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New songs for the day after Memorial Day 2026

 Since Monday was Memorial Day, I'm making it for it by posting about four brand new songs today instead. Here they are! "All the Beauty" by Pete Yorn:  This song is a bittersweet song from Yorn where he mixes electronic synths, indie-garage fuzz, and jangly indie-folk warmth into one song. This is one of those songs that could be about anything! According to the description for the song's official video, two ideas arise. One is about the song itself and how we should appreciate the present when it happens ("and I miss all the beauty of this place"). The other, though, is about his love of dogs! I'm not sure whether the song is actually about his dog, Rosie, but she might very well have inspired this one, especially given how often she appears in the video for this one! As for me? I love kitties! But any furry creature dear to our hearts is one worth treasuring! "Heart Has to Work So Hard" by Blondshell:  Like many of Blondshell's songs, th...
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New songs for May 18th 2026

 here they are: "Doors" by Noah Kahan:  After the surprisingly angst-y explosion of "The Great Divide" from earlier this year, Noah Kahan's fans might be looking for a more relaxing song characteristic of what he started out with. That song is "Doors," a song complete with a roots-y, acoustic guitar-centered sound and even a DADF#AD tuning! The title of the song is metaphorical, referring to ways his partner could leave his relationship. There's a very "push-pull" dynamic in this song where Noah seems torn between pushing his partner away and keeping her in his life, much like how doors themselves work. "In the Stars" by The Rolling Stones:  The Stones, as they say, just keep on rollin'! Even with Charlie Watts now absent from the group for a few years, Mick and Keith still keep the band alive with their unmistakable vocals and guitar playing! Their latest song, "In the Stars," still has plenty of guitar swagger as...
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New songs for May 11th 2026

 here they are: "Back of a Truck" by Rostam:  A founding member of indie-pop/rock sensations, Vampire Weekend, Rostam has also had a few good tracks of his own! This is one of them. It has an interesting "electro-folk" sound. Acoustic guitars and synths mingle with one another in this song, and they sound mostly in tune with one another (although part of the intro to the second verse makes it sound like the synths are deliberately out of tune compared to the guitars). "Back of a Truck" sounds like the title of a country song, and part of this song does have that "lonesome twang" that country songs tend to have, but it also sounds like something that's more likely to play at a club than it is at a barn or rodeo. To top it all off, Rostam reveals his inner Dylan fan in this song, twice! "Like a Rolling Stone" is mentioned by name, and "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" is alluded to towards the end.  "Freaking Ou...
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New songs for May 4th 2026

 here they are: "Might See You There" by Weird Nightmare:  Weird Nightmare might just BE a weird nightmare for those who aren't used to groups like Pixies, who seem like a clear influence on this band. For those more accustomed to garage-grunge-surf-indie music, Weird Nightmare are a breath of fresh air, with their newest song, "Might See You There." The Pixies comparisons don't stop there! There's also the matter of male/female vocal interplay during the chorus, as well as the song's minimalist "word salad" lyrics and remarkably short length (2 minutes). However, the song is also in E major and features tiny keyboard flourishes underneath its fuzzy guitar sound, pointing it closer to power pop groups. "Track and Field" by JJerome87 (aka alt-J's Joe Newman):  alt-J were one of the weirdest yet catchiest indie-pop groups to break out of the 2010's indie scene! On his own, lead singer Joe Newman (or "JJerome87," as...
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New songs for April 27th 2026

 here they are: "American Dream" by Alabama Shakes:  Releasing a song called "American Dream" at a time when that sort of dream seems divided was intentional on the part of Brittany Howard and co this time. This swirling soul-rock slow jam expresses how disillusioned Brittany has become with both politics and how they affect other areas of life ranging from gun reform to abortion to the environment. She repeatedly refers to this dream as "the impossible dream," but not "impossible" in the sense of "sounds farfetched, but we can get there." More in the sense of how it really has become impossible now! "I can't keep dreaming," she says towards the end, reluctantly wanting to reconcile her dashed hopes with the harsher realities of American life at present. This one hurts, but in such a powerful, relatable way! "Any Old Fool" by Thee Sacred Souls:  TSS do what they do best on this song, and that is how they sound li...
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New songs for April 20th 2026

 here they are: "Chance to Bleed" by Kurt Vile:  Most of Kurt Vile's material could loosely be classified as folk-rock. His latest song, "Chance to Bleed," kind of is, but it has a more palpable rock "edge" to it. Seems slightly more evocative of the "slacker rock" sounds of Pavement, Guided by Voices, or Dinosaur Jr. Even the godfather of alt-rock himself, Lou Reed, seems like he influenced this song, since Kurt laconically "sing-speaks" during some of it. A clever rhyme of "old time, lo-fi, DIY, rock 'n' roll nights" caps off the chorus, and I feel like this more or less defines what the song is! It's a song meant to capture the spirit of what "indie" was originally meant to be, and it does so, both in sound and lyric! "Going Gone" by Josiah and The Bonnevilles:  Yet another song in G sharp major with a slight "slacker" vibe, this song doesn't have the fuzzy distortion of the...
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New songs for April 13th 2026

 here they are: "Coast" by Snocaps:  With Waxahatchee, Katie Crutchfield focused mostly on roots-y, country-ish sounds. With Snocaps, she seems more intent on bringing back the sounds of women from '90s alt-rock! Snocaps latest song, "Coast," gives off vibes of Liz Phair, PJ Harvey, The Breeders, Garbage, Cardigans, Luscious Jackson, and more. Fitting to its alt-rock spirit, "Coast" also has a minimalist lyrical approach (no chorus, 2 and a half minutes, less than 20 lines, repeating chord sequence throughout). The title of the song also seems like it has a double meaning, referring to both location and to its verbal use as a slangy synonym for "relax" ("I never could just coast"). Dry-witted, frustrated angst takes center stage here! "Future Soul" by The Tedeschi-Trucks Band:  As a blues-based band, it's only natural that Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks would have some rock and roll chops, but they've never rocked...
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