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.
Tierra Whack – "SHOWER SONG”
Everything is so damn heavy this year and it’s barely even February. Enter Tierra Whack. The Philadelphia poet, songwriter, and rapper has blessed us with a completely delightful snack-sized single on a universally understood frivolous topic: singing in the shower. And we love her for it. Click play for a deeply funky backtrack and lyrics you’ll have memorized after just one go. Scrubadub!
Camera Obscura – “Big Love”
There’s something so warm and comforting about that American country music sound, even when the lyrical message is one of pain and heartache. That’s basically what we’ve got here, except his track’s southern flavor belies its firmly Scottish roots. Glasgow indie pop outfit Camera Obscura return with Look to the East, Look to the West, their first new LP in over a decade due May 3rd via Merge Records. After grieving the loss of an original member and taking a creative hiatus, announcing the new record with the thoughtfully uplifting country-folk cut “Big Love” signifies a meaningful triumph.
Oscar Lang – “Leave Me Alone”
Bed-dwellers, isolationists, those who RSVP “thanks, but no thanks…” Your anthem has arrived. British alt-indie lad Oscar Lang presents an earnest piano-forward track that shines a light on the reality of social anxiety. Despite its message, there’s a “razzle-dazzle” quality to the presentation that makes this track satisfyingly ironic and keeps it well out of the doldrums. LA folks can see Oscar perform on Monday, Feb. 5 night at School Night, but please leave him alone.
Campus Christy – “The Visit”
Magic can happen when longtime musical artists pay homage to their predecessors. Campus Christy, the new project of Chris Manak (known to us all as Peanut Butter Wolf) and musical polymath Brian Ellis centers this type of musical salute by, “reinterpreting lesser-known tracks from the late ‘60s to [the] early ‘80s.” This sweet and mellow track was originated by ‘60s group The Cyrkle, and Manak’s vocals on it are a near match. Hit play for era-appropriate claymation as an added bonus.
More: Peanut Butter Wolf: KCRW Guest DJ set
Yaya Bey – “chasing the bus”
Look, sometimes the only description that fits a certain sonic style is “music to get down to.” In this bedroom track, Yaya Bey — rightly named as one of Pitchfork’s 2023 ones to watch — presents expert handling of R&B fundamentals. On “chasing the bus” you’ll find heavy breathing side by side with smooth vocals, lyrical exaltations on both devotion and loss, sensual instrumentation, and references (both aural and visual) to the 1990s, keeping the nods where they belong. Enjoy all that, plus the intimate video on which Bey served as artistic director. And start learning the infinitely copyable choreo now, it’ll be all over your FYP soon enough.