Every week the Stereogum staff chooses the five best new songs of the week. The eligibility period begins and ends Thursdays right before midnight. You can hear this week’s picks below and on Stereogum’s Favorite New Music Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly. (An expanded playlist of our new music picks is available to subscribers on Spotify and Apple Music, updated throughout the week.)
5
Deafheaven - "Sorry Laid The Hearth"
4
John Errol - "Like It Like That"
"This one is for my fellow weak, dependent men," John Errol says. "Like It Like That," the latest from the singer-songwriter's forthcoming Damage, is another soft, smooth, subtly haunted pop gem. This one's about falling so hard that it negatively impacts foundational elements of his life, from friends and family to his bank account, and having no qualms about such self-destructive obsession. It manifests as the kind of not-winking soft-rock pastiche I associate with the 1975, but LA-based Errol has a darker, dreamier, almost noir-ish take on that sound. Think of it as Savage Garden via Mulholland Drive. —Chris
3
Marika Hackman - "33"
Marika Hackman has reached her Jesus age, and she's getting existential about it. The British singer-songwriter's False Dogs lead single contemplates the past and present while expressing fear of the future. But the fear is adamantly overridden by the desire to continue forward, which is communicated through a children's choir singing repeatedly, "Keep pushing." "33" is a beautiful portrait of the conflicting sensations of aging, which ultimately melts into appreciation for being alive at all. —Danielle
2
FFO: Chillin' - "Fresh Start"
FFO: Chillin's grungy spin on pop-punk is in-step with the trends of the past few years, but "Fresh Start" has what so many similar tracks lack: riffs! The song is just 85 seconds long, and it wastes no time getting tangled up in a gnarly mess of pull-offs, hammer-ons, and string bends. When matched with bombastic drums and ultra-hooky vocals that perfect the Oso Oso emo-as-power-pop vibe, it adds up to a glorious combustible nugget. It makes so much sense that these guys toured with Joyce Manor this year. —Chris
1
Slayyyter - "i think he's got a girl"
Earlier this year, Slayyyter provoked the pop world with the explosive, decadent WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA, which we named the best album of the year so far in June. She could easily lose the plot by quickly following it with the sister album wor$t man in america, but "i think he's got a girl" proves she still has the special touch. While she's mastered the art of jagged, sleazy electro-pop, "i think he's got a girl" flexes her knack for slanted, hazy, rock-infused pop. It's infectious and cinematic, primed for a climactic movie scene. —Danielle