Top New Tracks
5) Hannah Frances – Nested in Tangles (2025)
Hannah Frances is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Vermont, her second studio album “Nested in Tangles” was released in October earlier this year. Her poetic style and guitar fingerpicking create a fusion of jazz and folk, expressing her deepest creative musings with lilting melodies. She began her engagement with music at a young age, having a mother who was a professional pianist. Frances started writing her own work at the age of 19, having dropped out of art school, she was living in New York and finding inspiration from folk greats like Joni Mitchell.
In 2024 she was awarded Pitckfork’s Best New Music for her country/folk release “Keeper of the Shepherd”.
This week’s chosen track, “The Space Between” is thoughtful and poetic, with Frances’s vocals soaring with lyrics sprouting with ecological references and an atmospheric instrumental crescendo.
4) Funkadelic – Funkadelic 2025 Remaster (2025)
New Jersey group Funkadelic was one of the most well-known funk pioneers in music history, with a career spanning from the late-60s to the early-80s. Their style of acid rock mixed with psychedelic funk and their expansive list of musicians, Funkadelic set the stage for soul and funk acts to follow in the decades after. Originally formed in 1964 by George Clinton as a backing group for his band The Parliaments, the crew relocated to Detriot and grew after signing to Westbound. Their eponymous first album was released in 1970, followed by “Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow” in the same year and the hit release “Maggot Brain” in 1971. The crew added Bootsy Collins from James Brown’s backing band in 1972, releasing 12 more albums in the years to come with a constantly evolving lineup of musicians and musical experimentation.
This week’s highlighted track, “I’ll Bet You” is groovy and soulful with guitar textures from acid/psychedelic rock accompaniments.
3) Hot Chip – Joy In Repetition (2025)
Based in London, England, Hot Chip formed in 2000 with an acoustic style that gradually became the synth-pop electronic the group is known for. Their first releases, including their EP’s “Mexico” and “San Frandisco” leaned towards more house music and their debut LP “Coming On Strong” was released in 2004. The band signed with EMI in 2005 and went on to release three more albums before writing their fifth album “In Our Heads” under Domino. Their career pulled influence from 80s synth pop groups like OMD and turned towards a more disco feel as their music progressed. Their latest release, “Joy In Repetition” is a compilation of their greatest hits, including their top hit “Flutes”.
This week’s selected track, “Ready For The Floor” is from their 2008 release and is rife with synthesizer beeps and bloops, creating a danceable soundscape with delicate vocals and audio loops.
2) David Byrne – Who Is The Sky? (2025)
A critical figure in the world of new wave, experimental, and all-around eccentric pop music, David Byrne entered the public eye as the expressive frontman and lead vocalist of Talking Heads. Through the band’s sixteen-year span of music, Byrne wrote, produced, and performed some of the group’s most lauded tracks, including “Burning Down the House” and “Psycho Killer”. Byrne was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 with the rest of Talking Heads. His solo career focused on blending funk elements with global music, pulling rhythms from styles like merengue, mambo, and samba for his 11 solo albums.
This week’s highlighted track, “Everybody Laughs” is an upbeat and heartfelt, with eclectic sunny instrumentation featuring strings, horns, and marimba.
1) autumnal – the seed becomes exposed (2025)
Local indie darlings autumnal have spent the past few years experimenting with a fusion of folk and shoegaze, their newest album “the seed becomes exposed” being a prime example. Hailing from Fort Collins, the group has been creating music since 2018. Their unique genre, termed “fuzz folk” mixes the storytelling elements of folk music with the grungy, hazy guitar textures typical of shoegaze. autumnal is composed of vocalist/guitarist Annalee Knies, Geneva Hein on vocals and synths, bassist Justice Murray, and drummer Nina Dorighi. Through their harmonies and community-focused concert setups, autumnal is dedicated to making space for queer and creative voices in the Fort Collins area.
This week’s selected track, “plum season” is a reflective, refractory song that slowly picks up into a rich sonic landscape of harmonies and tempo switches.
Top Tracks of the Week
5) Blood Orange – Essex Honey (2025)
Since 2008, English songwriter Devonté Hynes has been releasing music under the name Blood Orange. Exploring R&B and electronic music, Hynes has had his share of super-hits thus far, going viral with his fourth studio album “Negro Swan”. Apart from his personal work, he has toured with and produced music for his fair share of noteworthy artists such as Florence and the Machine, Connan Mockasin, Harry Styles, and Solange Knowles.
This week’s highlighted track, “Countryside” is echoey and has a late-night vibe with a heavy interspersed bassline.
4) Oklou – choke enough (2025)
After multiple EPs and collaborations, French pop artist Marylou Vanina Mayniel, or Oklou as she is known musically, released her first debut album “Choke Enough” in February. Her career began with her 2014 EP “Avril”, released under the name Loumar. From 2015-2018, Mayniel was a member of the female DJ group TGAF, also releasing her very first EP under the name Oklou. The 2020s found Oklou releasing remixes of trending tracks from artists such as Caroline Polachek and releasing a mixtape with numerous other DJs and producers like shygirl, A.G. Cook, and Sega Bodega. Her style moves from synth-pop, art-pop, electronic, R&B, and ethereal underground pop.
This week’s chosen track, “blade bird” opens with an acoustic guitar and shifts into a classic indie pop atmosphere.
3) Wisp – If Not Winter (2025)
San Francisco based shoegaze artist Wisp is back with her debut album. In 2023 her single “Your Face” gained immense popularity on Tiktok which got the artist a large fan base from the start of her career. She began touring and playing at festivals where her light and breathy vocals contrasting with her guitar’s wall of sound captivated audiences. Performing under the Wisp name, Californian Natalie Lu has cultivated a sound that blends her delicate vocals with crushing shoegaze/nu gaze instrumentation.
This week’s selected track, “sword” opens the album with a swing from low-tempo light vocals to a heavy, rousing shoegaze conclusion.
2) The Folk Implosion – Dare to Be Surprised (1997)
Originating in Boston, MA, The Folk Implosion was a project started in the early 90s by Lou Barlow and John Davis. Despite the name, the group’s releases lie within the realm of indietronica and trip hop. Their track “Natural One” was featured in the 1995 film “Kids” and skyrocketed to number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts. The Folk Implosion ended up releasing four albums between 1994 and 2003, going on hiatus until their LP “Walk Thru Me” was put out in 2024.
This week’s chosen track, “Insinuation” is sneaky and trippy with some dissonant guitar chords and layered vocals.
1) Fernie – Hopeless Dreams EP (2025)
Born in Brazil and raised in Montreal, R&B artist Fernie has been part of the music scene since his 2018 singles “We Love” and “Inspire”. Finding inspiration in artists like Frank Ocean and Adele, Fernie uses his soulful vocals to recreate a comforting 90s jazzy tone. His career began with collaborations with producer Samaether, forming Kids From The Underground. His first EP “Aurora” was a collection of songs written between 2018 and 2021, leaning on themes like acceptance and rebirth. This latest release, the “Hopeless Dreams” EP is a touching reflection of Fernie’s musical journey.
This week’s highlighted track, “Open Season” is a melancholy expression of a deceiving dream-like experience with a downtempo beat.