Hey! Did you know that there’s an entire aspect of KCRW music discovery that you might be missing out on? Fear not, because our 5 Songs to Hear This Week newsletter is now a weekly feature on our website. Watch this space for rundowns of the five songs that you need in your life immediately, curated by KCRW Music staff. Don’t want to wait for your latest taste of fresh tunes? Sign up for the Friday newsletter here, and always be the first to know.
Follow us on Spotify to keep up with our current obsessions, including 5 Songs to Hear This Week, Bent By Nature: Deirdre O'Donoghue and The Lost SNAP Archives (The Music), and our weekly sampler of KCRW’s Top 30 most played records.
Andrew Bird – “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain (Feat. Phoebe Bridgers)”
Who died? Contemporary Folk-pop hero Andrew Bird answers the allegorical in perfect harmony with big fave Phoebe Bridgers in this contemplative new single. This is one for sitting still and just listening: Uncrowded production unfolds slowly, spotlighting every pluck, strum, and bowing of strings. Bird’s signature whistling skills are also on display, matched in mournful intensity by Bridgers’ sad girl style. Deepest condolences.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “I Killed Captain Cook”
Beloved Kiwi psych-rockers Unknown Mortal Orchestra have hit a zenith: Wherein the latest single — released after a hiatus, as well — is raw, unplugged, unfussy, and totally real, the musical equivalent of a stick-n-poke tattoo reading “MOM.” Frontman Ruban Nielson wrote the sweet tune for his mother, who’s seen in the video performing hula in personal archive footage, shot by Nielson himself on Super 8 when he was just a boy. Crying yet?
TSHA – “Dancing In The Shadows”
Let’s pick it up for the nightlifers, shall we? Hypercool EDM songstress TSHA is back with an R&B heater built on a solid foundation of drum ‘n’ bass. Featuring won’t-quit beats, gleaming synths, laser-pew samples, and vocals pure as Sunday morning gospel, this single’s leading the way to your dancefloor deliverance this weekend, whether it be in shadow or spotlight.
Louis Cole – “I'm Tight”
The disco-funk revival net is widely cast, and this gem from LA’s own Louis Cole fits the bill in more ways than one. Driven by a bassline to die for and featuring Cole’s casually fabulous vocals arranged around instrumentation that simply slaps, this track is deeply completed by its social-commentary-veiled-as-dancefloor-instruction music video. Follow along and try these moves for yourself — you may just emerge a little bit… tighter. Get more Cole: the new album Quality Over Opinion was released just this month.
Fever Queen – “Afterglow”
If your Halloween ‘fit features iridescent wings, face crystals, or the winsome, ethereal glow of the Empress from The Neverending Story… we’ve got your soundtrack. Fever Queen is Eleanor Rose Lee, a disciple of fairy magic straight out of Indiana. Coupling the slowly building electro-gauze of Air with whisper-light vocals and tickle-touch percussion, this track is guaranteed to cast a powerful spell when fully charged in the noonday sun.