Best New Tracks

5) Big Thief – Double Infinity (2025)

One of the biggest indie pop groups of the past decade, Big Thief is likely a name you have heard before. Originally a duo composed of vocalist and guitarist Adrienne Lenker and guitarist Buck Meek, the group released two EPs in 2013. In 2016, drummer James Krivchenya joined the lineup as engineer for their debut album “Masterpiece”. Their subsequent five albums were all positively received by critics and fans alike, shifting from Lenker’s singer-songwriter style to folk-rock and alternative.

This week’s selected track, “Words” is an upbeat track that begins more acoustic and later implements a raw electric guitar, mirroring the honest lyricism.

4) Silas Short – LUSHLAND (2025)

Silas Short’s first album LUSHLAND is a heavily neo-soul and R&B influenced release that speaks on the pain and importance of knowing oneself. The crisp production is typical of Short’s sound, drawing on 80s and 90s R&B inspiration with his stylings and collaborations. Short, raised in Chicago and moving to Los Angeles to release his music, has been creating tracks with great emotional depth since his 2021 EP “Drawing”. Most recently, his cover of “My Conversation” was featured in the Golden-Globe-winning film “A Real Pain”.

This week’s chosen track, “LIKE A CHARM” is mellow and heartfelt, utilizing an eclectic drum beat and 70s jazz-influenced keyboards.

3) Portrayal of Guilt – Devil Music (2025)

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Portrayal of Guilt has been active since 2017 in the black metal scene. Members include vocalist, guitarist, and founder Matt King, drummer Dave Beveridge, and bassist Blake Given. Moving between genres of screamo and grindcore, rage is the primary emotion injected into their tracks. Here with their new EP “Devil Music”, the group pulls inspiration from earlier screamo groups with their brutal vocalizing and erratic but experimental time signatures.

This week’s selected track, “Devil Music” is an intense and heavy track with harrowing, vivid lyrics and unsettling guitar harmonies.

2) Kerala Dust – An Echo of Love (2025)

Famous for their seamless combinations of genre from electronic stylings to psychedelic and bluesy rock, Kerala Dust has spent the past decade outside of the box. Originating from London, the band consists of vocalist Edmund Kenny, guitarist Lawrence Howarth, and keyboardist Harvey Grant. Inspired by early 70s and 80s experimental rock artists such as CAN and Tom Waits, Kerala Dust has found a comfortable niche from which they can expand their indie electronic sound through evocative songwriting.

This week’s selected track, “Bell” is off of their most recent album “An Echo of Love” and combines gravely vocals with a groovy dance trip.

1) Braxton Cook – Not Everyone Can Go (2025)

Here with his sixth LP, Braxton Cook’s unique take on a jazz and soul fusion creates a good-natured sonic ecosystem. Spanning across more modern R&B style beats and pulling from earlier smooth soul artists. Cook has been releasing music since 2014, originally learning how to play the alto saxophone while growing up in Washington D.C. He attended Juilliard in 2011 and studied jazz saxophone, eventually touring and releasing his own compositions. Cook worked on the soundtrack for “Soul”, Pixar Studio’s 2019 release, for which he won an Academy Award.

This week’s highlighted track, “My Everything” manages to feel optimistic yet has a tinge of regretfulness, closing off with a rousing and enchanting saxophone solo.

Top Tracks of the Week

5) Star 99 – Gaman

Aligning with alternative, indie, pop, and punk at all at once, Star 99 moves effortlessly along wild energy intervals. The group can shift back and forth between bright 2000s power pop and then pull back for their more meditative quiet moments. Star 99 released their first EP in 2019 then toured along the west coast, performing alongside other emerging alt-rock groups. Their newest album, “Gaman” draws comparisons to 2000s rock groups like Green Day and Weezer with 21st century sensibilities and experimentation.

This week’s chosen track, “Pushing Daisies” utilizes catchy and heavy guitar riffs to create an energetic whirlwind of a song.

4) Eric Cannata – Holding Onto The Holy (2025)

Eric Cannata began his music career as part of the indie/alternative rock band Young the Giant in 2007, playing guitar, keys, and singing backup vocals. His first solo LP “Holding Onto The Holy” was released early this year, marking a definite shift in eras for the singer-songwriter. While his work in Young the Giant skews towards more of an indie rock feel, this newest release finds Cannata engaging with more of an americana and folk rock. His inspirations for the album include early folk rock/indie pioneers such as Harry Nilsson and Lou Reed.

This week’s selected track, “The Wave” features Cannata’s signature airy vocals and a smattering of bongos.

3) Beach House – Once Twice Melody (2022)

Originating from Baltimore, Maryland, Beach House is a dream pop/indie rock band that has been in the public eye since their 2004 formation. Their first release, “Beach House” was widely positively received, as was their second studio album “Devotion” and it was this album that found a spot in Pitchfork’s Best Albums of 2008 list. Beach House has since released six more albums, securing their spot as one of the most highly influential indie groups of their time.

This week’s track, “Once Twice Melody” is an ethereal and graceful track that floats with airy vocals and chord progressions that soothe the soul.

2) Curtis Harding – Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt (2025)

Raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Curtis Harding has been a prominent name in the soul music scene since the early 2000s. Originally entering the music world through singing and drumming in church with his mother in the gospel, his adult career began as a part of a small Atlanta hip-hop group. Harding then made his way to perform on CeeLo Green’s 2002 and 2010 albums as well as touring. Over the years he has worked with Outkast, The Growlers, Danger Mouse, Lauryn Hill, and countless other hip-hop and modern soul greats. By far his most successful album, his second release “Face Your Fear” in 2017 made it to the top of the Billboard Heatseeker charts. His most recent album “Departures & Arrivals” blends soul music with influences of psychedelic rock and baroque pop in a space-age environment.

This week’s selected track, “Power” is a groovy piece that feels as disco as it is catchy with a speedy bassline and strings straight out of 1975.

1) Hour- Subminiature (2025)

Hour is the 9-person experimental powerhouse orchestrated by multi-instrumentalist Michael Cormier-O’Leary. Forming in 2010s Pennsylvania, the group has established themselves as no strangers to unique sonic textures. Utilizing a multitude of instruments including the clarinet, synth pads, electric guitar, and piano, along with a wide array of strings. Their most recent album, “Subminiature” is a collection of live recordings exploring the realms of ambient, soundtrack, and experimental music.

This week’s selected track, “Dying of Laughter – Live at the Owl, New York, NY (4/13/24) “ is a mellow but thoughtful track that sounds like it’s tiptoeing with the gentle drums and guitar work.