“KCSU’s Weekly Gems Countdown” 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 11-noon. 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.

*=brand new to the charts this week!

1. *Fousheé – alt/indie – (14 spins of “supernova” off of the 2022 album, “softCORE”) Fousheé is a singer and songwriter from New Jersey who is known for carving a new path in the R&B genre. Fousheé was even named the “Hip Hop & R&B Rookie of the Month” in March of 2021 by Billboard. However, even though Fousheé is known for her R&B, this new album explores a whole other side of her – punk rock. NME explains that, “her new project ‘Softcore’ is bristling with a heavier sound: while it retains some of the soft acoustic moments and touching openness found in ‘Time Machine,’ it’s much more influenced by post-punk, metal and hardcore than any of her previous work.”

“supernova” is the lead single off her new album. Fousheé explained this song to Stereogum by saying, “I think it’s a reflection of my taste. I get really bored very easily, so the music that I listen to is all over the place and a reflection of my personality. If I’ve been writing a lot of sappy love songs, eventually I’ll feel this urge to revolt and then write something polar opposite to that. I love variety. It keeps me entertained.”

2. *SZA – r&b – (11 spins of “Good Days” off of the 2022 album, SOS”)  SZA, real name being Solána Imani Rowe, is one of the most influential R&B singers right now. SZA’s Spotify explains that she “has set herself apart with a vulnerable and casually poetic songwriting style and a voice conveying a multitude of emotions with subtle twists and turns. She established herself with a trio of spaced-out EPs and collaborations with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj and Rihanna. She continued her ascent with Ctrl (2017), a Top Ten album that resulted in five Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist.”

“Good Days,” was initially released in 2020, and personally was the light for me during the pandemic. It became a huge hit and single for SZA and was later put on her third studio album, “SOS.”

3. BROCKHAMPTON – hip hop/rap – (9 spins of “Southside” off of the 2022 album, “The Family”) BROCKHAMPTON is a boy band that originated in Texas, but soon moved to South LA in the beginning of their career. With over 10 members in the group, it reminisces Odd Future – a very popular hip hop collective that was BROCKHAMPTON’s inspiration. The group has been making music since 2015, but earlier this year announced that “The Family” would be their last album as the group.

Kevin Abstract, front man, then announced their would be a follow up album released the same day as “The Family” titled “TM”. Unlike “The Family,” “TM” had songs with the whole group – not just Abstract. “Southside” is the eighth track off the first last album and has west coast mixtape vibes with Abstract talking about what it was like to live with the band in Southside LA before they found fame.

4. *Audioslave – rock – (9 spins of “Be Yourself” off of the 2005 album, “Out of Exile”)  Audioslave is a rock supergroup formed in 2001, consisting of  Soundgarden’s lead singer Chris Cornell, Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk. “Out of Exile” was the group’s second album and last album before the group split up. “Be Yourself” “as the title suggests, revolves in finding happiness in yourself. The song got released as the lead single for their second studio album, which they hadn’t named when the song got released.”

5. Kenny Beats – hip hop/rap – (8 spins of “So They Say” off of the 2022 album, LOUIE”) Kenny Beats is a notorious producer in the music world who finally made his own album this year. According to GQ, “he’s an in-demand, cross-genre producer, a gifted multi-instrumentalist, and as of a few weeks ago, a critically-acclaimed solo artist with a debut album ‘LOUIE’ that’s a complex tribute to his father.”

“So They Say” is the fourth track off the debut album, and has a catchy beat with lyrics talking about his father, Louie.

6. *Paramore – alt/indie – (7 spins of “This is Why” off of the 2023 album, “This is Why”) Paramore is another household name on our charts this week. Consisting of Hayley Williams, Taylor York & Josh Farro, the band became a smash hit during the revival of pop punk in the early 2000’s. The band took a a hiatus after their 2017 record, “After Laughter,” but recently came back in late 2022 to drop their first single off their new album, “This is Why.” The song explores “some of the challenges singer Hayley Williams has faced as the frontwoman of a world-famous band, including constant pressure in the public eye and having personal issues broadcast publicly.”

7. Backseat Lovers – alt/indie – (7 spins of “Growing/Dying” off of the 2022 album “Waiting to Spill”) The Backseat Lovers are from Heber City Sandy, and Ogden Utah. The members include Jonas Swanson, Joshua Harmon, KJ Ward, Juice Welch. The band gained attention when their song “Kilby Girl” became popular.

“Growing/Dying” was the first single off their new album “Waiting to Spill.” According to the band in an interview with Melodic Magazine, “‘When We Were Friends’ was our first attempt at making an album, and it was essentially recording one song, selling some t-shirts at a show the next month, and being able to record another song. Upon finishing it, we were quickly filled with a strong desire to make something that really flowed together, with each song intentionally placed, creating a cohesion that spans the whole record. Overall though, ‘Waiting to Spill’ really feels like a continuation, the next chapter of our lives.”

8. *Lily Allen – pop – (6 spins of “Smile” off of the 2006 album, “Alright, Still”) Lily Allen is a very prominent artist when it comes to early 2000’s pop – she is a household name. Originally from London, Allen made a name for herself when she first released “Smile,” the lead single off her debut album. Even though Allen was a huge artist in the early 2000’s, by 2011 she announced she was going on a hiatus and did not release music until 2018.

“Alright, Still” and “Smile” have lyrics that are conversational but discuss past relationships with a dark sense of humor. This became a heavily played album for people who dislike their ex or are mad at someone – hence why it’s on the charts the weeks after Valentine’s Day.

9. Weyes Blood – alt/indie – (5 spins of “Hearts Aglow” off of the 2022 album, “And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow”) Weyes Blood is a rising alternative singer that is known for her powerful ballets that make you transcend in time and get lost in the music. Even though she is just now getting mainstream attention, Blood has been making music since 2007!

Blood’s newest record, “And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow” is one of the most aesthetically pleasing albums that came out in 2022 – with the visuals reminiscing Lana Del Rey mixed with a motel neon night in Vegas. In “Hearts Aglow,” a night out with a beloved is enough to stave off the creeping dread of a world in collapse, at least temporarily.

10. Coco & Clair Clair – pop – (5 spins of “U+Me ” off of the 2022 album “Sexy”) Coco & Clair Clair are a duo from Atlanta. According to Hometown Talent, they are “pioneers of ‘demon glam rock,’ their unapologetic & unmistakably hip-hop-influenced sound breathes new life into the lo-fi bedroom pop genre.”

The duo’s debut album “Sexy” is self-released and has critics going crazy. Self-described as “our best song ever,” “U + Me” was released as a stand alone single four months after the Treat Like Gold EP. Coco took to Twitter to describe the song, saying, “we’re giving you GROWTH, we’re giving you SEXY, we’re giving you a MASSIVE HIT all within this one song…”

Top Adds from this Week:

1. Cracker Island by Gorillaz (alternative)

2. flounder by quinnie (alternative soft pop)

3. Good Riddance by Gracie Abrams (pop)

The Music Directors can be reached at music@kcsufm.com