New songs for February 16th 2026

 here they are:


"In the Middle of It" by Hiss Golden Messenger:  If you're in the mood for a "travel down the highway" song that's more sentimental country-rock than it is a hard-drivin' road rock song, then this song might be it! Nature imagery runs throughout the song:  rocks, roses, cornflower, the moon, mountains, you name it! After all the sweetness of nature imagery and freeway traveling, HGM's lead singer addresses someone named Maria and asks them "Ain't it sad?" and then says "That's how it ends." Sigh...I guess every good story has to come to an end sometime, but this song's wistful, nostalgic tone seems like it captures bittersweet sunshine in a jar!

"Seven Degrees" by Friko:  Yes, their name is pronounced "freako," in case you were wondering. Friko aren't freaky, though. Instead, they're folky, like a lot of modern indie bands tend to be. Their breakthrough song, "Seven Degrees," is like a Sesame Street counting song if it were made for an NPR audience instead of a PBS one. In only the fourth line of the song, the band's lead singer literally starts counting the "degrees" between himself and "anyone (he) ever wished to meet." Because I love to count things (ah, ah, ah), I will list out just what those 7 things are: 1) his mother, 2) his friends, 3) the one who "broke your heart and brought you to your knees," 4) the "@$$hole in disguise" (yeaaahh...not exactly Sesame-friendly, is it?!), 5) someone that the singer refuses to speak of, 6) a "really mean" person, and finally 7) someone who will "help you anytime you're in need." While I don't know what connects one person to the other in this song, it is interesting how the concept of counting literally sets up the song! The first verse is not the only place that counting is mentioned either. There's another line where the singer is in a bar, probably drunk or about to drink his sorrows away, and claiming that "one was something, two was four, ah, I can't count it anymore," perhaps indicating that the "degrees" of these people becomes confusing after a while. This sort of reminds me of "The Counting Song" by Adam Buxton, but where that song presents itself as a children's song before its second verse, this song does not disguise itself. You know from the start it's for an adult audience, but the song's friendly sound might make you think otherwise at first!

"THUM" by Violet Grohl:  Like father, like daughter! Well...kind of. Though Violet's breakthrough song, "THUM," has a punchy rock sound that wouldn't be out of place in a Foos tune, it has also earned comparisons to groups like Veruca Salt, Garbage, and yes, Hole - a bit of a personal topic for Nirvana/Foo fans. Whether the Hole influence was intentional is anyone's guess, but I do hear it. Violet's vocals are very vitriolic in this vengeful-sounding song with vindictive vibes of grunge, captured perfectly with its "quieter verses, louder choruses" dynamic. "THUM" is a playful spelling (WHICH, FOR SOME REASON, IS ALL IN CAPITAL LETTERS!) of "thumb," though that word is only said once in this two-and-a-half minute song. Seems to be a bitter breakup song...yep, just bitter. No "sweet" in this song! Then again, what else would you expect from a girl who covered X's "Nausea" as her first big single?! 

"You and Forever" by Bleachers:  ...And speaking of not knowing bitter from sweet, what even IS this song?! It sounds bittersweet on the surface, and it's also about Jack Antonoff's wife, Margaret Qualley, but MAN!! This is Jack's most swear-heavy song yet!! Wowzer! He swears 7 times in this song! (8 if you count the word "hell," but that's debatable since it's used in literal context here). Sooo Jack...is this a love song or an "I hate the world" song?! It's hard to tell with all those words punctuating your otherwise sweet song! The central message is sweet ("now it's just you and forever")...but he uses imagery of ghosts and hell to convey it, and although Jesus is mentioned in the song, it's in the negative ("no Jesus Christ, no Roman gods, they cower at you, let me in"). So is the message, "Sometimes you have to walk through fire to get someone to love you"?! That's a weird, backwards kind of message, especially the way it's portrayed here! But hey, that's just one person's opinion...

"You Got to Lose" by The Black Keys:  This song is lit, as some of them kids today might say! Haha. But really...it is! It's fire!! Right from the get-go, The Black Keys' latest song, "You Got to Lose," comes off like The Yardbirds or The Animals covering "One Way Out" by The Allman Brothers Band! Yowza!! After experimenting with psychedelic, folk, and even ambient material, the Keys are now back to their roots with this tune! This is one of those songs where the music overrides the message of the music, but if the chorus is indicative of what the rest of the song is about, then "You Got to Lose" has that classic blues-y theme of how life isn't always about winning. This song is like hot sauce for my ears! Just as spicy and just as fun!