Top New Tracks
5) Arlo Parks – Ambiguous Desire (2026)
Born in Hammersmith, London, Arlo Parks began releasing demos in 2018, her first official track released under Beatnik Records entitled “Cola”. Her style is a combination of indie pop and folk, where she finds influence from artists like Elliot Smith and Patti Smith, as well as London contemporary icon King Krule. Her first two EPs were released in 2019 and she released her first full-length album “Collapsed in Sunbeams” in 2021. Her lyricism is as poetic as it is unique and she has been praised for her honesty and sincerity. She has since toured with Billie Eilish and Harry Styles and released a second album in 2023.
This week’s highlighted track “2SIDED” comes from her album “Ambiguous Desire”, set to release in April of this year.
4) Shelita – Into the Depths EP (2026)
Originally from Seattle, pop artist and songwriter Shelita has since released a myriad of tracks from her Los Angeles studio. Her music blends modern pop textures with world and electronic melodies and instrumentation. She released her debut self-titled album in 2019 which was a collaboration with producer Marcus “Bellringer” Bell. Outside of her musical career, she has spoken at SXSW and MIT for her data science and social media research.
This week’s chosen track, “Fade” features Shelita’s delicate soprano vocals with a subtle pop sensibility.
3) Em Spel – Bird or Snake (2026)
Emma Hospelhorn has been releasing music under the moniker “Em Spel” since 2022. Her talents as a flutist and multi-instrumentalist songwriter have culminated in an artistic style that is a merging of experimental, folk, and alternative. The Chicago-based artist has premiered and performed works by a myriad of composers through her work with Ensemble Dal Niente. Through Hospelhorn’s breath control and surreal compositions, she finds ways to reimagine musical structures.
This week’s selected track, “Geographic” is the first single off her new album “Bird or Snake”, which is scheduled for release in March.
2) Plasma Driver – Night Whispers (2026)
Florida-based indie and alternative rock band Plasma Driver is here with their debut album, “Night Whispers” which was released earlier this month. Plasma Driver consists of guitarist Eric Calderon, bassist and vocalist Bryan Menendez, guitarist and vocalist Peter Vayda, and drummer Nate Tritto. The band considers their sound to be a retro-futuristic style of rock with tracks that move between loose and tightly wound in tempo.
This week’s chosen track, “dose” utilizes harder rock textures and a quick tempo to create an atmosphere of unease and bursting energy.
1) Yin Yin – YATTA! (2026)
Yin Yin originated in Maastricht, Netherlands in 2017 and has since synthesized four albums worth of psychedelic grooviness. The group released their first full-length album in 2019, “The Rabbit That Hunts Tigers”, which was a Thai-rock inspired collection that featured their hit track “One Inch Punch”. Their musical style combines funk, pop, and Southeastern Asian music in a mellow and instrumentally varied fashion.
This week’s highlighted track, “In Search of Yang” opens the album with a sample that leads into a modern disco groove with strings and an echoing guitar.
Top Tracks of the Week
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 last 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 Pitchfork’s Best New Music for her country/folk release “Keeper of the Shepherd”.
This week’s selected track, “Life’s Work” is dissonant and mischievous as Frances expresses the weight of resentment and the relief of reconciliation.
4) Pigeon Pit – Leash Aggression (2025)
What began as a solo project by lead vocalist Lomes Oleander, Pigeon Pit is now a six-piece country punk outfit specializing in sonic maximalism. The folk-punk group uses their DIY sensibilities to create intricate and layered instrumentation that expresses their love and grief, accompanied by their poetic lyricism. Pigeon Pit has performed in a broad swath of different environments, from basement DIY shows to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert. Utilizing the pedal steel, fiddle, and banjo, the group has carefully cultivated a unique and fully realized style in their latest release, “Leash Aggression”.
This week’s highlighted track, “cherry” features complex punk lyricism with mellow acoustic guitars and weaving violin melodies.
3) 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.
In this week’s chosen track, “What Is The Reason For It”, Byrne gets a little salsa with it and layers upbeat instrumentation to create a dance-centric lamentation.
2) 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 selected track, “Vivid Light” is a downtempo groovy R&B track with Hynes’ vocals creating ethereal harmonies.
1) Venna – MALIK (2025)
Debuting with his first ever studio album, saxophonist Venna presents a collection of soulfully crafted R&B soundscapes. The London-based artist started experimenting with music at age 12 when he started playing the saxophone. His first big recognition was a Grammy nomination for Burna Boy’s album “African Giant” in 2020, to which Venna contributed. This was followed by the award of a Grammy for Burna Boy’s 2021 album “Twice as Tall”, which Venna also worked on. His music finds influence from artists such as Terrace Martin and Kendrick Lamar.
Our Gem of the Week is “Twisting feat. Leon Thomas”, is introspective and features sparse instrumentation through loosely flowing jazz