KCRW’s Top 30: Arlo Parks, Mac DeMarco, Sans Soucis

Rarely has our prediction game been so off. Last week, we noted the three-way game of musical chairs emerging between Benny Sings, Everything But The Girl, and Little Simz. Of that core group, only Little Simz remains, and she’s fallen to number four. Everything But The Girl falls from number one to number 19, and Benny Sings falls off the list entirely (along with last week’s poster girl, Fazerdaze). 

It’s shaping up to be a far less predictable year than we’d initially thought, so let’s shift the gaze over to what’s new. Our favorite tell-it-like-it-is poetess Arlo Parks has at last shifted her forthcoming album, My Soft Machine, into peak position, and hot on her heels are alt-R&B impressaria Biig Piig and high priestess of beatscapes, Yaeji. Elsewhere, we’ve got the prince of vibey rock and roll Mac Demarco, synthpop-room-brightener Sans Soucis, and surrealist-soundscape-crafter Jared Mattson all joining the first timers club.

Try saying all of those tongue-twisty descriptors five times fast, or better yet cue up our Top 30 Spotify playlist and let the good times roll. 

Top 30 Albums (1.31.2023)