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Every week, members of the Vulture staff will highlight their favorite new songs. They might be loud, quiet, long, short, dance-y, rawkin’, hip, square, rap, punk, jazz, some sort of jazz-punk-rap fusion — whatever works for the given person in that given week. Read our picks below and please tell us yours in the comments. Enjoy!
Alvvays, “Atop a Cakeâ€
Alvvays make Canadian summer music, which means it’s like sunny California music by people who are wary of warm weather. More specifically, it sounds like Best Coast with more clouds in the sky. “Atop a Cake†(which is a pretty damn lovely song title) was the standout for me off their delightful self-titled debut, out today. That is one serious chorus. —Jesse David Fox (@JesseDavidFox)
Banks, “Beggin for Threadâ€
I have been on board the Banks train for a while, but things derailed with her totally lackluster set at this year’s Governors Ball. Her music is much more suited for bedroom brooding and corner sulking, but “Begging for Thread†has ensnared me once again. Banks’s impossibly smoky vocals are nearly overtaken by the backing track, but her lyricism remains some of the strongest in the game right now — “I know my disposition gets confusing / My disproportionate reactions fuse when my ego stakes,†she sings. It’s dark and entrancing and just plain good. —Brennan Carley (@Brennan_Carley)
Blake Mills ft. Fiona Apple and Jon Brion, “Don’t Tell Your Friends About Meâ€
Sure, I’ll take whatever Fiona Apple I can get, but this Blake Mills track (he and Fiona are tour buddies, BFFs) goes further than their gorgeous harmonies. The phrase “I know I fucked up†has never sounded so beautiful and authentically apologetic. Do you forgive him? You should forgive him. —Lindsey Weber (@LindseyWeber)
The Bird and the Bee, “Undoneâ€
“I want to do stuff in the back of your car,†sings the bird and the bee’s newest — a new track straight off the Sex Tape soundtrack, so you know it’s gotta be a little racy. The two haven’t done anything in quite a white, and who knows what’s to follow? This might be a limited offer. —LW
Gorgon City, “Unmissableâ€
The Gorgon City lads — Kye Gibbon and Matt Robson-Scott — have been quietly pumping out club hits (“Here for You†and “Ready for Your Love†both exploded in England) from the other side of the pond for about a year. The duo’s latest, “Unmissable,†is a throbbing dance-floor/ballad hybrid. The vocals, taken on by Zak Abel, weave in and out of the song’s insistent melodic thumping. This could be Gorgon City’s “Latch,†the thing it takes to break the boys Stateside. I’d be alright if the radio took a break from Nico and Vinz for Gorgon City instead. —BC
Jesse McCartney, “Young Loveâ€
From the guy who brought you “Beautiful Soul†as a teen and Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love†as an adult (he co-wrote it), Jesse McCartney’s newest, In Technicolor, gives off vibes of Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson, mixed in with a bit of McCartney’s own boy-band upbringings. “It feels like I’m 17,†he sings in “Young Love†— which still works for the now-27-year-old, who can pull of the pop thing with ease. Other tracks you’ll like: “Superbadâ€; “Back Togetherâ€; “Tie the Knot.â€Â —LW
Spoon, “Inside Outâ€
As promised, I will share every new song that Spoon releases off their upcoming album. Fortunately, “Inside Out†is my favorite track from They Want My Soul. Not as tense as what we usually expect from the band, “Inside Out†is a chill affair that also manages to incorporate the restraint Spoon is known for, with them purposefully building to that one perfect moment: In this case, around 2:55, with Britt Daniel interrupting the “we got nothing else to give†lyric with the main verse hook. —JDF
Weezer, “Back to the Shackâ€
“Back to the Shack†is a song by Weezer about Weezer. The song responds to the critique that they’ve gotten kind of lame over the last few years. Lyrically, Rivers Cuomo promises a back-to-basics approach moving forward, which the guitars and big chorus instantly deliver on. —JDF
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