“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 noon-1, 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.Little Simz– hip hop/rap – (12 spins of “Gorilla” off of the 2023 album, “NO THANK YOU”) Simbiatu “Simbi” Abisola Abiola Ajikawo is a British singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. Simz is bringing a new light to rap – Bristish rap, in specific – with her new flow and unique beats. According to her Spotify, “Hailed as an instant classic, it rocketed Simz from cult hero to international superstar overnight, landing at No. 4 in the UK Official Albums Chart, earning her four BRIT nominations, with nods for Artist of the Year, Mastercard Album of the Year, Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act and Best New Artist, and making her the first female to sell out three headline shows at the legendary Brixton Academy.”

“Gorilla” is the second track on the album, and the most popular not only here at the station, but on Spotify.

2. Robot Tennis Club (local) – alt/indie (10 spins of “Cheshire Cat” off of the 2022 album, “If These Walls Could Talk, You Wouldn’t Listen”) Robot Tennis Club is a student band that just released their debut album! Nina Dorighi and Laura Steadman met in their sophomore year of high school and put together the band after their music teacher told them to start one. Later, when Nina came to CSU, they added in Eli Schulz, finishing the trio. On their website, the trio explains “Laura had been writing songs since middle school, aspiring to the idea that someday they could help her connect with people. Having never written songs before, Nina stepped right up to the plate with lyrics, melodies and guitar parts that she would sing so that Laura could play.”

3. Childish Gambino – r&b – (10 spins of “Redbone” off of the 2016 album, “Awaken, My Love!”) Childish Gambino, the stage name for Donald Glover, is a singer, songwriter, producer, director, actor, comedian and rapper — with many talents. According to his Spotify, “Glover refined his off-kilter brand of hip-hop on his 2013 breakthrough album ‘Because the Internet,’ before making a sharp turn toward R&B-inspired funk, which won him a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2017 for the single ‘Redbone.’”

Glover has won a multitude of awards — including Grammys, MTV Video Music Award, Emmy, Golden Globes and a Critics Choice Award. Glover has amassed over 15 million listeners on Spotify but is taking time to work on his hit show ‘Atlanta.’

4. CMAT – pop – (7 spins of “I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby!” off of the 2022 album, “If My Wife Knew I’d 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.” 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 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.”

5. *Co-Stanza (local) – pop – (7 spins of. “I DON’T MIND” off of the 2020 single release “I DON’T MIND”) Co-Stanza is a Fort Collins-based alternative indie pop artist, who has been around for a while and knows how to make the town dance! Arguably one of the most famous and popular acts from the FoCo area, even featured on Lyrical Lemonade’s website. “I DON’T MIND” is an upbeat track to start the summer off on the right foot!

6. *Dayglow – alt/indie – (6 spins of “Listerine” off of the 2018 album, “Fuzzybrain”) Dayglow – also known as Solan Struble – is one of the most influential and notable acts in the indie pop world. Creating his own sound that indie pop artists have been inspired by – Fuzzybrain was his debut album that was one of the album that started the new wave of indie pop.

According to Genius, “‘Listerine’ is a song about a couple, or what’s left of one. Before the song began, they split up for an agreed upon amount of time, but ended up meeting up to see if they had gotten better for each other before that time had fully passed. The song consists of stream of consciousness narration from the protagonist spliced in with dialogue between the two, with the two parts being separated by stylistic motifs.”

7. Kenny Beats – – hip hop/rap – (6 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.”

8. *Mia Gladstone– hip hop/rap – (5 spins of “TALKIN ONLINE” off of the 2022 album “LOOPY”) Mia Gladstone “fearlessly challenges the norms of society, making music that is as empowering as it is relatable,” according to OutLoud Culture. Gladstone explains that, “ever since I can remember, music has been at the forefront of my daily life and it’s been my greatest joy. I’ve always loved listening to music, singing, writing, playing, and it was just like this natural evolution that my parents really empowered growing up.”

9. Paramore – alt/indie – (5 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.”

10. *Sour Magic (local) – rock – (5 spins of “High Tide” off of the 2023 single, “High Tide”) Sour Magic is a five piece band from Denver that recently just played at our on campus music festival, Fools Fest! They mix indie with psychedelic rock to create an upbeat, transcending sound that makes you groove.

“High Tide” is the band’s third single and has a more surf-rock feel than their other songs – just in time for the summer!

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