“KCSU’s Top 10 Songs Spinning This Week” is written by the KCSU music directors and describes the top artists that your local 90.5 FM DJs are playing this week! This article is posted weekly on Sundays and discussed on their show, “KCSU Weekly Gem Countdown,” which airs every Monday from 12-1 p.m. During the show, you can learn more about each musician or band before tuning in to the top 10 countdowns on Mondays, in which the music directors present to you the latest songs topping the charts and breaking down each song’s sound and feel.”

* = Brand new to the charts!

1. *Lizzy McAlpine — Alt/Indie — (9 spins of  “all my ghosts” off of her 2022 single release “all my ghosts”)

Lizzy McAlpine is an indie singer/songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who blends jazz, pop and R&B together to create her own unique style of music. McAlpine has been influenced by John Mayer, MARO, Dodie and H.E.R., which you can hear in her music. According to Passim, McAlpine studies songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and at only 22, she has amassed over 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Her song “all my ghosts” was the second single off of her upcoming album, “five seconds flat,” coming out in April. According to Genius, “The song is about being free from past experiences and coming to terms with them.” McAlpine stated in a behind-the-scenes video that, “it’s all based on real experiences. All the lyrics are real things that I did.”

Her upcoming album has a clear vision, according to Sacks & Co: “She wrote a 14-song story arc about heartbreak and then made a short film to accompany it.” McAlpine explains that, “I want to give my fans something different with each record because I’m different each record.” Her album drops April 8.

2. *Ariel Hutchins — Country — (8 spins of “Wine Won’t Work” off of her 2020 single release “Wine Won’t Work”)

Ariel Hutchins is a country singer/songwriter from Texas. According to her website, “her music celebrates her West Texas heritage and embodies her love of country music past and present.” “Wine Won’t Work” was Hutchins’ first-ever single to be released and was “the first debut release by a female Texas artist to top the Texas Country Charts at number one.”

Hutchins explained to Pro Country that she was shocked her single went number one: “Quite literally it meant everything, and then the challenge became one of putting out more great, chart-topping music. I don’t focus on the charting factor really now; I just want to do right by each song in the studio because our music lineup is amazing and it’s my responsibility to deliver it all! I’m loving this ride! What a dream!”

Hutchins has over 2,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and many new singles to go listen to!

3. *Bob Moses — Electronic — (8 spins of  “Love Brand New” off of their 2022 album, “The Silence in Between”)

Bob Moses is a duo from Vancouver consisting of Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance and got their start in the Brooklyn underground scene in 2012. According to their Spotify, the duo meshes “guitar licks, a moody smolder and a dash of dance-floor ambience with lyrical depth and classic songwriting … (creating) a sound that appeals equally to club-goers and rock music fans.”

The band has amassed a lot of success. According to Insomniac, they have made appearances at festivals such as Glastonbury, Coachella, EDC, Lollapalooza and more. They also have appeared on “The Ellen Show” and have won a Grammy. The duo has over 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

4. *CMAT — Country Pop — (7 spins of “I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!” off of her 2022 album, “If My Wife New I Would Be Dead”)

CMAT, short for Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson is an Irish country/pop singer and songwriter. During an interview with NME magazine, CMAT explains her style as “Dolly Parton meets Weird Al Yankovic, mixed with Katy Perry.” So accurate. NME goes on to explain that “her velvety vocals and earworming beats compliment Katy J Pearson’s ’70s-Americana bops, while her multifaceted lyricism mirrors that of country greats such as Patsy Cline and Skeeter Davis.”

CMAT’s third single, “I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!” describes the feeling of having no control over your life. CMAT explains to Genius, that the song is “mainly about urban isolation — about having all of the freedom and resources to do whatever you want but still choosing to do nothing out of deeply embedded social anxiety and detachment from your own emotions.”

Her debut album, “If My Wife New I’d Be Dead,” is out now!

5. Mitski — Alt/Indie — (6 spins of “Should’ve Been Me” off of her 2021 album, “Laurel Hell”)

Mitski is an indie rock singer and songwriter who was born in Japan and moved around to several countries before she finally settled in New York for college. NPR describes Mitski’s writing as “confessional and funny, boastful and self-deprecating, poetic and profane all at once.”

Her first project, “Bury Me at Makeout Creek,” was released in 2014, and this was actually the first time Mitski ever picked up a guitar! However, on her latest release, “Laurel Hell,” Mitski, “opted for sleeker surfaces reminiscent of ’80s pop,” according to AllMusic.

According to Genius, “Should’ve Been Me,” “describes one of Mitski’s relationships and the isolation she felt as a consequence of poor communication on the part of her partner. However, through the song, she also repeatedly apologizes for being emotionally unavailable and detached from her partner.” The track also explores the themes of “grief, loneliness and isolation.”

6. Acid Dad — Alt/Indie — (6 spins of “Smile You’re On Camera” from their 2021 album, “Take It From the Dead”)

Acid Dad is an American alternative-rock band composed of Vaughn Hunt, Sean Fahey and Trevor Mustoe. According to their Spotify, “during 2020, the band spent their time building a new studio space in Queens, New York, while continuing to independently produce all their own music, art and even building their own guitars.”

In contrast to their previous work, Acid Dad had slower tempos and songs that are both intricate and more hypnotic on their latest release, “Take It From The Dead.” Levitation explains that this album “features an array of different influences ranging from ’90s neo-psych, modern post-punk and ’70s rock-n-roll.”

7. *BADBADNOTGOOD (ft. Arthur Verocai) — Jazz — (5 spins of “City of Mirrors” off of their 2021 album, “Talk Memory”)

BADBADNOTGOOD is a jazz ensemble created by Matthew Tavares and Alexander Sowinski. According to their Spotify, the “Toronto, Ontario-based jazz ensemble … (makes) expansive music that straddles the line between ’70s soul-jazz, alternative hip-hop and experimental electronica.” The band initially gained traction by posting jazz covers of hip-hop tracks from Odd Future and MF Doom.

The group has had major success. It has recorded a live session with Tyler, The Creator, performed at Gilles Peterson’s worldwide awards, was a backing band for Frank Ocean, and has done production work for Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown and JJ Doom. The band has over 3 million listeners on Spotify.

8. *Briana Dinsdale — Country — (5 spins of “I’ll Run To You” off of her 2021 album, “beginnings”)

At only 18 years old, Briana Dinsdale is a country singer/songwriter from Brisbane, Australia. According to her Spotify, Dinsdale “tells stories about her personal life experiences through unique lyrics combined with a melody making every song she writes different to another, appealing to a wide range of listeners.”

Dinsdale is still emerging in the scene, only having around 500 monthly listeners on Spotify, but she was awarded the Bronze Award in the International Singer-Songwriter Association for International Female Emerging Artist and the Keith Urban Scholarship to the Country Music Association of Australia Academy of Country Music, according to her website.

9. *Burrito Brown — Electronic — (4 spins of “Cheezy Does It” off of their 2021 album release “Bluewerks Vol. 3: Heat Wave”)

Burrito Brown is a mysterious artist. This low-fi electronic singer/songwriter has over 270,000 listeners on Spotify, but no website, no information about them on the internet, just a guess of who they are. Burrito Brown makes great music to have as your soundtrack to life — whether it’s studying, taking a walk or getting ready for a night out — their interesting and smooth beats put each listener in a trance.

10. *Deerhoof — Alt/Indie — (4 spins of “Be Unbarred, O Ye Gates of Hell” off of their 2021 album, “Actually, You Can”)

Deerhoof is “one of the most acclaimed acts of the early 21st century” according to their Spotify. The group consists of Satomi Matsuzaki, Greg Saunier, Ed Rodriguez, Chris Cohen and Rob Fisk, and started in 1994. They mix “vibrant melodies, noise, and an experimental spirit into utterly distinctive music,” as stated on their Spotify.

According to Genius, the band explains that “Be Unbarred, O Ye Gates of Hell,” “interpolate(s) a Handel aria, a Maya Angelou essay and a Catholic homily in which Christ descends into inferno to release its captive souls.”

The band has amassed over 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

The music directors can be reached at music@kcsufm.com.