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.
Sorry – “Let the Lights On”
Sorry not sorry… this track may be your new fave. Somehow reminiscent of the best of Arcade Fire, this track from the North London band is 100% indie rock. The lo-fi instrumentation, toe-tappin percussion, intentional feedback, casual-cool layered vocals, and friendly traces of a house party’s worth of whoops and chatter are genre trademarks we simply can’t resist.
Steve Lacy – “Sunshine (Feat. Fousheé)”
Summer just got a whole lot cooler: multi-talented son of Compton Steve Lacy has graced us with a new album. Gemini Rights is out now, and if this buttery, nostalgic single is any indication, it’s likely to rule car stereos, headphones, and beach boom boxes everywhere. Featuring Lacy’s smooth guitar moves, heartbeat-style percussion, and stunning vocals from Fousheé, this track’s riding high as its sky-soaring video.
Dua Saleh – “Chosen”
Hope you’re ready for a dip — this single from relative newcomer Dua Saleh is so fluid it makes us feel underwater. Poetic, whisper-light vocals co-mingle with mellow rap bars, all floating over sensual production that’s light yet heavy, like coastline fog leaving sparkles on your skin. We’re calling it — Saleh, who hails from Sudan by way of Minneapolis, is one to watch.
FEiN – “Liminal”
Fitting right in on playlists featuring Tame Impala, Glass Animals, Still Woozy, and Alt-J, this track from LA duo FEiN satisfies while turning heads. An unexpectedly hard-driven beat guides layers of hazy instrumentation and fuzz-friendly vocals. FEiN may have enjoyed their time vaguely under the radar, but this winning single’s sure to send some heavy traffic to their SoundCloud this summer.
Olivia Kaplan – “Sirens”
Here at KCRW, we love to see a young troubadour making her own way through the indie music-scape… and singer-songwriter Olivia Kaplan’s got the wind at her back. Fans of Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, and Brandi Carlile take note — this LA native daughter’s got the chops to earn a place in your regular rotation. Plus the indie venue cred to match. Maybe she’s on your radar already after her stellar Gold-Diggers set last year. If you missed out, catch her at The Silverlake Lounge next month.