Our recurring Songs of the Week column highlights the best new tracks from the last seven days. Find our new favorites on our Top Songs playlist, and for more great songs from emerging artists, listen to our New Sounds playlist. This week, we’ve listening to tunes from Bartees Strange, Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo, and others.
Bartees Strange — “DCWDTTY”
Bartees Strange is back with “DCWDTTY,” a cover of Smart Went Crazy’s “D.C. Will Do That to You.” Produced by regular collaborator Jack Antonoff and included on All Things Go’s 10th Anniversary compilation, the cover is a furious, full-throated return from Bartees Strange. Though he’s letting it rip on the mic, Antonoff keeps Bartees with just enough distance and doubles up his vocals, creating a disorienting gang vocals effect. It’s one of the most punk-forward cuts in his wide-ranging, genre-averse discography; whatever style he tries, Bartees Strange nails it. — Paolo Ragusa
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Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo — “Demon Time”
“Demon Time,” the second single from the unlikely but very welcome collaboration between sludge metal act Chat Pile and twangy guitarist Hayden Pedigo, makes good on its title. The tune is slow, droning, and unnerving, with reverb-drenched guitar lines giving way to filthy, overbearing distorted chords. It’s the sonic equivalent to knowing something is following you, but not being able to catch it… but, you know, like, enjoyable. — Jonah Krueger
Chika — “Stimming”
Chika is embracing her restlessness on “Stimming,” the rapper’s new song and the latest in a string of standout singles. The track title specifically refers to finding a stimulating activity as an outlet for ADHD and neurodivergent brains; often, that manifests in making music for artists like Chika, who reflects on her past and present with her signature aura of cool and sharp, thought-provoking bars. Though she confesses out the gate that she’s been “fidgeting” since she was young, she sounds delightfully unhurried and composed on “Stimming.” — P. Ragusa
crushed — “meghan”
Los Angeles duo crushed have revealed their terrific debut album no scope today, and its packed full of dreamy, transportive bangers. One of the brightest new offerings is “meghan,” a burning, breakbeat-heavy cut with Shaun Durkan back on lead vocals. The song hits a high point in the chorus, where Bre Morrell takes Durkan’s warm meditations up the octave as spacious synths swirl and buzz around them. crushed’s hazy sound can be tough to describe, with so many elements arriving in a kind of soft focus — still, as all great new bands do, they manage to scratch the itch. — P. Ragusa
Joyer — “Glare of the Beer Can”
The glare of a beer can — what a beautiful thing. In fact, I can’t think of anything more fitting to write an off-kilter, rootsy indie rock love song about. East Coast indie rockers Joyer have done just that with “Glare of the Bear Can,” though it’s a tad reductionist to refer to the tune as merely “a love song,” as the verses detail finding that one person in both the good and the band, the light and the dark night, inside of trash cans and in deflated balloons. It’s a sweet, shimmery sentiment for a sweet, shimmery song. — J. Krueger
TYGERMYLK — “Babe III”
English artist TYGERMYLK has revealed “Babe III,” the latest track of their upcoming debut album Local Girl, Always Tired. The song is a tender, devastating ode to childhood and grief; written for their late father, they reflect on a childhood summer spent with family and watching their then-favorite movie, Babe. There’s serendipity and tragedy in the song’s minimal, introspective mode, blooming into focus as they imagine what Babe III might be like. It’s a beautiful return from TYGERMYLK. — P. Ragusa
Tyler Ballgame – “I Believe in Love”
There’s a purity in Tyler Ballgame’s story — child of a music loving household who toiled in a Rhode Island cover band before moving to LA for an office job and stumbling into a creative community via open mic performances — that translates to “I Believe in Love.” The lead single off his For the First Time, Again debut (out January 30th), the track shows off his enchantingly earnest vocals, the analogue production of Jonathan Rado and Ryan Pollie, and the sweetness at the center of this big performer who’s only looking to grow bigger. — Ben Kaye
