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 Tuesday newsletter here, and have ‘em delivered directly to your inbox.
The Hard Quartet – “Earth Hater”
The Golden Rule goes hard in this plucky, fuzzy single from The Hard Quartet, the alternative rock scene’s latest (and surely greatest) supergroup, made up of heavy hitters Emmett Kelly (The Cairo Gang, The Double), Stephen Malkmus (Pavement), Matt Sweeney (Skunk, Chavez, Guided by Voices) & Jim White (solo releases, The Double). A storytime-style single that brings to mind an adult (but playfully so) Schoolhouse Rock, this track’s a rollicking time about, yes — littering. And generally not being a jerk. Hell yeah.
Chinese American Bear – “Yummy Yummy Yummy”
We can’t help but introduce you to Seattle-based Chinese American Bear in their own words: “Experimental indie Chinese pop/rock duo who like fart jokes.” Playful? Yes. Infantile? Actually, no. As much as this mealtime-ditty’s chorus may resemble something you’d sing to your toddler over lunch, its musicality is well-honed, with layered vocals, psych-rock guitars, and sampled giggles couched in reverb that’ll steal your heart. If that’s not delightful enough, enter two ribbon-dancer-bearing, cloud-bedecked backup dancers. Click play to see for yourself.
Kate Bollinger– “What’s This About (La La La La)”
Kate Bollinger’s long been a big musical crush across our airwaves — especially on FREAKS ONLY with Travis Holcombe, who welcomed the jazz-folk singer-songwriter for a 3 Song Story back in 2022. Bollinger makes winky-bright music that comes across like an August breeze: soft, warm and welcome. From its vintage-visage video to the breathy vocals that punctuate every chorus, this track’s your summer soundtrack, sorted. Make that an Indian summer: her debut full-length album, Songs From A Thousand Frames of Mind, is due on September 27th via Ghostly International.
Soccer Mommy – “M”
Sophia Regina Allison is easy to love. The singer-songwriter, better known by her stage name Soccer Mommy, creates music that seems to flow from a tap implanted directly into her heart, indie sad-girl songs coated in just enough twang to service her Nashville roots. Click play on this latest offering for milky rock riffs, diaristic lyrics on love, loss, and longing, and a charming getaway-to-nature video shot on Kodak 8mm. P.S. Mommy’s got an album: Catch Evergreen, due October 25th via Loma Vista Recordings.
Public Service Broadcasting – “The South Atlantic (Feat. This Is The Kit)”
We know what you’re thinking, but no, we didn’t just select this song due to the band’s presumed alignment with our public media values. Public Service Broadcasting (not quite Public Broadcasting Service, after all) is the latest form of a shapeshifting group of creatives based in London, who embrace all manner of esoteric instruments to put out mostly instrumental music. Enter this beautiful track’s vocalist, Kate Stables, singer for This Is The Kit (much beloved on KCRW). What results is a triumph of collaboration between musically minded individuals that you’ll be grateful to hear. And there’s more where that came from, Public Service Broadcasting’s new LP The Last Flight is due for release on October 4th via the band’s own label SO Recordings.