New songs for January 19th 2026

 here they are:


"Barbed Wire" by Cardinals:  With their previous single, "Masquerade," having a somewhat Radiohead-esque sound, "Barbed Wire" has an even more interesting tune to it! It has a mid '00s indie rock swagger akin to Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, or Arctic Monkeys, but beset by an accordion sound. Somehow, they turn the accordion into a rock and roll instrument on "Barbed Wire," a song that takes dark subject matter like imprisonment and drugs and makes it into a daring tale of adventure!

"Paradise Road" by Clover County:  If you thought this said "Clover Country" instead of "Clover County," you wouldn't be that far from the truth! Clover County, whose previous works were closer to indie-folk, leans more towards a country sound for their latest tune, "Paradise Road." No place called "Paradise Road," real or fictional, is mentioned in the tune, but it could be inferred from the lyrics that it's more a state of mind than an actual location. And it's not quite paradise either, but more of a yearning, with lyrics like, "Distance makes the heart grow fonder" repeated throughout.

"20teens" by Blessing Jolie:  "Blessing" is, in fact, the real first name of Nigerian-American performer, Blessing Izevbigie. Fitting to her name, she blesses us with saucy yet stirring music perfect for the new year! The sound of the song is vaguely similar to '90s acts like Everclear and Third Eye Blind, albeit filtered through a "bedroom pop" lens (Billie Eilish, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, etc.). The title of the song lends itself to ambiguity. 20 people who happen to be teenagers, or simply "2010's" said in a creative way?! Going by the lyrics, it could be either! She references things like HBO Max, which first gained traction in the 2010's, but she also refers to herself as being "20-nothing," and mentions "20teens" in the chorus as though it's a group of people. Much like the post-grunge acts that influence her guitar playing, Blessing Jolie is not happy with what's going on in her life in the song and spews enough venom to make Art Alexakis and Stephan Jenkins both blush! Swear words punctuate the already potent dissatisfaction in "20teens," which seems overall to be about regrettable sexual encounters.

"2Sided" by Arlo Parks:  Arlo Parks walks a fine line between soul and indie-pop in her songs, sometimes in a way that comes off as being more angst-ridden than most of her 2020's peers! "2Sided" marks yet another significant stride in Arlo's career. The song seems to be more techno-pop than Arlo's fans might be used to. Not a single audible guitar in the song (and if there is one, it's buried deep within its production). As the name of the song implies, "2Sided" is about yearning and tension, and more specifically about trying to manifest it as a life force. 

"Where's My Phone?" by Mitski:  A bit rawer, both musically and lyrically, than Mitski fans might be used to, "Where's My Phone?" is not techno-pop, soulful, folk-y, or jazzy like her recent material has been. It's the kind of song I could picture Alanis Morissette doing, complete with a gallop '90s rock/alt rhythm similar to songs like "Flagpole Sitta," "Longview," and "Ball and Chain," with surprisingly distorted guitars for a Mitski tune, too! How can so much angst and frustration be packed into wanting to know something as seemingly simple as where your phone is, you might ask?! Well, let's get a closer look at the lyrics. Some of them include phrases like, "I keep thinking surely somebody will save me/At every turn, I learn that no one will," and "If night is like you punched a hole into tomorrow, I would f**k the hole all night long." Whoa!! Who made you both so angry and so in the mood to be aroused in such an explicit manner?! And furthermore...what the heck does all this have to do with finding your phone?!