“KCSU’s Top 10 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 Monday from 11-noon, in which the music directors present to you the latest songs topping the charts and breaking down each song’s sound and feel.”

1. Lizzy McAlpine — Alt/Indie — (8 spins of “all my ghost” off of the 2022 album release “five seconds flat”)

Lizzy McAlpine is an indie singer songwriter who blends jazz, pop and R&B together to create her own unique style of music. Her song “all my ghosts” was the second single off her album, “five seconds flat.” 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.”

2. Dancing on Tables — Alt/Indie — (6 spins of “Twenty” off of the 2021 EP “Play Play Play”)

The Scotland-based pop-indie-rock band consists of Robbie, Callum, Gregor, Hamish and Reece. According to their Spotify, they all met in school and have grown “from playing friend’s parties and school halls, to supporting Catfish and the Bottlemen as part of their UK arena tour.” The band has over 20,000 listeners on Spotify and continue to grow their career to this day.

3. Hippo Campus — Alt/Indie — (6 spins of “Boys” off of the 2022 album release “LP3”)

Hippo Campus formed in 2013, with members that include Jake Luppen, Nathan Stocker, DeCarlo Jackson, Zach Sutton and Whistler Allen. Originally from Minnesota, the indie-rock band emerged to the scene with its EP “Bashful Creatures.” According to their Spotify, “although the five-piece has been friends since middle school and put out a number of studio releases since its inception, it’s the new record, ‘LP3’ that’s the most honest portrait of who Hippo Campus is.”

4. *Mother Mother — Rock — (6 spins of “The Knack” off of the 2022 album release “Inside”) 

Mother Mother is an indie rock band from Canada, that consists of Ryan Guldemond, Molly Guldemond, Jasmin Parkin, Mike Young, and Ali Siadat. According to their Spotify, “after over a decade of releasing music, a new global audience discovered the band via TikTok, resulting in rapid growth across all platforms and a Rolling Stone feature on this unique artist development story.”

The band explained to Genius that “The Knack” is “about the singer not feeling like he knows ‘how to love’ and that everyone else is much better at it. He asks if it’s something people are practicing, or is it ‘coded in them.'”

5. *Outkast — Hip Hop/Rap — (5 spins of “Hey Ya!” off of the 2003 album, “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below”)

Outkast, the iconic rap duo, that consists of André 3000 and Big Boi don’t need any explanation — they are iconic. According to Genius, André 3000 explained that “‘Hey Ya!’ is pretty much about the state of relationships in the 2000s. It’s about some people who stay together in relationships because … somebody told them, ‘You guys are supposed to stay together.’ But you pretty much end up being unhappy for the rest of your life.'”

Genius also states that, “the single achieved platinum status and reached #1 on the pop charts in multiple countries, including the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart. ‘Hey Ya!’ racked up numerous accolades, including a Grammy Award.”

6. *The Weeknd — Pop — (5 spins of “Gasoline” of off the 2022 album release, “Dawn FM”)

The Weeknd, also known as Abel Tesfaye, is an R&B pop artists. According to his Spotify, “the multi-platinum 3x Grammy Award winner has emerged as one of the most successful and significant artists of the modern era.”

According to Genius, “On ‘Gasoline,’ The Weeknd describes his parasitic relationship with his current lover. Using them as a crutch for his erratic drug problems, Abel begs his lover not to let him go, as they are the only thing that he has at this point.”

7. *Alice Glass — Electronic — (4 spins of “Love Is Violence” off of the 2022 album release “Prey//IV”)

Alice Glass is an electronic pop artist known as a former part of Crystal Castles but now also as a solo artist. “Prey//IV” is the debut solo album for Glass, and she has spoken about her reasons for leaving Crystal Castles due to assault by her former band member. This album discusses topics like abuse, power and regaining control. According to Pitchfork, “Glass examines all sides of her own survival, from chilling memories of her abuse to nuanced excavations of her murky subconscious, rendering the contradictory desires born from cruelty.”

8. Ariel Hutchins — Country — (4 spins of “Wine Won’t Work” off of the 2022 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.”

9. Beach House — Alt/Indie — (4 spins of “Hurts to Love” off of the 2022 album release “Once Twice Melody”)

Beach House is an alternative psychedelic rock duo consisting of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. According to AllMusic, the duo “met in Baltimore’s indie rock scene and formed Beach House in 2004.” In August of 2006, the duo released its self-titled debut album and “earned favorable reviews as well as comparisons to Nico and Mazzy Star.” According to SubPop, “Once Twice Melody was produced entirely by Beach House, a first for the band.”
According to Genius, “Runaway” is about “an ambiguous, bittersweet and possibly platonic relationship that is fleeting — or is already gone.” The duo currently has over 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

10. CMAT — Pop — (4 spins of “I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby!” off of the 2022 album release “If My Wife New I’d Be Dead”)

CMAT 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.”

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 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.”

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