winter’s tense, singular, supernatural warble.”

• A few more notable picks from her top 15: The “mid-seventies, Laurel Canyon groove” of Hannah Cohen, the “strange and beautiful album” from electronic composer Oneohtrix Point Never, and a solo LP from Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams.

The New York Times’ Best Albums of 2025 from critics Lindsay Zoladz and Jon Caramanica: While both critics shared a personal list, their three overlaps neatly capture a few consensus picks — and personal favorites of mine.

• DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, Bad Bunny: “Is to Puerto Rican musical history what Beyoncé’s two most recent albums have been to electronic music and country: sprawling, studious statements that make sharp connections between past traditions and present trends but are way too much fun to ever feel like homework.”

• SABLE, fABLE, Bon Iver: “Justin Vernon’s music sounds more direct, vulnerable and — thanks to contributions from artists like Dijon, Danielle Haim and Flock of Dimes’ Jenn Wasner — collaborative than it ever has before.”

• It’s a Beautiful Place, Water From Your Eyes: “The Brooklyn-based project centered around the vocalist Rachel Brown (thanks for coming) and the guitarist Nate Amos (This Is Lorelei) levels up on this pointed, pummeling seventh album.”

1 list capturing the sounds of the moment

Gorilla vs. Bear’s Songs of 2025: Without fail, this stalwart blog keeps me on the pulse of modern, genre-fluid sounds that foreshadow where music is headed. You’ve already heard their #1 and #2 songs of the year in this newsletter…

1. “Max Potential,” Nourished by Time // Doreen St. Félix coined the singular sound of Baltimore artist Marcus Brown as “lush pain music” — I won’t do better than that!

2. “You got time and I got money,” Smerz // The standout single from this Norwegian postmodern pop duo is “zonked but graceful,” writes Chris DeVille for Stereogum.

Rounding out GvB’s top five are three more artists to keep an eye on…

3. “Play,” james K // New York producer Jamie Krasner creates shape-shifting music; on this track she “swims through trip-hop, dream-pop, drum ‘n’ bass, jungle, and grunge”

4. “Everyone Falls Asleep In Their Own Time,” Sophia Stel // A Canadian alt-pop artist that Dazed calls “the sonic lovechild of Ethel Cain and 070 Shake”

5. “obvious,” Oklou // A quieter, subtler song from this “French electronic pop darling”

1 list to find your new favorite band

No Expectations’ 100 Best Albums of 2025: I’m always overwhelmed by Chicago critic Josh Terry’s lists because I find so much overlap with his taste. Naturally, his year-end recap acquainted me with tons of exciting artists I haven’t yet featured…

• Billie Marten: A 26-year-old UK singer-songwriter with “winsome and warm melodies”

• Cash Langdon: “Channeling the anthemic choruses of Summerteeth-era Wilco, the frantic energy of Ty Segall, and the melodic prowess of the late Adam Schlesinger.”

• CMAT: “Just when you thought the cross-pollination of country textures into marquee pop music was getting stale, Ireland’s Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson releases an unquestionable exception to the played-out trend.”

• Dead Gowns: AKA Maine songwriter Geneviève Beaudoin. “Not since Angel Olsen’s 2014 album has an indie rock voice floored me so palpably.”

• Dove Ellis: I briefly featured this Irish singer-songwriter last issue, but highlighting again as his debut album Blizzard sounds like the start of something special — with shades of Thom Yorke, Rufus Wainwright, and Jeff Buckley.

• Folk Bitch Trio: “I’m not sure why singer-songwriters from Australia are so adept at writing gorgeous melodies, but artists like Julia Jacklin, Maple Glider, and Stella Donnelly are masters at this. So too are Melbourne’s Folk Bitch Trio.”

• Hand Habits: “Meg Duffy’s fourth album as Hand Habits is triumphantly self-possessed and calming.”

• Junk Drawer: “After the first few songs of Days of Heaven, you’ll think that this Belfast band has one of the best post-punk albums of 2025.”

• Lifeguard: “Alongside acts like Friko, Horsegirl, and Free Range, Lifeguard has led the charge of Chicago’s youth indie rock scene.”

• Lawn: Part of “a cluster of New Orleans indie rock bands,” Lawn “melds jangle-pop and post-punk” indebted to Wire, Spoon, and The Fall.

• Liam Kazar: “A cozy and smooth dose of folk-rock” from an artist who has toured with artists like Tweedy, Waxahatchee, and Kevin Morby.

• Maia Friedman: “A touring member of Dirty Projectors who leans on orchestral and timeless folk on her solo albums”

• Rose City Band: “Buttery lead guitars, ample twang, and easygoing vocals are this Oregon band’s calling card.”

Plus, 20 artists from Josh’s list that we’ve featured in Hear Hear: Cusp // Water From Your Eyes // Whitney // Moontype // Mamalarky // Prewn // Saba & No ID // Silver Synthetic // Tobacco City // Uwade // Saya Gray // Greg Freeman // Hannah Frances // Horsegirl // Goose // Way Dynamic // with four overlaps from Petrusich’s list: Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band // Geese // Hannah Cohen // Wednesday

3 lists to discover hidden gems

While I love showcasing the year’s biggest songs and albums, I’m also drawn to the idiosyncratic discoveries revealed through personal taste…

Bob Boilen’s Favorite Songs & Discoveries of 2025: The former host of NPR’s All Songs Considered now hosts a lovely weekly show on his local radio station, WOWD in Takoma Park, Maryland. (Go Terps.) His year-end broadcasts captured a bunch of wonderful artists who don’t get as much buzz in the music critic world…

• Hidden gems from indie darlings: Sharon Van Etten // Lucius // Beirut // Perfume Genius // Hurray For The Riff Raff // Miya Folick // Margaret Glaspy

• Quirky tracks from under-the-radar NYC artists: Indie-poppers Daisy the Great // Rubblebucket side-project Tōth // the slightly mysterious collective Crisis Public Relations

• Interesting collaborations from icons: Mavis Staples’ excellent cover of Kevin Morby’s “Beautiful Strangers” // a balm from Beatie Wolfe & Brian Eno’s trilogy of ambient dream-pop albums

• And Boilen’s top four songs, all featured in Hear Hear, came from: Saya Gray // Snocaps // Wet Leg // Lucy Dacus

Said The Gramophone’s Best Songs of 2025: This annual list from Sean Michaels’ otherwise-dormant music blog is always a reliable source of delightful tunes across genres.

• “Stick,” Jim Legxacy: NYT culture reporter Reggie Ugwu named Legxacy’s black british music his album of the year, citing its mix of “silk-shirt R&B, glitch pop, West Indian dancehall, Nigerian afrobeats, British post-punk, The College Dropout, and a few shavings of trap.”

• “Coffee In The Morning,” Wet: “Eighty-three sun-flecked seconds, just a morning’s first blinks all diffused and reassembling, and the healing chords of a piano.”

• “Don’t Want to Know,” World News: “A dazzle of melody (and golden guitars)” from this London post-punk band.

• Plus gems from Basia Bulat // Mereba // Esther Rose // Westside Cowboy

NPR Music’s 12 Best Albums of the Year: “Each of a dozen people on our team made a list of their top 10 albums of 2025 and then singled out one we’d recommend to anyone who came calling.” Two standouts from these personal picks…

• Super Pedestrian, Annie DiRusso: “A brash, big-hearted album full of blustery, hook-forward rock jams.”

• Son of Spergy, Daniel Caesar: “There’s always been a gospel influence incorporated into Caesar’s music, but this time he courageously removes the R&B disguise, going straight to the pulpit.”

2 lesser-hyped lists from top-tier music sites

Stereogum’s Staff Picks: The trusty team at Stereogum selected ten tracks each that didn’t make the site’s main list, including…

• A highlight from Tyler Childers’ rollicking, Rick Rubin-produced country-rock record // a song from NY quartet My Wonderful Boyfriend that’s “equal parts ‘Just What I Needed’ by the Cars and ‘All My Friends’ by LCD Soundsystem” // a “bleary and euphoric power-pop banger” from Webbed Wing // the ragged retro energy of Columbus trio Golomb // the glitchy emo-pop of quickly, quickly

Pitchfork’s 30 Best Rock Albums of 2025: A nice survey of today’s “indie rock” landscape that surfaces a few familiar favorites alongside some welcome curveballs.

• A few artists I’ve featured: Wet Leg, proving they’re more than just a two-hit wonder with great tunes like “mangetout” and “davina mccall” // strong records from Alex G & Panda Bear // prodigal 21-year-old artist Kai Slater aka Sharp Pins, who released not one but two albums of delightful retro power-pop

• A few I haven’t covered yet: Neko Case’s first solo album in seven years // London band caroline’s “sprawling, cinematic blend of post-rock and avant-folk” // First Day Back “bringing Midwest emo into the modern day”

• A few notable overlaps with this personal year-end list from Ratboys lead singer Julia Steiner, who has unsurprisingly great taste: hooky emo revival from Algernon Cadwallader // New Zealand power-pop experts The Beths // New York-via-Chicago indie rockers Horsegirl [I also appreciated Steiner’s inclusion of Beach Bunny, who continue their streak of polished indie pop]

Some personal picks from me…

There are a few faves of mine that I didn’t catch on any prominent year-end lists, so while you’ve heard me shout about them a bunch I want to give another boost to…

• Born Ruffians’ ninth studio album of addicting rock-and-roll // Dominic Fike’s collage of alt-pop earworms // The Walkmen’s frontman-gone-solo Hamilton Leithauser

• Cult leaders in the pop-punk scene Walter Mitty and His Makeshift Orchestra // king of the short song Tony Molina // songwriter extraordinaire Laura Stevenson // plus reliable pop-rock from Del Water Gap & Runnner

• And while these two MSG-headlining artists don’t really need a spotlight at this point, I loved spinning albums from Tyler, The Creator & HAIM all year long

Finally, the real critical consensus

Rob Mitchum’s public-service spreadsheet aggregates nearly every year-end list out there, distilling the critical consensus into one definitive ranking. Unsurprisingly, Geese takes the top spot, with ROSALÍA and Wednesday close behind.

Rounding out the top 10…

• FKA Twigs, who has never fully clicked for me [although I do like “Striptease”]

• Clipse’s first album in sixteen years — aka the duo of Pusha T and Malice, buoyed by stellar collaborations, from the John Legend-fueled opening track to a sharp Kendrick Lamar feature.

• Turnstile, purveyors of accessible hardcore rock

• and, fittingly: Hayley Williams, Oklou, Bad Bunny, and Dijon [who just played SNL!]

Rosalía’s LUX “shatters all expectations”

As a casual fan of Rosalía’s previous pop offerings, I wasn’t prepared for LUX — “a very loud left turn,” as Craig Jenkins put it for Vulture. For the uninitiated, a quick primer:

• “Her first two records, Los Ángeles and El Mal Querer, brought flamenco into the mainstream,” writes Pitchfork’s Gio Santiago.

• “Her third album, 2022’s MOTOMAMI, is LUX’s tonal inverse,” writes Jenkins. Its “graffiti-splashed, near-nude, biker-babe pinup artwork broadcasted an affinity for the culture of Caribbean and coastal American inner cities.”

LUX’s artwork, by contrast, “depicts the 33-year-old singer in a white nun’s habit and a straitjacket-ish top.” It’s a fitting match for the musical pivot: a shape-shifting, symphonic journey through 13 languages, classical “movements,” and the maximalist sensibilities of Lemonade and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. (Unsurprisingly, the album features MBDTF co-producer Noah Goldstein and former Ye collaborator Caroline Shaw.)

But “for all its scholarship and borderless histories,” writes Santiago, “LUX isn’t a massive homework assignment; it’s an operatic lament for a new generation. Yes, the credits read like a conservatory (the London Symphony Orchestra; Catalan choirs; MOTOMAMI collaborators Goldstein and Dylan Wiggins; Pharrell; and arrangements from Shaw and Angélica Negrón, to name a few), but Rosalía’s voice remains at its center.”

She’s been taking that voice on a well-deserved victory-lap podcast tour, joining NPR’s Alt.Latino and the NYT’s Popcast to dive into the album’s creation. (I also enjoyed the analysis from Switched on Pop.) But before you get too deep, I recommend just hitting play and letting LUX wash over you. And when you’re done, be sure to watch the “Berghain” video, which literalizes the album’s concept with a stalking string section and choir.

Snocaps: The Crutchfield twins’ “triumphant twang” team-up

Over in the indie rock world, we got an out-of-nowhere jangle-pop stunner from a new supergroup. After years of working on their own bands, the Crutchfield sisters — Katie (Waxahatchee) and Allison (Swearin’) — have partnered with their buds MJ Lenderman + Brad Cook to form Snocaps, and the resulting self-titled LP is naturally glorious.

As Marissa Lorusso writes for Pitchfork: “The record is split equally between the two sisters, with each writing and taking lead vocals for half the songs. They frequently sing in harmony, their voices blending to produce a kind of magic that seems unique to sibling pairs.”

I keep spinning the record in full, but a few initial highlights are the opening one-two punch of “Coast” and “Heathcliff,” along with the sugar-sweet bounce of “Cherry Hard Candy.”

Both album-of-the-year contenders got a showcase on The Tonight Show this week: Snocaps rocked “Coast” with Lenderman on the drums, and Rosalía crooned “La Perla” with a makeshift orchestra, of course.

Highlights from Stereogum’s 40 Best New Artists

My most-anticipated annual list, Stereogum’s “Best New Artists,” arrived late this year due to the site’s relaunch and improved paid experience. (A nice way to support them!) So as usual, here’s my annual tour through a few of their picks, citing blurbs from Margaret Farrell and Chris DeVille…

• Brògeal: Scottish band “filtering pub singalongs and traditional Celtic music into their rousing rock music, like a new-generational Pogues from one island over.” [Standout track: “Friday On My Mind”]

• Prewn: “Enigmatic glitched-out folk-rock” from 28-year-old Izzy Hagerup. [Standout tracks: “System” & “It’s Only You”]

• Ribbon Skirt: Montreal indie band “led by Tashiina Buswa, an Anishinaabe singer-songwriter intent on illuminating her indigenous experience.” [Standout track: “Wrong Planet”]

• Westside Cowboy: Manchester quartet ranging “from uptempo indie rock to somber folk, from trembling confessionals to blaring sing-alongs.” [Standout track: “Don’t Throw Rocks”]

• Asher White: “Has a gift for indelible indie pop but delights in taking unexpected turns — veering fluidly from chamber pop to grunge, from hardcore to techno glitch freakouts.” [Standout track: “Why I Bought the House”]

• Dove Ellis: “It takes chutzpah to go out on stage sounding like Geese while opening for Geese, and Dove Ellis has it. But…I’d just as readily compare him to Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, Thom Yorke, or any number of swooning powerhouse vocalists.” [Standout track: “Pale Song”]

• Plus, you’ll spot three bands we’ve featured in Hear Hear: The “chamber-folk-rock” of Racing Mount Pleasant, “party-ready bloghouse” of Junior Varsity, and Cork-based rock quintet Cardinals.

More new songs + albums to note…

• From heavy hitters: The NYT has a recent slate of features on new records from Lily Allen, Brandi Carlile, and Laufey. Meanwhile, Robyn has returned with her first single since 2018’s “Honey.”

• From Hear Hear favorites: I’ve been enjoying new albums from two Canadian artists — Katie McBride (icy-but-warm electro-pop) and Julianna Riolino (ambitious country rock) — plus the earnest indie folk of Ivy Boy and the smooth R&B of Amber Mark. And I’m delighted to report that the second single from The Format’s comeback album is another earworm!

• From a few more rising artists to know: I’m convinced the “earnest and charming” power-pop of Melbourne’s Belair Lip Bombs is going to blow up. // All year long I’ve been returning to the ethereal dream-pop of Sea Lemon. // Finally, thanks to Late Night with Seth Meyers writer Mike Scollins’ Instagram stories, I discovered the hooky, bedroom indie-pop gems of Maura Weaver!

Instrumental sounds for your flow state

Flow State

Flow State Ep. 300: Community Edition

Today’s mix is entirely sourced from friends of Flow State: musicians, curators, label heads, music fans. The 37 tracks that were contributed are quite varied: obscure favorites, recent loves, artist…

Listen now

10 months ago · 53 likes · 18 comments · Flow State

Flow State remains one of the essential music newsletters, with daily digests of ambient sounds that double as a crash course in the past, present, and future of instrumental music. (I’ve been particularly thankful for their introduction to the “ambient country” landscape of SUSS and their contemporaries.)

I was honored to contribute a selection for their 300th mix — and still deciding whether to be proud or ashamed that, out of 37 entrants, I managed to submit “the only artist picked twice,” with a pet-favorite track from Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross.

While we’re on the subject, shouting out two more instrumental artists I’ve been into: Pacific Northwest composer Ann Annie (discovered from Maggie Rogers’ recently updated “Study Tunes” playlist) and Pitchfork-approved Texas guitarist Hayden Pedigo.

High praise for LUX from Andrew Lloyd Webber

For a full-circle ending, here’s a charming video of Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber gushing about LUX — a fitting champion of the album’s theatrical flair.

(And true to Hear Hear’s genre-agnostic spirit — plus my own love for musicals — here’s a bonus track from the Lloyd Webber universe: the newly released cast recording of the Rachel Zegler–led Evita is a total treat, a fresh spin on one of his classic scores.)

My first real concert was in 2007, as a big-eared 15-year-old chaperoned by my dad. We drove to an 800-capacity warehouse venue in South Hackensack, NJ called School of Rock to see The Format — a band that had captured my heart (and my iPod) with their inventive, ambitious power-pop and dynamic frontman Nate Ruess.

In the 18 years since, Ruess’ career has taken some turns. He was briefly one of the world’s biggest pop stars in a band called “fun.” — alongside a boyish guitarist named Jack Antonoff — and even had a chart-topping duet with P!nk that’s still stuck in my head. Then fun. disappeared, Jack Antonoff became Jack Antonoff, and Ruess released a mixed-bag 2015 solo LP before hibernating. In 2020, he announced a run of Format reunion shows that sold out instantly — only to be rescheduled when the pandemic began, then postponed again as it lingered.

But finally, The Format is back. Last month, they played a rip-roaring show at the Beacon Theatre, with a pent-up crowd singing every word and Ruess’ singular voice soaring above it all. (We also got a nostalgic opening set from Ben Kweller — with McLovin’ on bass!) The old songs sounded transcendent, the new single (also performed on The Tonight Show to tease a 2026 album + tour) was a treat, and for a moment I was 15 again, swept up in the thrill of live music and mercifully not swiping through the day’s headlines.

If anyone understands the power of live music, it’s 73-year-old David Byrne. His new tour builds on his brilliant American Utopia tour-turned-Broadway show from 2019, once again featuring a wireless band of musicians who float around the stage, dancing in sync as a fully choreographed unit. The setlist is a masterclass — tearing through Talking Heads classics, Byrne solo gems, and even a cover of Paramore’s “Hard Times,” which featured a cameo from Hayley Williams herself at our show. Naturally, Byrne popped up at Philly’s No Kings rally the following weekend on his trusty bike, carrying the spirit of his show into the streets.

🎶 New music from 6 Hear Hear favorites

As always, follow the Hear Hear playlist to stream standout tracks.

Jay Som remains “indie’s secret weapon.” As Rolling Stone explains: “Melina Duterte [aka Jay Som] has become one of indie rock’s foremost behind-the-scenes record-makers…involved in producing, engineering, mixing or simply playing on records by Lucy Dacus, Illuminati Hotties, Vagabon, and Chastity Belt. She spent much of 2023 as the touring bassist for boygenius.” New album Belong is “a thrilling survey course of her influences, from crunch-guitar emo to delicate folk music.”

Whitney goes back to their warm, inviting roots. After a sonic detour with 2022’s strange but captivating Spark, the band has returned to the tender, twangy, string-laden sound that defined their earlier work. Four lovely songs are out ahead of their upcoming album — “Back to the Wind” is a standout.

Jukebox The Ghost keeps piano-power-pop alive. They’re not for everyone, but if you ever had a Ben Folds phase, you’ll recognize the charm of this quirky trio that’s been perfecting their brand of theatrical, piano-driven rock since 2008’s Let Live & Let Ghosts. New album Phantasmagorical is full of stunners, with the Billy Joel–indebted “Sea Change” shining brightest.

Hatchie goes “full ‘90s dream pop.” “Do you like Cocteau Twins? Do you like The Sundays? Do you like Lush? If so, you’ll like this.” So writes Stereogum’s Danielle Chelosky about this Australian artist continuing her streak of catchy, shimmering synth-pop. I’m into both singles from her upcoming album Liquorice.

Del Water Gap ascends with widescreen, open-hearted indie rock. Friend of the newsletter DWG has been a fave ever since popping up on my brother’s Discover Weekly in 2014 with this magical, wistful slice of folk-rock. His sound has evolved to fill arenas with bigger synths and beats — still anchored by memorable melodies and honest lyrics. “How To Live” and “Marigolds” are early standouts from his upcoming album, out 11/7. (Catch the world tour in 2026!)

Hannah Jadagu expands her sound with an introspective, genre-blending album. Jadagu is joining that DWG tour, and her new LP radiates what Stereogum’s Chris DeVille calls “blurry melancholia filtered into crisp, effervescent pop,” likening it to the sounds of both Frank Ocean and Haim.

💔 Farewell, MICHELLE // Hello, new projects

Since 2018, I’ve been tracking the rise of MICHELLE — the six-piece collective of young NYC artists who made endlessly catchy, soulful pop across three irresistible albums. Sadly, the group announced they’re taking an indefinite break and played a bittersweet farewell show at Webster Hall.

Their final release, Kiss/Kill, is another reminder of their effortless charm and chemistry. And now the band’s members are onto new projects, already releasing two of my favorite songs of the year…

• “The Fall” by Sofia D’Angelo feels like sunlight through a café window — acoustic guitar-driven and gently delivered, channeling the breezy warmth of ’00s pop à la Michelle Branch and Corinne Bailey Rae with a modern twist.

• “overoverrated” by the booyah! kids — a trio including MICHELLE’s Emma Lee and Julian Kaufman — feels like a natural evolution of the band’s bedroom pop, complete with a smile-inducing hook.

🪿 Goose & Geese, explained

The NYT’s Stephen Kurutz did some public service journalism. [Gift link.]

Quick summaries and personal takes on these two bands…

• “Think of Goose, who have drawn countless comparisons to Phish, as a jam band with indie-rock undertones.” Chain Yer Dragon is their most accessible album yet, fitting into the corny-but-lovable scene of bands like Vulfpeck, Lawrence, and Ripe. I love the tunes most driven by their lead singer’s smooth voice: “Hot Love & The Lazy Poet,” “Madalena,” and “Everything Must Go.”

• “Think of Geese as an indie-rock band with jammy elements. Their new album ‘rips open the carcasses of Radiohead, Pavement, and Swans and feasts there,’ as per GQ.” This band is having A Moment — Pitchfork stamped Getting Killed as Best New Music, and they celebrated with a free show in Brooklyn packed with head-bopping youths. They opened for Vampire Weekend when I caught them in Philly, and 24-year-old frontman Cameron Winter’s talent was undeniable. Still, you know I love classic choruses — and that’s not really their thing. My favorite tracks are the more accessible ones, when they lean into their Strokes-ier side: “Taxes” and “Cobra.”

🎥 Live moments worth watching

Since this issue started with the power of live music, here are a few videos worth queuing up:

• Rolling Stone’s David Browne asks, “Can Olivia Rodrigo save the live album?” ahead of her Live at Glastonbury release, teased with excellent high-res recordings of her duets with The Cure’s Robert Smith.

• NPR Tiny Desks to catch from Nigerian artist Asake, Australian quintet Parcels, and British band Kokoroko. [Note: At all of those YouTube links, you can click “Donate” to support Tiny Desk and NPR and “keep the music playing!”]

🎸 Prepare for Q4 Beatles & Bruce content

Listen, I don’t make the rules. It’s Beatles season, again. I know what you’re thinking — do we really need more documentaries about these four lads? For Beatles obsessives like me…yes, we do. Their classic Anthology documentary is getting restored as a nine-part Disney+ release 11/26, paired with an expanded Anthology 4 album. (A previously unreleased version of “I’ve Just Seen A Face” is out now.)

On cue, Fluxblog has a fantastic playlist called JAZZ BEATLES 1965-1971, “a selection of jazz renditions of Fab Four classics recorded by the band’s contemporaries.”

And yes, Jeremy Allen White is playing Bruce Springsteen on screen in a new movie that unfortunately doesn’t look as good as last year’s Bob Dylan biopic. Still, it’s a good excuse to dive deeper into The Boss’ catalog. As Jon Pareles writes for the NYT, the film coincides with a new 37-track edition of 1982’s Nebraska, “the latest deep dive into Springsteen’s seemingly inexhaustible vault of unreleased recordings.”

WXPN’s Bruce Warren also put together a “Covers of The Boss” playlist that reminded me of great renditions from Lucy Dacus, Glen Hansard, and Vampire Weekend.

🎧 Bonus tracks: More playlists

• Halloween Carols from culture writer Sean T. Collins. A spooky soundtrack for your ‘ween weekend with on-theme tracks from Rob Zombie, Warren Zevon, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga, and more.

• D’Angelo: 14 Essential Songs from the NYT’s Jon Pareles. D’Angelo, who died at 51 earlier this month, “crooned with Olympian ease over unhurried grooves that were full of musicianly details: thick chords, cagey syncopations, call-and-response vocal harmonies.”

• the olivia dean universe from Kasey Gelsomino. Last issue, I mentioned Dean’s charm offensive behind her new album, with covers of instant classics from peers: Dijon’s “The Dress” and Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not.” Gelsomino’s playlist builds on that world, spotlighting kindred artists like Clairo, Kate Bollinger, Amber Mark, and Saya Grey. (I’ve also fallen for more of Dean’s own songs — “Nice To Each Other,” “Baby Steps,” and the Beatles-y “I’ve Seen It.”)

• sweet things & look to the rainbow from Olivia Dean. Of course, Dean is a great playlister herself — the former gathers “really nice songs” (from artists like George Harrison, Nick Hakim, Diana Ross, and Joni Mitchell), while the latter was a pandemic-prompted mix from 2020 “to bring you calm” that’s remained one of my go-tos.

• peak foliage ‘25 from Marissa Lorusso, formerly of NPR Music // ft. Hand Habits, Allegra Krieger, Big Thief, Alex G, Wednesday, Cusp (whose new album I’ve been really enjoying!)

Finally, I made a cozy, sequenced Autumn ‘25 playlist for you. Enjoy!

• fall 2025 🍂 from artist manager + music supervisor Jules Zucker, who continues her run of stellar seasonal curation // ft. an excellent batch of up-and-coming artists like Small Forward, runnner, bby, Daffo, Madeline Kenney, Ally Evenson, Why Bonnie, camille blackman, and Olivia Dean (who has used her album rollout to play some lovely covers of tunes from Dijon + Ravyn Lenae)

• a brooklyn fall from Mia Riggins, the music supervisor behind projects like Ramy, Gossip Girl, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and Friendship // a “catch-all” playlist of 400+ songs for the season ft. Lianne La Havas, mehro, Flyte, Horsegirl, Julia Jacklin, and Racing Mount Pleasant

• Patio Grooves 🍂 Fall 2025 from The Wax Museum newsletter // ft. “2.5 hours of classics and future classics” from Vampire Weekend, Wednesday, The Jayhawks, Middle Kids, Hippo Campus, Bonny Doon, and Rostam

• Almost Six Hour Long Summer Playlist! Vol. 6 from graphic designer Laura Filas, whose belated mix for “this last hurrah of summer” contains “5 hours and 59 minutes worth of sounds inspired by what the world feels like after the summer heat is cut through by a sudden downpour.” // ft. folky tunes from Hannah Cohen, Sam Blasucci, BRONCHO, Cut Worms, and Rubber Band Gun

• manifesting fall, vol. 4 from the Made You A Mix newsletter // a wistful mix including Guster, Faith Hill, Bon Iver, Spoon, Maggie Rogers, The Beths and a delightful Noah And The Whale track that unexpectedly re-emerged in 2025 for a fight scene in James Gunn’s Superman reboot

• 7 Autumnal Playlists from curation expert Matt Perpetua of Fluxblog, with wide-ranging mixes for the season including “Romantic Mid-Century Jazz Selections,” “Goth Ice Cream,” and hyper-specific time capsules from 1991 and 1998

Chris DeVille picks 20 “Great 2020s Songs By 2000s Indie Stars”

One of my favorite music writers — and Stereogum’s managing editor — just published his book Such Great Heights, which dives deep into a formative era of indie rock. For a clever companion newsletter, he’s been curating playlists to soundtrack each chapter.

To celebrate the book’s release, I asked Chris to pair Hear Hear’s theme of new music discovery with the book’s nostalgia — through a mix of more recent standouts from indie’s old guard. Naturally, Chris delivered an excellent playlist, adding this context…

“My book is about how indie rock changed the mainstream and the mainstream changed indie rock in the 21st century — or, put more simply, how indie rock went pop. The last few chapters focus on the 2010s, but a big chunk of it takes place in the 2000s. Many of the defining artists of that era in indie — the peak Pitchfork era, more or less — aren’t in their prime anymore. But as someone who became a lifetime fan of many of them, who closely tracks their output through my work at Stereogum, I am always looking out for late-career highlights from this cohort.

This playlist is proof that my favorite bands from 15-20 years ago are not all the way washed. Some of the artists are working under different names, like Wrens mastermind Charles Bissell, who is theoretically ramping up to his debut album under the name Car Colors, or Caroline Polachek, who has found far wider fame as a solo artist than as a member of Chairlift. Some have evolved their style quite a bit, like Bon Iver and MGMT. Some sound exactly the same as they always have. But they’re all still capable of vibrant new music, as these 20 tracks attest.”

One Battle After Another enters the film score canon

Over the last fifteen years, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood has found a remarkable second calling as a film composer. Much like John Williams has been for Steven Spielberg, he’s become Paul Thomas Anderson’s go-to musical voice — crafting brilliant scores for There Will Be Blood, The Master, Phantom Thread, and now a frenetic free-jazz masterpiece for One Battle After Another.

To honor his work, the wonderful curator put together her 10 favorite film scores with fun blurbs and sonic highlights to honor modern classics from Hans Zimmer, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, and Michael Giacchino, among others.

Grace Spelman Music Project

Yes, I Cried Putting Together The 10 Greatest Film Scores Of All Time

Tomorrow, I’m heading to my local AMC to see Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. PTA and Jonny Greenwood have given us two of the most iconic scores of the 2000s: There Will Be Blood and…

Read more

a year ago · 26 likes · 5 comments · Grace Spelman

Rex Orange County’s playlist for taking a drive

Rex Orange County returns with his trademark whimsical, earnest pop sound on “Take A Drive” — a breezy cut polished by Pharrell’s signature sleek production.

To mark the release, Rex shared a road-ready playlist built for anyone in transit — packed with many of his favorite Pharrell-produced gems from over the years.

The NYT picks 8 songs to catch you up on 2025 music

NYT critic Lindsay Zoladz uses her role to generously guide readers across all genres for a kaleidoscopic view of artists to know. Her latest Amplifier newsletter (gift link) featured “8 songs that will catch you up on this year’s music” and I figured it’s worth taking stock of what I’ve missed!

• From her list, we’ve already covered must-hear albums from Bon Iver, Dijon, and Sharp Pins throughout the year.

That leaves five artists I haven’t showcased yet, so here’s a quick taste to cover some of my blind spots…

• Water From Your Eyes: “Rachel Brown and Nate Amos enliven seemingly stale alternative-rock tropes with an irreverent sensibility and serious chops.” [The album isn’t always super accessible, but I’ve gotten into the hypnotic electro-pop of “Playing Classics.” You might recognize both artists’ vocals from Amos’ side-project This Is Lorelei, which has really grown on me.]

• KAROL G: The fast-rising Colombian musician has a “playful and eclectic new album.” [Another Pharrell team-up — KAROL G worked with the legend to write and produce what she calls the album’s “most important” song, “Ivonny Bonita.”]

• Greg Freeman: “Like MJ Lenderman, the 27-year-old Freeman sounds uncannily like a slacker-poet who has time-traveled here from the early ’90s and remains befuddled about how that happened.” [While I’m usually a sucker for this twang-rock sound, Freeman’s album Burnover hasn’t fully clicked for me yet — but Josh Terry wrote a great blurb about why it’s one of his favorite albums of the year!]

• Kathleen Edwards: Edwards is new to me, but Zoladz writes that “over the past two decades” this Canadian singer-songwriter “has put together a formidable catalog that pairs her wool-warm voice with biting lyricism.” [Her album Billionaire kicks off with the lovely roots-rock tune “Save Your Soul.”]

• Earl Sweatshirt: Last month, Pitchfork bestowed Earl’s new album Live Laugh Love with its Best New Music honor, writing: “the way he deploys his skill, humor, and encyclopedic knowledge of hip-hop has made him one of the most effortlessly deep and cool rappers alive.” [Earl’s sound isn’t really my style, but I appreciate the romantic and woozy beat of “Tourmaline”]

Finally, a reminder: “don’t let the bastards get you down.” In an eerily timely performance, country-rocker Margo Price played a rollicking rendition of her new single on Kimmel the night before his suspension. As Marissa Moss wrote for Don’t Rock The Inbox, Price’s song serves as a fitting anthem and rallying cry to keep going, even when the going gets tough.

“My sense is that words & lyrics can be distracting,” Byrne writes. “The ear goes to them, especially if it’s a song one knows. So, I opted for buoyant instrumentals that will create a hopeful and joyous atmosphere…and that folks can also ignore at the same time.”

Byrne doesn’t share my exact wedding date — that honor goes to Lil Dicky, who had some VIP guests — but I’m still riding the high of my nuptials a few weeks ago. Naturally, I made some playlists too, and I figured it’s only right to share them with my extended newsletter family.

One served as an earnest soundtrack of sorts for the weekend, but the mixes with more tactical purposes were crafted for a poolside lunch and an afterparty dance session. You have my blessing to use these at any events where they might come in handy.

Semi-secret playlists, exposed

Just a couple months after I tried to coin the concept of “semi-secret playlists,” they hit a new level of notoriety last week. The “Panama Playlists,” as covered by the NYT here, revealed the “Spotify listening habits of about 50 people, including politicians, tech executives and journalists.”

While the story indeed highlights an interesting loophole in the digital privacy of our public figures, the actual playlists uncovered highlight a bunch of folks with unsurprisingly shitty taste. That is, a slew of villains — Mike Johnson, JD Vance, Karoline Leavitt — and other enablers of our dystopian reality. (There are certainly a few good people listed, too. Seth Meyers, you and your Porch Jams playlist are innocent!)

Fortunately, if you’re reading Hear Hear, you know where to find good playlists from cool people with distinct taste. Scroll down to find a few from Ayo Edebiri that still somehow have less than 1K followers. 👀

Then keep scrolling for 4 artists to know right now, plus an essential end-of-summer playlist as we head towards my other favorite season.

Ayo Edebiri’s hyper-specific mixes

The delightful and ever-rising superstar Ayo Edebiri — from The Bear, Bottoms, and soon Broadway-bound — recently showcased her summer jams with a radio hour on NTS full of vibrant, unique song picks.

(By the way, NTS is an eclectic, global online radio station — here’s a NYT piece covering it.)

Edebiri has also crafted a few of my favorite hyper-specific playlists over the years. While I don’t usually pull these up to stream, I have often scrolled through to smile and admire their specificity: Songs for Dentists or Those in Their Chairs and having a mental breakdown but i’m like 11.

4 bands to know right now, via The New Yorker

Keeping up with the barrage of new music released — ostensibly the goal of this newsletter — continues to be tougher than ever. So as always, I’ve looked to my favorite critics for guidance on what to hear next. Naturally, the stellar team at The New Yorker has done a fantastic job of spotlighting and profiling some of the artists behind the year’s most exciting sounds…

• Dijon’s early singles from 2017 “knit Frank Ocean-inspired R&B into Americana and folk, his singing raw and dreamy, his compositions mostly limited to guitar and gentle percussion,” writes Brady Brickner-Wood. In recent years, he’s worked with Mk.gee to evolve his sound with a “loose, freeform” approach across two albums — 2021’s Absolutely and this year’s Baby. “Distorted drum samples smash against twinkling synth keys; piano is re-amped and fried into fragments; warm electric-guitar licks dissolve into noisy FX, FM-radio rips, and the odd Wu-Tang Clan sample.” [Album highlights: “Yamaha” & “Another Baby!”]

• Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band make “discursive, country-tinged rock and roll, in which a lovely pedal-steel riff might be punctuated by a squall of synthesizer or a frantic breakbeat,” writes Amanda Petrusich. Their album New Threats From The Soul is a “beautiful and wildly smart record about making do in an upside-down world.” [Album highlights: “New Threats From The Soul” & “Monte Carlo / No Limits”]

• Nourished By Time (stage name of Baltimore native Marcus Brown) “makes lush pain music,” writes Doreen St. Félix. “Pop is no pejorative to Brown, or to the listeners who love how he puts synth pop in dialogue with rock music and R&B. I’m not the first to note that he can seem like an emissary from the early nineties, a pupil of DeVanté Swing, bringing the ghost of that R&B subgenre to a breathier, freakier fresh register.” [Album highlights: “9 2 5” & “Max Potential”]

• Racing Mount Pleasant “makes quiet emotions sound grand,” writes Hanif Abdurraqib. The collective was formed at the University of Michigan, tying “their ambitions to what seems like Arcade Fire or Explosions in the Sky levels of cacophony, complete with horns, large instrumental swells, and other musical gestures that take advantage of the large number of people onstage.” [Album highlights: “Your New Place” & “Racing Mount Pleasant”]

Plus, I enjoyed these two deep dives on familiar names returning with new albums at interesting moments…

• Haim Sets Off On A Rampage, Amanda Petrusich: “The band members discuss when to leave a relationship, hoping people slide into their DMs, and their new album, I Quit.”

• The Redemption of Chance The Rapper, Brady Brickner-Wood: “His new album, Star Line, has the difficult task of reacquainting the world with the artist after several tumultuous years.”

  ---

Songs for going over a bridge at night

One more New Yorker shoutout — writer Rachel Syme put together a lovely 17-track playlist of songs that remind her of NYC at night. As we’ve experienced a perfect week of weather here, I’ve been enjoying it as these late summer evenings set in.

Syme writes: “When I do splurge for a ride home, I tend to crave a particular kind of song in my headphones as the car zooms over the East River. Something cinematic, nostalgic, and (admittedly) sentimental, something that seems to match the lights twinkling on the water, the skyline disappearing in the rearview.”

A playlist for fading summer

From playlister extraordinaire Adam Sharp, a wonderful mix “for a season slowly moving out of reach.”

Bonus tracks!

Finally, here are a few albums I don’t have time to go long on, but still want to shout out — all with highlights added to the Hear Hear playlist…

• Rocket, Dominic Fike: Another deft, short-and-sweet EP from one of my favorite modern artists, who keeps crafting a distinct sonic smoothie that blends inspiration from Frank Ocean, Paul McCartney, and Weezer.

• DON’T TAP THE GLASS, Tyler the Creator: A front-to-back experience, complete with a rulebook demanding “body movement” throughout — it’s impossible not to obey. I was lucky enough to catch Tyler at Barclays Center last month, with a setlist powering through 2024’s excellent CHROMAKOPIA and a career-spanning slate of greatest hits — it was one of the more impressive arena shows I’ve seen.

• A Welcome Kind Of Weakness, Runnner: If you ever got into Pinegrove and miss their sound, Runnner scratches that itch — mixing a twangy-emo-rock style with the open-air, windows-down vibe of Wild Pink.

• Essex Honey, Blood Orange // Headlights, Alex G: Two strong releases from two indie icons. I still need to sit with both, but early listens have been rewarding.

Here at Hear Hear, we’re all about curating the curators — so this playlist from critic Shaad D’Souza was an absolute must-share. D’Souza polled 104 friends to source their summer anthems of 2025, prompting personal picks from artists like Jake (MJ) Lenderman, Courtney Barnett, Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee), Mike Hadreas (Perfume Genius), and Eric Slick (of Dr. Dog) — alongside tastemakers like Cat Zhang, Chris Black, Amanda Petrusich, and Puja Patel.

It’s fun to see all of the idiosyncratic choices, but for casual music fans just trying to keep up with the times, I figured I’d spotlight some consensus picks — basically, artists with multiple mentions!

• Pop stars of the moment: Lorde’s new album had 3 separate songs make the cut, alongside tracks from PinkPantheress, HAIM, Addison Rae, Bad Bunny, and Justin Bieber

• Indie faves: There’s a reason we’ve featured the increasingly accessible hardcore rock of Turnstile and the vibey sounds of Smerz and Oklou

• Dancefloor beats: This list served as my introduction to Nick León’s “dystopian club music” and Baxter Dury’s British electro bangers

• Retro sounds: Two respondents picked an excellent slice of revivalist pop from Way Dynamic, while two others honored the eternal summer sound of The Beach Boys

This newsletter is built to help you sort through the never-ending barrage of new music, so I’ve got a few more top-tier playlists rounding up the year’s best so far. But after you catch up on what’s hip, keep scrolling for something a bit more personal…

“Songs for the Heat of Peak Summer” from the NYT’s Reggie Ugwu // A playlist for embracing “Lizard Season” — defined as “that stretch of mid-July and August when summer is at full force” — introduced me to great songs from buzzy artists like Fade Evare, Momma, Wishy, DERBY, Four Tet, yeule, Bakar, Georgie & Joe, Deki Alem, and a raunchy one from deBasement. [If you’re into all 10 tracks and want to explore Reggie’s taste further, he shared a longer summer mix on his personal Spotify.]

“summer 2025” from music supervisor + artist manager Jules Zucker // Always a reliable source of new discoveries, with a stellar summer jam from Monster Rally & TOLEDO and more gems from Runnner, Darryl Rahn, Hana Eid, and Horsepower — plus a nice 2017 tune I missed from Tyler Childers.

“Most Added - 2025 So Far” from Jordan Gremli // For the new site Good Call Music — from the team that built Noisey at Vice — Gremli researched and compiled the most-featured songs “out of over 11,000 tracks added to tastemaker playlists” this year.

• Six of the top ten had indeed already been added to the Hear Hear playlist (from Wet Leg, Momma, Saya Gray, HAIM, Bon Iver, and Wednesday) but there were a few we hadn’t featured yet from Alex G, Obongjayar, Mamalarky, and quickly, quickly — that’s been remedied now!

“Herb Midyear MMXXV” from Sam Valenti IV // Another survey prompting respondents to share a song that “hit them hard” in 2025, with picks from folks like Song Exploder host Hrishikesh Hirway, Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber, and Dirt Media CEO Daisy Alioto. (I was honored to be included as well!)

Under-the-radar artists to hear

Along with tracking the zeitgeist, I’m still trying to highlight personal favorites and give you recs you won’t get anywhere else. With that in mind, there’s a batch of new music out from artists I’ve been rooting for who deserve more fans. I’ve mentioned many before, but wanted to give ‘em all another spotlight. Hopefully there’s a new favorite in here for you!

Born Ruffians: “The rare veteran act that can still make you feel like you’re discovering your new favorite band.”

As a high-schooler in 2008, I was instantly captivated by “Barnacle Goose,” an explosive, call-and-response sugar rush of rickety alt-rock that sounded like nothing else I’d heard. In the 17 years since, Canadian band Born Ruffians have continued a remarkable run of addictive albums, as their label put it: “shifting from the precocious ‘n’ ferocious racket of their 2006 self-titled EP to the streamlined, studio-savvy indie-pop of 2013’s Birthmarks to the rousing E Street-inspired anthems of 2020’s JUICE.” Their new record, Beauty’s Pride, is yet another evolution of their singular sound, and I can’t wait to hear it performed at their always-ripping live show this fall.

I asked the band’s bassist Mitch DeRosier: What song from the new album would you play for someone who has never heard Born Ruffians before?

My first instinct was “Mean Time.” We put it first on the record as a statement, but one that upon reflection was more for those who have been following us for years — it’s the most ambitious Born Ruffians song from a sonic and maybe even lyrical perspective. But for those who haven’t heard us before I’d probably go with “To Be Seen,” which was put second on the record to balance out ‘Mean Time’ and bring us back to a world we’re more familiar with. It’s also a song I relate to very strongly, and feel like Luke perfectly captures the struggle of you and your inner critic, and the invisible battle that can be waged in one’s head.

Walter Mitty and His Makeshift Orchestra: The wandering king of surfy folk-rock

Dustin Hayes isn’t exactly a household name, but go to one of his shows and you’ll almost certainly find a packed room in a divey venue with superfans singing along to every word of his insanely catchy melodies — and moshing along while he plays the kazoo. This playlist provides an “entry-level class into the world of Walter Etc. and Walter Mitty and his Makeshift Orchestra,” the two projects he’s been releasing albums with since 2009. His 2017 record Gloom Cruise was expertly produced by Jeff Rosenstock, a fellow DIY legend with a devoted cult following. New album Yikes Almighty is chock-full of the well-crafted melodies and distinct “folk-punk Jack Johnson” sensibility fans have come to expect, with a tighter approach — I’m hoping to see even larger sing-alongs at his shows this year and beyond.

I asked Dustin which song he’d want new listeners to hear first:

I think I’d want them to hear “101 S.” It feels like classic Walter Mitty style and represents the entire catalog's vibe and ethos. Musically it is easygoing and melodic, with some quirks and personality, while lyrically it is raw and vulnerable, taking a scathing moral inventory of one’s self and is secretly dark. I think that combo is pretty classic Walter and if you like this song you’ll probably enjoy a lot of other Walter songs.

4 more artists to amplify

• Laura Stevenson: Another DIY legend, also part of the Jeff Rosenstock multiverse, who continues her run as one of our generation’s best and most underappreciated songwriters. Her new album Late Great is loaded with the personal lyrics and memorable melodies she always delivers.

• Ivy Boy: The frontman of Boston band Beeef goes solo with two blissful, summer-ready indie-pop songs, “Honeybee” and “New Walk.”

• Julianna Riolino: A Toronto artist who’s opened for fellow countrypeople Born Ruffians and keeps pushing her twangy, retro-pop sound into more expansive, adventurous territory. “On a Bluebird’s Wing” rips along for a brisk 2:30, while “Seed” shape-shifts from a slow-burn doo-wop to a “Jesus Of Suburbia” style catharsis!

• Razor Braids: With a new EP of stripped-back takes on songs from their stellar 2024 album Big Wave, Razor Braids re-emerge as a duo “based between Brooklyn, NY, and Knoxville, Tennessee.” Produced by Brooklyn scene mainstay Katie Von Schleicher, the EP is — in the duo’s words — “a nod to where we’ve been and a warm welcome to where we’re headed next.”

Finally, while these artists are a bit more widely known, I also wanted to shout out the strong new album from The Head And The Heart, along with great singles from Blood Orange, Whitney, Jay Som, and a new collab project from Dominic Fike & Kevin Abstract called Geezer!

So I’ll keep this one simple. Since it’s the first week of summer, and we’re (somehow) past the halfway mark of 2025, let’s breeze through a few standout playlists to get the season started. (And to stay sane in this strange & scary moment.)

Starting with…some seasonal mixes from the usual suspects, of course!

• cracking open a miller lite and sitting by the lake from hyper-specific playlist maker Kasey Gelsomino // for “daydreaming about midwestern summers” [ft. Wednesday, Ratboys, Hotline TNT, MJ Lenderman, and Peach Pit]

• summer2025 from listen all y’all // tracking all of this year’s “big dumb summer songs” [ft. JENNIE, Lorde, Chappell Roan, The Beaches, Doechii, and fun new remixes of old hits from Band Of Horses & Passion Pit]

• Summer Rotation. 🌞 from Carefully Curated // “summer songs new and old” [ft. The Beach Boys, Blood Orange, Turnstile, Japanese Breakfast]

• Patio Grooves 😎 Summer 2025 from The Wax Museum // “sunny vibes for dark times” [ft. Tennis, The Meters, Lil Yachty, Liquid Mike, Sharp Pins]

• Summer (Or What It Sounds Like) Vol. 16 from Taylor Johnston // an “annual mixtape of bright, breezy jams” [ft. Alex G, Sleigh Bells, TOPS, Wet Leg, and HAIM]

Two top-tier midyear mixes

Two of my favorite resources for music discovery — No Expectations and Stereogum — both put together wide-ranging lists of the year’s top albums so far. Here are a few notable picks, with standout songs added to the Hear Hear playlist…

• Moontype made both lists, with their unorthodox melodies and the “ethereal and pointed” voice of singer Margaret McCarthy.

• Florry, who I saw open for MJ Lenderman in the basement of an Elks Lodge fraternal order in Cambridge, MA (it was as strange as it sounds) released a record full of “rambunctious, barroom twang.”

• Alien Boy “are a reliable source of hooky, nostalgic indie rock” writes Danielle Chelosky. “Changes” is a particularly infectious tune.

• Smerz’s “slinky postmodern pop album” was also stamped with Pitchfork’s coveted “Best New Music” label.

• Foxwarren is a side-project of sorts for the distinct songwriter and vocalist Andy Shauf, who is always full of memorable, quirky melodies.

• Momma landed at #2 on Stereogum’s list; Chelosky wrote they remain “one of the catchiest groups in indie rock.”

• And in Stereogum’s #1 spot? Oklou, whose dance-pop songs have “all the melodic force and anthemic urgency of the best mainstream bangers, but now work as glinting mysteries” according to Tom Breihan.

A few more albums to note…

From both lists: Indie rock from Philly-based Friendship and NY trio Horsegirl, alt-country from Grace Rogers, and Chicago folk band Sleeper’s Bell

From No Expectations: Drive My Car composer Eiko Ishibashi // Fleet Foxes collaborator Uwade // Renny Conti // Lily Seabird // Will Stratton // plus albums I’ve shared from Saba and No ID, Tobacco City, and Silver Synthetic

From Stereogum: “experimental rock collective” caroline // “idiosyncratic German dance producer” DJ Koze // the “glitch-pop shoegaze” of yeule // Irish musician Maria Somerville // Hear Hear favorite Saya Gray

Mulaney’s mixtapes for Everybody’s Live

“As you know, Everybody’s Live is the best showcase for live music in entertainment,” John Mulaney declared weekly on his chaotic, charming Netflix show. And he had a point — while other late-night programs showcase plenty of great artists, Mulaney’s distinctive taste and creative freedom enabled him to feature unique collaborations, band reunions, rare performances, and TV debuts — from Randy Newman to Bartees Strange to Maggie Rogers & John Cale to Alanis Morissette.

So, to borrow his phrasing: As you know, Hear Hear is the best showcase for semi-secret playlists in the newsletter world! Here’s what I mean — since Spotify is focused on its own playlist ecosystem, I’ve noticed that when prominent artists and influencers share their personal playlists, people don’t always see them! So I try to surface those gems here.

Despite Mulaney’s massive fame, some of his personally curated Spotify playlists have as few as 24 saves. But you can join in! Among the mixes he’s shared: one the show used to “load in” audiences, one that played in the writers’ room, and episode-specific playlists with personal favorites from the week’s guests.

David Byrne Radio & “Everybody Laughs”

Another king of the semi-secret playlist category is David Byrne, who sends out a monthlyish mix to his email list that’s always thoughtfully curated with his specific sensibilities. Each playlist has its own theme — from orchestral jazz to South African sounds to “classic funk for summer” to his latest, “Avant Pop 2025” — a sampler of what he’s listening to right now. [Including Panda Bear, FKA Twigs, Dawn Richard, and Laura Marling]

It’s safe to assume all these swirling sounds informed Byrne’s fantastic new single, “Everybody Laughs,” which feels like an instant classic that will slot alongside his greatest hits on his upcoming tour. I can’t wait.

RIP Sly Stone & Brian Wilson

The world lost two musical icons in the same week. While I can’t do justice to their legacies, many of my favorite writers and curators tried. A few standout pieces, with gift links to everything from the NYT…

• The Times curated two excellent playlists: a 15-track “Sly Stone primer” and “Brian Wilson’s 12 essential songs” And for Stereogum, Stephen Thomas Erlewine captured 15 Wilson deep cuts beyond the greatest hits.

• Jon Pareles, Zach Schonfeld, and Craig Jenkins all wrote about losing Stone & Wilson in the same week.

• For the NYT, Wesley Morris wrote an appraisal of Stone and for Pitchfork, Sam Sodomsky reflected on “the long life and boundless imagination” of Wilson.

Finally, I wanted to share this IG message from singer-songwriter Omar Apollo about his family’s immigration journey amidst the recent wave of anti-immigrant propaganda and hate. Hope everyone is staying safe and sane out there.

A few highlights I wanted to shout out…

• Stellar headlining shows from John Fogerty (still rollin’ through a setlist of Creedence classics at age 79) and Lil Wayne & The Roots (a rapid-fire, full-band ride through Weezy’s greatest hits)

• The angelic vocals of Sarah Quintana, who caught my ear by chance as I strolled over to the Lagniappe stage, seamlessly blending jazz and cajun music with coffeeshop folk

• A magical, intimate living room show from The Deslondes, who I wrote about last year, with a sound memorably described by as “if The Beatles were born in a contemporary New Orleans garage”

• A family affair from Haim, as the sisters brought out their mom and dad — reuniting their childhood cover band, “Rockinhaim” — for a lively rendition of “Mustang Sally.”

• Spirited performances at the Gospel Tent (from Zion Harmonizers and Gospel Soul Children) and the Blues Tent (from Little Freddie King)

Speaking of the blues, it’s been a month since I caught opening night of Sinners, the latest classic from prodigal director Ryan Coogler. The trailers gave away too much but somehow still obscured the importance of music in the movie, which shouldn’t be spoiled. Once you’ve seen it, here are a few postgame resources to check out:

• A Sinners-inspired playlist from the NYT’s James Thomas, “an imagined set list for a supernatural juke joint featuring Albert King, Outkast, Cécile McLorin Salvant and more.”

• An LA Times feature on the long-running collaboration of Coogler and composer Ludwig Göransson, “two guys who bonded over a mutual love of hip-hop at a pool table in USC’s student housing.”

• The movie’s official playlist, curated by the duo, with songs that inspired the film alongside its actual soundtrack.

8 new songs to hear

• “Heartthrob,” Indigo De Souza // After delivering my favorite albums of both 2021 and 2023, I’m thrilled to report that De Souza’s new track meets the high bar she keeps setting for her unique brand of sleek, powerful indie rock. Brooklyn Vegan has the latest on her upcoming album, slated for July 25. Can’t wait.

• “catch these fists,” Wet Leg // The UK duo is back — after a 2022 debut album so buzzy they were accused of being industry plants — and it sounds like they’ll dodge the sophomore slump based on this infectious lead single.

• “NEVER ENOUGH,” Turnstile // The genre-defying band continues to evolve their hardcore-adjacent sound, blending intensity with surprising accessibility. For Pitchfork, Nina Corcoran nicely captures this balance of “blasted guitars and dreamy interludes” on the title track from their upcoming album. Coming June 6, the record will feature more collaborations with Blood Orange, who lent his signature touch to their breakout LP GLOW ON in 2021.

• “Bus To Memphis,” Busman’s Holiday // Hailing from Indiana, these literal “brothers of melodic charm and ecstatic showmanship,” Lewis and Addison Rogers, need a bigger audience. I first fell for their harmonies at a freezing cold Brooklyn Masonic Temple in 2015 when they opened for Kishi Bashi, and I’ve loved their many whimsical tunes ever since. This track is one of their best yet — if you like it, here’s a whole playlist of favorites.

• “What Was That,” Lorde // Meanwhile, Lorde probably doesn’t need a bigger audience based on the massive turnout at Washington Square Park for her pop-up single debut — but the song is so good that I still had to share. Another jam from one of our generation’s most reliable pop stars!

• “Elderberry Wine,” Wednesday // This lovely new tune “drops the shoegazey noise of previous Wednesday records,” writes Abby Jones for Stereogum, “veering more towards their countryside with a heavy dose of pedal steel and twangy vocal harmonies.”

• “Tricky Questions” & “My Love Will Bring You Home,” Allo Darlin’ // The return of this London twee indie-pop band was a surprise, as they broke up in 2016. Unsurprisingly, however, their new singles are absolutely lovely — just like their three stellar albums from the early 2010s.

3 playlists for the end of spring + early summer

Windows Half Open, An Abundance Of Light from culture critic Hanif Abdurraqib, who writes: “It is Store Brand Spring, it is Diet Summer, it is the only thing left on the shelf after what you showed up for has long disappeared, and so you delight in it. Or at least I do. Here’s a playlist that might help, or might not, but maybe it’ll make you think of a person or a moment you’ve managed to love in the seasonal in-between.”

Spring Mix No. 06 - 2025, from designer and seasonal playlist expert Laura Filas, who writes: “A new playlist to honor one of my favorite seasons. This year, we’re experiencing a true spring — one where the weather ranges from hot to cold to both to neither — presenting a perfect series of paradoxes to translate into music. Here we have a melding of ‘80s power pop stylings, ‘60s revival, disillusioned ‘70s rock, suave French pop, tropical and Brazilian notes, sunshine-y twang, and a sprinkling of distortion for good measure. Surely a recipe for something special.”

spring 2025 ☘️ from music supervisor + artist manager Jules Zucker, featuring up-and-coming artists like Horsepower, Billie Marten, Annie DiRusso, beaming, Samia, and Ally Evenson

7 albums of note

I haven’t had the chance to dive as deep into all of these as I’d like, but there were enough standout moments to earn a mention. And of course, I’ve already dropped a few early favorites into the Hear Hear playlist.

• Bloodless, Samia: “On her flinty third album, the Minneapolis singer sharpens her storytelling, lacing deceptively bright folk pop with small, evocative details” writes Eric Torres for Pitchfork. [Standouts: “Carousel” // “Spine Oil” // “North Poles” // “Bovine Excision”]

• Who Will Look After The Dogs?, PUP: A return to form for the melody-driven Toronto punk-rockers, as their 2022 album didn’t stick with me nearly as much as 2019’s instant classic Morbid Stuff. [Standouts: “Hallways” // “Needed To Hear It” // “Best Revenge”]

• The Scholars, Car Seat Headrest: An ambitious rock opera that I still need to spend a full hour and ten minutes with. [Standout: Eight-minute opening track “CCF”]

• Want, Esther Rose: Entrancing “rootsy-folky” ballads from an exciting singer-songwriter. [Standouts: “Want” // “The Clown”]

• The Crux, djo: You know Joe Keery as Stranger Things’ lovable jock Steve Harrington, but at this point you might know his musical project djo as well, since 2022’s “End of Beginning” became such a massive hit via TikTok. His new album is a sonic leap forward — whimsical indie-pop in the spirit of Sure Sure and Rex Orange County. [Standouts: “Charlie’s Garden” // “Lonesome Is A State of Mind” // “Potion”]

• From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID, Saba: “a master class in melodic rap that harnesses ’90s sampledelia, ’00s neo-soul, and the singsong lyricism of 2010s Chicago,” writes Stephen Kearse for Pitchfork. [Standouts: “Breakdown” // “Every Painting Has a Price” // “head.rap”]

• Pink Elephant, Arcade Fire: Hard to earnestly recommend because it’s easily their weakest record, and it’s been clouded by the disturbing allegations against Win Butler and strange state of the band losing some original members. Still, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit there are a couple songs that have stuck with me, showing glimpses of the band at their best — specifically the title track and “Year Of The Snake.” That said, with duds like “Circle of Trust” and “Alien Nation,” the harsh reviews from Pitchfork’s Ian Cohen and Vulture’s Craig Jenkins are tough to disagree with.

Finally, here’s a nice message from The Boss, who released a great EP of live cuts from his show in Manchester on May 14.

There’s a special kind of thrill when the perfect song arrives to mark the changing of the seasons — and this month, Haim delivered with “Relationships.” Brought to life by the sleek production of Rostam and Buddy Ross, the sisters’ new single bounces along with a vibrant energy to match the fresh springtime air. The steamy music video makes it clear that this is a sad song, but still one you can dance to — blending melancholy, merriment, and defiance to fit right in with the general ~vibe~ of 2025.

Clearly in a generous mood, one week later Danielle Haim lent her signature vocals to “If Only I Could Wait” — the latest gem from Bon Iver, who continues his streak of warm, cleansing anthems.

Paired together, the two tracks kick off a new playlist I curated to soundtrack the start of Spring 2025 — hope you enjoy! Here’s a rundown of what you’ll find within…

• Standout tunes from stellar solo albums: Last issue, I featured catchy singles from Panda Bear (of Animal Collective) and Hamilton Leithauser (of The Walkmen) — now their full albums are here, packed with more great songs.

• “The Giver,” Chappell Roan’s new country single: What a jam! (ICYMI, she debuted it on SNL back in November.)

• Breezy, twangy, and nostalgic indie rock to know: Silver Synthetic, Fust, and Tobacco City are three exciting bands crafting open-air, windows-down rock — a recent issue of No Expectations dives deep into their respective new albums. Plus, I highlighted a few more emerging artists to know playing in a similar space: friend of the newsletter deathblow, The Tubs, Cactus Lee, runnner, and Sharp Pins — whose album of “scream-a-long hooks and artful riffs” recently got stamped with Pitchfork’s coveted Best New Music label.

• Singular sounds and memorable vocalists: New tracks from Samia, Raveena, Lucy Dacus, Alex Amor, Bartees Strange, Ben Kweller ft. Waxahatchee, Beirut, Oklou ft. Bladee, and MJ Lenderman (covering This Is Lorelei)

• Two bands named for horses: Confusingly, there are two up-and-coming bands with “horse” in their name that caught my attention via two positive Pitchfork reviews. Horse Vision is a Swedish duo that Shaad D’Souza describes as “pitched somewhere between Pinegrove and Bladee…winkingly reframing contemporary indie sounds and beloved pop samples for a debut album that’s goofy yet undeniably beautiful.” Horsegirl is a New York-via-Chicago twee indie rock trio with “linguistic playfulness” and “chipper vocal melodies” according to Nina Corcoran.

• …and three bands named for other animals: Meet Frog (also Pinegrove-y), Cardinals (“a buzzy band from Cork, Ireland”), and Goose (“the jam band that might persuade you to love a jam band,” according to The Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel).

More standout spring playlists

• Spring Is Springing from the World Cafe team at WXPN in Philly // released a week before the official first day of spring, this playlist “in anticipation of those sunnier days” still plays perfectly now. [ft. Simon & Garfunkel, Sheryl Crow, Bill Withers, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Solange, Radiohead]

• spring2025 from expert playlister Adam Sharp // a playlist of new tunes fit for “lighter jackets, growing things, and open windows.” [ft. Gordi, Wishy, Petey USA, Beach Bunny, Wet]

• Spring Rotation 🌼 from Patrick Mahan of the Carefully Curated newsletter // a playlist of seasonal songs new and old [ft. djo, Tunde Adebimpe, Wild Pink, Tom Petty, Lou Reed, Tennis, Waxahatchee, Feist, Funkadelic]

• Patio Grooves 🌸 Spring 2025 from Jared Smith of the vinyl-focused Wax Museum newsletter // a 33-track mix “built for outdoor hangs, backyard lounging, or just kicking back solo dolo” [ft. Roy Ayers Ubiquity, Beach House, Sleigh Bells, Vampire Weekend, Mac DeMarco, Little Dragon]

• in bloom from tastemaker Kasey Gelsomino, aka Kasey’s Playlist on TikTok // spring indie-pop, freshly updated for 2025 [ft. The Japanese House, MICHELLE, beabadoobee, Mallrat, Olivia Dean, Del Water Gap, Hovvdy, Remi Wolf]

Curating the curators: More newsletters to know

As the media landscape continues to evolve in real-time across Substack, Bluesky, and new emerging platforms and publications, I’ve been wanting to take a moment and highlight some curators and influencers who keep me listening beyond my comfort zone…

Dinner Music: “Immaculately but not intimidatingly curated playlists and album recs, every week.”

Recently featured in Anne Helen Petersen’s Culture Study, Austin-based DJ Jacqui Devaney highlights eclectic, wide-ranging albums across eras that are specifically ideal for cooking dinner or post-work cool down.

For a taste of Devaney’s musical sensibilities, check out this mix she put together of all-time personal favorites. (“A few mainstays: Sade, Dorothy Ashby, Mina, The Radio Dept, Weyes Blood, ELO, The Doors, Townes Van Zandt, Perfume Genius, Jess Williamson, Ronald Langestraat, Patrick Cowley.”) She also has a nice mix of “soft music for mornings” that I’ve been using to ease into the day.

Such Great Heights: Indie nostalgia from Stereogum managing editor Chris DeVille

DeVille’s new book on the evolution of 21st century indie rock is out on Aug. 26. In the meantime, he’s started a newsletter with features, excerpts, and playlists building on the theme — including an ode to “When ‘Fallon’ Was Cool,” paying tribute to the musical history of the Late Night era that preceded Fallon’s less exciting Tonight Show run. He also put together a playlist accompanying chapter 1 of his book, “surveying the basics of 20th-century indie rock” to answer the question: What do we mean when we say “Indie”?

Herb Sundays: “A weekly playlist series by different curators each go-round.”

This playlist project from DJ and record label founder Sam Valenti IV is nearing its 150th mix of personal, themed picks from artists and tastemakers. A few recent standouts:

• Gary Hustwit, director of the wonderful Brian Eno documentary, curated Eno songs fit for a Sunday morning

• Emile Mosseri, composer of the music for Minari, compiled his “favorite tunes that were written for movies”

• The aforementioned Panda Bear put together “songs to start a sunday peacefully,” with tracks that “inspire a kind of cozy solitude”

Bonus playlist: Waxahatchee’s birthday party mix!

Sometimes just clicking around on Spotify leads to unexpected playlist discoveries — like this mix that twin sisters Katie Crutchfield (of Waxahatchee) and Allison Crutchfield (of Swearin’) apparently made as the house music for their recent birthday show at Largo. Unsurprisingly, excellent picks all around.

Of course, music can provide hope, joy, and community when we need it most! Call me corny (I am) but the SNL50 festivities have been a balm of distraction and light this weekend — from Robyn and David Byrne’s joint performance, to victory lap medleys for The Lonely Island (ft. Lady Gaga and Bad Bunny) and Lil’ Wayne (with The Roots), to Sir Paul McCartney still rocking at age 82.

Last week’s halftime show from Kendrick Lamar & SZA also served as a welcome diversion, albeit one “rich with subtext and loosely political,” according to Pitchfork’s Clover Hope in an insightful column. (The set inspired more great writing from The New Yorker’s Doreen St. Félix and Vulture’s Craig Jenkins.)

And while The Grammys already feel like an eternity ago, the show put a spotlight on wildfire recovery efforts in LA alongside elaborate performances. (I especially loved Chappell Roan, Doechii, and Dawes.)

In that spirit, here’s a running thread of benefit albums for LA relief from NPR Music’s Lars Gotrich. (Shared on Bluesky, a social media platform that doesn’t let Kanye post swastikas! If you’ve been looking for an easy way to try it out, I made a handy starter pack of music folks to follow.)

6 reliable artists gearing up for a big 2025

As always, follow the Hear Hear playlist to listen as you read.

Hamilton Leithauser returns with his signature howl. The Walkmen frontman-turned-singular solo artist is back with two stellar tracks: “This Side Of The Island” and “Knockin’ Heart.” The former is timely, all about “disillusionment, acceptance, and resolve” RE: the state of America. But despite that heavy theme, the song’s warm, swelling production — courtesy of Aaron Dessner and Leithauser’s wife Anna — and memorable singalong climax keep bringing me joy. The second single is a “power trio song like Nirvana” that’s been a perfect burst of energy to pair with cold morning walks in NYC.

Japanese Breakfast swoons back with the orchestral “Orlando In Love.” Four years after her breakout album Jubilee, paired with the success of her memoir Crying in H Mart, Michelle Zauner is back with this short-and-sweet track, “Orlando In Love.” (Debuted live with a fittingly symphonic Tonight Show performance.) In the opening lines, she teases a gloomier batch of songs ahead, singing the phrase that gives her new album its title: For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women).

Julien Baker + Torres team up for a country-rock stunner. “Sugar in the Tank” (which also got a Tonight Show debut) is a fantastic fusion of both artists’ strengths, pairing Torres’ punchy rock with Baker’s penchant for soaring harmonies — the kind she’s perfected with boygenius.

Lucy Dacus continues her ascent. This boygenius member is primed for a huge year as a solo artist. She’s already announced a headlining show at Radio City and yep, she played the Tonight Show too. (Nice work, Tonight Show booker!) From 2018’s Historian to 2021’s Home Video, her albums have always carried a widescreen ambition, and that clearly won’t change with Forever Is A Feeling, which already has a distinct visual aesthetic — brought to life with the lovely music video for lead single “Ankles.”

Perfume Genius turns to twang. Back in September, I caught a special Perfume Genius show at Music Hall of Williamsburg celebrating ten years of Too Bright. After tearing through the intimate 33-minute album, Mike Hadreas’ encore flexed his knack for crafting grand, crowd-pleasing jams — first with 2017’s electrifying movie-soundtrack-staple “Slip Away” then with 2020’s “On The Floor,” an oddly comforting pandemic-era anthem. Now, with the eerie, hypnotic, and ultimately cathartic “It’s a Mirror,” he’s added another gem to his catalog. Pitchfork’s Walden Green stamped it as a Best New Track, praising its “muscular and direct sound” as a decisive swing from the “diffuse ambiance” of 2022’s Ugly Season.

Bad Bunny’s “most Puerto Rican album yet.” I’ve been loving the infectious energy of Debí Tirar Más Fotos (“I Should Have Taken More Photos”) — loaded with live horns and percussion for a rich, dynamic sound in the context of today’s pop. As the NYT covers in a great feature: “The 17-track LP was recorded wholly in Puerto Rico, and features a host of young collaborators representing a range of his homeland’s styles dating back generations.” (My favorites rn are the big hits: “NUEVAyol,” “DtMF,” and “BAILE INoLVIDABLE.”)

2 emerging artists to know

• Junior Varsity channels the mid-2000s indie sound. This LA-based trio wears their influences proudly, as Stereogum’s Tess Growney writes in a Band To Watch profile: “They took notes from the xx’s use of interchanging verses and the Ting Tings’ sprightly tone... with dancey drum-synth rhythms, buzzy garage-rock guitars, and catchy chant-like melodies, reminiscent of acts like Two Door Cinema Club and the Go! Team.” Naturally, their top three songs — “Cross The Street,” “Give My Heart,” and “New York” — have all lodged their way into my head, unlocking core nostalgia for windows-down suburban drives.

• Saya Gray takes her voice in unexpected directions. Thanks to Bob Boilen’s Tiny Morning Show for introducing me to this remarkable sound, from a Toronto singer whose music is “often unpredictable,” Boilen says. “There’s crazy shifts in tone and shifts in character as she uses samples and technology to tell her stories.” “SHELL (OF A MAN)” instantly caught my ear as something special, and her newest single “LIE DOWN” followed suit, with shades of Nilüfer Yanya, Laura Marling, and Hannah Frances alike.

Playlists for Winter 2025

winter! winter! ‘25 // Music supervisor Jules Zucker continues crafting essential seasonal playlists, always featuring an exciting batch of emerging artists. (In this edition: screenager, Quiet Light, Ally Evenson, runnner, Daneshevskya, and Blondshell)

This Modern Love // In honor of Valentine’s Day, Jared Smith — curator of vinyl discovery newsletter The Wax Museum — picked his 25 favorite love songs of the 2020s. It’s a treat, featuring gems from Clairo, Alvvays, The Lemon Twigs, Local Natives, Michael Kiwanuka and more!

Playlists to keep up with the year’s best songs

I try to use this newsletter to “curate the curators,” highlighting the blogs, publications, and influencers who introduce me to new tunes. Many of them keep running playlists throughout the year to track their favorites — they’re great ones to bookmark if you’d like to follow along, too.

• Gorilla vs. Bear’s best songs of 2025 // ft. the latest single from Panda Bear, a playful, psychedelic earworm from his upcoming album

• Josh Terry’s 2025 - Favorite Tracks (So Far) // shared in his weekly No Expectations newsletter, ft. new songs from Goose & Cactus Lee

• Matt Perpetua’s FluxCaviar New Music 2025 // shared in his Fluxblog newsletter, with recent additions from Oklou, Bartees Strange, and Fernette

A few more curators compiling their favorite songs of the year: Margeaux Labat (aka @marg.mp3), music critic Maura Johnston, WXPN legend Bruce Warren, and Carefully Curated’s Patrick Mahan

I’ve got one, too — here’s where I’m tracking my fave 2025 tunes!

Bonus track: Bon Iver released a new single on Friday, with a music video directed by John Wilson, and it plays like a nice warm hug.

It’s become a Hear Hear tradition to comb through those lists and share a few standout songs & albums I missed, along with capturing the consensus and revisiting some personal faves. As always, I hope you find a new sound you love somewhere in this batch — and thanks for listening with me all year long!

Follow the Hear Hear playlist to listen as you read — I’ve added highlights from all the music referenced below.

Without further ado, here are the best of the best lists of 2024…

Hidden gems: Lists from discovery-focused blogs

Gorilla vs. Bear: Songs and Albums of 2024. Every year, I turn to GvB for genre-crossing artists, dream-pop, and fresh, eclectic sounds with just enough accessibility for me to enjoy. This year, their top 5 song picks stood out…

• “If You Hear Me Crying,” Cindy Lee. Lee’s mysterious, whimsical Diamond Jubilee was also named GvB’s favorite album and got the coveted #1 slot on Pitchfork’s best albums list. (We’ll come back to that later.)

• “Hell of a Ride,” Nourished by Time. The alias of Baltimore native Marcus Brown, Nourished by Time blends hazy synths with vibey chant-along vocals, capturing a distinctively 2024 sound. This anthem pairs nicely with “My Day Off,” Brown’s similarly addicting collaboration with Kacy Hill.

• “Blanket of my Bone,” Being Dead. “With deceptively lo-fi hooks and a playfully oblique approach, the Austin rock duo crafts songs that are goofy, serious, innocent, and knowing all at once,” writes Pitchfork’s Daniel Felsenthal on their rollicking album EELS. (Opening track “Godzilla Rises” is another standout.)

• “Alesis,” Mk.gee. (We’ll come back to Mk.gee later, too.)

• “Cry for Me,” Magdalena Bay. This Miami-based duo describes their sound as “synth pop straight from the simulation” and their album Imaginal Disk delivers on that promise.

Stereogum: Best New Artists 2024. As usual, a must-listen for those who want to hear bands, singers, producers, and rappers about to blow up. Here’s what stood out when I shuffled through, with blurbs pulled from their top-notch team of Abby Jones, Tom Breihan, Chris DeVille, and Danielle Chelosky.

• Ain’t: “London quintet Ain’t has already made a solid name for themselves as an underground live staple…with their haunting, enticing strain of indie rock.”

• Alvilda: “Alvilda’s full-length debut is a joyously playful hook-attack. Imagine the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, but with French-girl insouciance instead of Brooklyn-dude reserve.”

• Been Stellar: “NYC’s proudest transplants teamed up with Dan Carey, your favorite UK buzz band’s favorite producer, to put a dark post-punk spin on today’s ever-popular ’90s alt-rock touchstones.”

• Combat: “Channeling 2010s party-punk greats like PUP and Prince Daddy, this year Baltimore’s Combat launched forth with the unhinged and inspired Stay Golden.”

• Eliza McLamb: “Going Through It is a fitting title for a singer-songwriter’s debut album, and Eliza McLamb is truly going through it in the songs.”

• Fabiana Palladino: “Has been steadily working for many years, backing up people like Jessie Ware and SBTRKT while releasing her own music on Jai Paul’s label. On her self-titled debut, Palladino builds sparse and deliberate soul-pop universes.”

• Onsloow: “Every song on the emo- and indie pop-tinted Norwegian rockers’ debut album Full Speed Anywhere Else bursts with life and color.”

• You’ll recognize 3 artists from past issues of Hear Hear: Mk.gee, Friko, and This Is Lorelei

Consensus picks: Lists that tell the story of 2024

The New Yorker’s Amanda Petrusich captured the year in music with brilliant writing and stellar picks. Her top 10 features many of my favorites — from Vampire Weekend, Charli xcx, Billie Eilish, Beyoncé, Waxahatchee, and Bon Iver — plus one album I need to revisit (Sabrina Carpenter) and one I still need to try (Mdou Moctar). It’s topped off by two young singer-songwriter-guitarists with very different sounds but a shared prodigal energy: Mk.gee’s Two Star & The Dream Police at #2 and MJ Lenderman’s Manning Fireworks at #1.

• On Mk.gee, the alias of 28-year-old Michael Gordon: “Gordon’s music reminds me, in some vague way, of the work of Arthur Russell, Oneohtrix Point Never, Genesis, Phil Collins’s ‘In the Air Tonight,’ Bruce Hornsby, Toro y Moi, and especially Bon Iver, whose 22, A Million, from 2016, feels like the closest probable touchstone.”

• On the 25-year-old MJ: “His lyrics are smart, funny, and written with astounding precision: ‘Clarinet / Singing its lonesome duck walk,’ he sings on ‘You Don’t Know The Shape I’m In,’ a song about trying to peacefully loosen one’s grip on a broken relationship. It’s the kind of line a listener can breeze right by, until you think about it for a moment, and realize, Oh, shit, that’s exactly what a clarinet sounds like.”

The New York Times’ Best Albums and Songs of 2024. The NYT’s 3 lead critics — Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica, and Lindsay Zoladz — always do a nice job capturing where music is headed and showcasing their distinct takes. They mashed their top songs into a 103-song playlist for The Amplifier newsletter, and there’s a fun interactive feature where you can explore their lists visually.

• Their respective “best album” picks came from: Charli xcx, Mk.gee, and MJ Lenderman.

Pitchfork’s 50 Best Albums and 100 Best Songs of 2024: Always a reliable indicator of the critical consensus.

• Their #1 album: Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee. Writes Meaghan Garvey on this “32-track magnum opus” from the alter-ego of Canadian musician Patrick Flegel: “Presented as a two-hour listening gauntlet with no breaks between tracks…Diamond Jubilee seemed to float in from another place and time. You might follow its wistful melodies all the way back to the Ronettes and the Righteous Brothers, stopping along the way at Motown soul or Velvet Underground fuzz…or to the late aughts blog scene, when indie acts were distorting retro pop sounds as if the young, urban millennials had all rewatched Twin Peaks at once.”

• Their #1 song: Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Writes Paul A. Thompson: “Even before ‘Not Like Us’ would become Kendrick’s biggest crossover single (it debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and became the longest-running No. 1 in the history of Billboard’s rap chart), it spoke the language of a hit: buoyant, swaggering, epigrammatic. Mustard’s beat, complete with those chopped-up strings that sound eerily like the ones from ‘Ether,’ synthesizes a decade-plus of L.A. rap production.”

NPR’s 50 Best Albums and 124 Best Songs: These lists are a treat to dive into, especially as a guided listen from the All Songs Considered team.

• Doechii’s remarkable Tiny Desk Concert served as my introduction to her music, so it’s only fitting that she’s on both NPR lists. On that performance, Ashley Pointer writes: “Performing a medley of cuts from her Grammy-nominated mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, with an all-woman band, Doechii channels so many sounds — jazz, gospel, rock, musical theater — while maintaining a classic hip-hop throughline.”

Indie albums: Lists from trusted tastemakers

New Commute: Albums of the Year 2024 // No Expectations: The 60 Best Albums of 2024, According to Some Guy in Chicago

My discoveries often stem from these two sources: New Commute is a slightly mysterious curator of warm rock and folk; No Expectations is an essential newsletter from Chicago-based writer Josh Terry.

Let’s spotlight a few albums that made both lists, with writing pulled from Terry:

• Plunge, Sam Evian: “A great guitarist [who] barely plays a lick on his new album. Instead, he picks up the bass and enlists a cast of collaborators…gleefully paying homage to classic ‘60s and ‘70s songwriting on this LP with ebullient power-pop and Beatles-esque riffage”

• Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild, Merce Lemon: “Few records can capture the intense vulnerability of bedroom pop with forceful, country-tinged arrangements that jump from breathtakingly gorgeous to dirge-like and pummeling.”

• Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine, Allegra Krieger: “The New York songwriter can weave unlikely notes and diaristic observations into something totally hypnotic.”

• Great Doubt, Astrid Sonne: “Threads the needle between airy avant-pop and brooding, menacing electronic but it’s all bonded by the London-based composer and violist’s sturdy compositions.”

A few more albums made both lists, from: Loving, Jessica Pratt, SML, Hour, hemlock, Hataałii, and of course MJ Lenderman.

Bonus highlights from New Commute: Catchy folk from Kate Bollinger, Bloomsday, and Chris Acker // power-pop from Sharp Pins and Daryl Johns // albums from Wagging, Hovvdy, and Fust

Bonus highlights from No Expectations: The “dexterous lyricist” Smino // the “conversational lyrics” and “cloudy atmospherics” of Wild Pink // Chicago songwriter Tasha // “winsome, lo-fi songs” from Philadelphia band 22° Halo // lake j, the solo project of Cadien Lake James (from one of my favorite bands, Twin Peaks)

Personal faves: Lists from individual curators

• Bob Boilen, former host of NPR’s All Songs Considered, now shares his fave songs of the year on his Tiny Morning Show for Takoma Radio. His list has great tracks from Cassandra Jenkins, Bad Moves, Wilco, Hermanos Gutiérrez, and Dawes collaborators Winnetka Bowling League.

• Sean Michaels, founder of iconic music blog Said The Gramophone, revives the site every December for a year-end wrap-up. His playlist features plenty of Hear Hear faves — Jessica Pratt, Good Looks, and Clairo claim the top 3 spots — and introduced me to cool tracks from Amber Mark, King Hannah and Phoebe Go.

• Edgar Wright, director of Shaun of the Dead, Baby Diver, and more, always introduces me to peppy punk and nostalgia-laden rock. This year his “TOP 50 SONGS” playlist is led by Sunflower Bean, The Lemon Twigs, and Fontaines D.C. (although I’ve been more into their song “Favourite” than his pick)

• Don’t Rock The Inbox, the excellent newsletter from Natalie Weiner and Marissa Moss, listed their favorite “country and Americana-ish” songs & albums of the year. I particularly appreciated their odes to Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song” and The Deslondes’ Roll It Out.

• Finally, meticulous curator Matthew Perpetua put together his kaleidoscopic 2024 Fluxblog Survey playlist, and you won’t find a better guide to the year in music. It’s a fully sequenced mix through the first 200 songs, with an opening four-track run flowing gracefully from Kendrick to Vampire Weekend to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard to Chappell Roan. Enjoy, and happy almost new year!

To keep warm, stay sane, and make sure I get out of the house, I’ve been loading my calendar up with concerts. In the past few weeks, I’ve caught Philly power-poppers 2nd Grade at Babys All Right, berlioz’s unique blend of jazz-house at Brooklyn Paramount, a spirited double-bill from Canadian rockers Born Ruffians and Tokyo Police Club at Irving Plaza, and maybe my show of the year: Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold solo at Bowery Ballroom. The setlist was a long, thoughtful mix of FF greatest hits, deep cuts, and covers — I’ve turned it into a playlist here, featuring some lovely solo renditions that Pecknold recorded for a winter solstice show in 2021.

Hope everyone is hanging in there. In the music world, end-of-year list season is in full swing, and have no fear — I’m tracking all the essential 2024 recaps for our annual “Best ‘Best of The Year’ Lists” issue, which I’ll send sometime around the holidays.

For now, I’ll use this in-between edition to share a few albums and songs I’ve been into lately, plus a few playlists to bookmark for winter — which doesn’t technically start until December 21. Happy listening!

As always, follow the Hear Hear playlist to listen along with this issue.

3 emerging artists with new albums

• “Buoyant R&B, starry shoegaze reveries,” and more from MICHELLE. I’ve been a fan of this harmony-driven, NYC-based 6-piece since their breakout single “SUNRISE” in 2020. They’ve gone on to prove they’re no one-hit wonder, releasing gem after gem of polished, modern bedroom pop. Their new album, Songs About You Specifically, is full of vibey tunes. [Standouts: “Mentos & Coke” // “Blissing” // “Akira” // “Oontz”]

• “Bilingual emotional crybaby music” from Alisa Amador. After winning NPR’s 2022 Tiny Desk Competition with her tender yet powerful voice, Amador has released her first full-length album Multitudes — a beautiful collection of coffeeshop folk-pop songs bouncing between languages. Fans of Brandi Carlile and The Staves should enjoy this! [Standouts: “Love Hate Song” // “Quedar” // “I Need To Believe”]

• “Enchanting, angsty indie rock tinged with emo sensibility” from Queen of Jeans. This band is “more often assigned an era than a genre,” writes Stereogum’s Danielle Chelosky. “Fans and critics are always quick to point out their ’60s-flecked sound, which the band has confirmed by naming Darlene Love and Dusty Springfield as influences.” But on their vibrant new album All Again, that “old-fashioned atmosphere only comes in glimpses” as the band leans more into alt-rock. It’s a great balance. [Standouts: “Horny Hangover” // “Karaoke” // “Bitter Pill”]

3 essential new releases from reliable icons

• SABLE, Bon Iver. As the New Yorker’s Amanda Petrusich writes: “SABLE, is only a little more than twelve minutes long, but it feels revelatory, expansive, and raw. Vernon has a couple of different voices — a spectral falsetto; a deeper, throatier bellow — but it’s hard for me to think of another contemporary singer whose vocals carry quite as much pure, unmediated feeling.” I’ve been particularly addicted to “THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS” which plays like a belated, 13-years-later sequel to “Holocene.”

• CHROMAKOPIA, Tyler, The Creator. The 33-year-old hip-hop pioneer continues his run as a singular artist, committed to building a visual and sonic world around each album. I love how Vulture’s Craig Jenkins summed up his path to this moment: “Just as 2019’s IGOR and 2017’s Flower Boy course-corrected for the giddily profane nihilism of his earlier music, with sweeter hooks and lyrics more rooted in romantic yearning than misanthropic urges, [2021’s] CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST tossed a bone to fans who itched for the old brusque raps.” Now on CHROMAKOPIA, Jenkins writes, we get a bit of both — an amorphous album “jostling through light, uplifting moments and self-defeating lows.” My favorite songs shine with sing-along choruses and marching band beats, like the central run of “Judge Judy,” “Sticky,” and “Take Your Mask Off.”

• GNX, Kendrick Lamar. Released out of nowhere less than three weeks ago, Kendrick’s album already feels loaded with classics and little memorable moments meant to last — from the “fah-fah-fah” of “luther” to the “somebody gotta do it” of “tv off” to the titular line of “squabble up.” These seemingly simple catchphrases and hooks — supplanted by the big, booming pop production of longtime collaborator Sounwave and yes, Jack Antonoff — already feel lodged into the 21st-century canon and my brain.

3 catchy tunes on repeat

• “Sober,” Bartees Strange. Continuing his ascent as a “boundary-blurring indie rocker of the highest order,” as Stereogum’s Tom Breihan put it, Strange is now working with — who else? — Jack Antonoff on upcoming album Horror. This single rips, building from its slick, brooding intro to a rocking, guitar-crunching chorus.

• “Defense,” Panda Bear + Cindy Lee. Animal Collective co-founder Noah Lennox is back with his solo project Panda Bear, and the first single from his upcoming album showcases his singular vocals at their best. “Defense” is a hypnotic, swirling piece of psych-rock that brings in a buzzy guest, Cindy Lee (whose retro-pop album Diamond Jubilee was just hailed as Pitchfork’s Best Album of 2024) for a vibrant guitar solo.

• “People Move On,” Jess Cornelius. “If you love Beatles-esque pop with razor-sharp insights, you’ll love CARE/TAKING,” raved NPR Music about this New Zealand-raised, Los Angeles-based songwriter’s new album. I still haven’t given it a full front-to-back, but I’ve been addicted to this melancholy slice of piano-laden power-pop for months.

3 winter playlists as an early holiday gift

A 20th CENTURY CHRISTMAS, this year’s meticulously crafted Fluxblog holiday playlist from Matthew Perpetua. “A stylistically eclectic mix of holiday music from the 1930s through the mid-1990s, designed to be something you can put on for three hours in the background while you have company over.” [ft. Stevie Wonder, Elvis Presley, The Supremes, The Ronettes, Burl Ives, Otis Redding]

No Expectations’ Annual Thanksgiving Playlist from Josh Terry, “an autumnal, wholesome, and exciting collection” for family get-togethers. Obviously I’m sharing this one a bit late — but I think it’s worth bookmarking as cozy background music for your next hosting duties. I also love Terry’s rationale for how he puts these together: "For a Thanksgiving mix, I think it’s corny to only include tunes that touch on themes of gratitude, family, and food, so there’s a good variety here: break-up songs, kiss-offs, love songs, and more. There’s also soul, country, classic rock, yacht rock, and folk: a little bit for almost everyone.” [ft. Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Linda Rondstadt, The Band, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison]

Stick Season, a wintry mix for the “post-Halloween, pre-Real Winter” months from Adam Sharp. [ft. Bon Iver, Coldplay, Wet, Sylvan Esso, Waxahatchee, The Head And The Heart, Hovvdy]

And since this is a newsletter covering so many fantastic artists, I figured I’d link out to a few favorites who have released powerful statements lately, in case you might want to like or share them. Reposting can seem meaningless, like social media “slacktivism,” but we have to hope the little things add up — even if it helps convince just one person who might not vote to change their tune.

• With that in mind, here are some inspiring messages from Olivia Rodrigo, Bruce Springsteen, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Ratboys, Remi Wolf, The National, Gracie Abrams, Maggie Rogers, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Bad Bunny on why they’re all voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

• If you’re interested in taking action in the homestretch, I recommend these opportunities from Vote Save America.

And now, some playlists! Later this month we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled programming and I’ll share some excellent new songs + albums. For now, hope you enjoy this quick little dispatch.

Isle of Calm from NPR Music was put together at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, as “six hours of music to soothe your jangled nerves.” Holds up! [ft. Julie Byrne, Brian Eno, José González, The War On Drugs, Raveena, Smokey Robinson]

look to the rainbow from rising soul star Olivia Dean was another pandemic playlist, made in April 2020. It’s loaded with some of my absolute favorite calm songs: “Bless The Telephone,” “Cranes In The Sky,” “A Calf Born In Winter,” “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” “Lay Down,” and many more gems.

Anti-Apocalypse Mixtape comes from climate scientist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and her new book, What If We Get It Right? “50 or so songs that remind me of climate, that capture ‘anthems for victory, love songs to Earth, tunes for tenacity, and sexy implementation vibes.’” [ft. Prince, Khalid, Andrew Bird, Bibio, Lake Street Dive, Haim]

the best we can do is a playlist for staying positive from comedian Alex Edelman, who has been canvassing in swing states with Knock For Democracy. [ft. The Avett Brothers, Brittany Howard, Spoon, Bright Eyes, Radiohead, Guster]

Bath Oblivion from New Yorker staff writer Rachel Syme is an old reliable mix of symphonic selections. It’s curated for calming baths, but I can vouch that it works in many contexts. [ft. Roberta Flack, Billie Holiday, Nancy Sinatra, Irma Thomas, Dusty Springfield]

lullabies for grown ppl, from Hear Hear reader Julia Widmann, is full of soothing modern classics. [ft. Sylvan Esso, Big Thief, Clairo, Maggie Rogers, beabadoobee, Hozier]

Autumn Nocturnes: Romantic Mid-Century Jazz Selections comes from Matt Perpetua of Fluxblog, and it is is exactly as advertised! “Gentle, wistful piano-centric jazz.”

Keep Hope Alive from former chief White House photographer Pete Souza is full of all the straightforward standards you’d expect. [ft. Aretha Franklin, Buffalo Springfield, Brandi Carlile, Bob Dylan, U2, you get the picture!]

This last one is also corny as hell, and I’m slightly embarrassed to share it, but hey, maybe it will resonate. I made a playlist of “hopey changey music” a few days before Trump’s inauguration in January 2017 to try and combat my despair. It’s full of earnest Obama-era anthems and a few niche faves. I added a few songs from this campaign cycle — including Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” Maggie Rogers’ “Light On,” and a fresh live recording of “The Promised Land” from The Boss.

Make your plan to vote, and see you on the other side of election day!