New songs for June 22nd 2026

 here they are:


"Better Man" by Slow Pulp:  There's almost a neo-shoegaze-ish vibe to this one! The wall of synths, the swirling, trembly yet jangly guitars, trilling harmonics, and the overall icy vibe of the song. Right from the start, Emily Massey makes it clear that she wants out of the relationship she's in with the lyrics, "Did I f**k it up again?/Maybe leave it to a better man/Who can tell himself this is how it's supposed to be/'Cause I can hurt myself again/As I fade away from everything/And hear a voice telling me to leave/Leave it to me." I just realized I covered the entire first verse and chorus here, and there's only two verses total! But I couldn't leave one line without the other since it tells the whole story of what's going on in the song. Clearly Emily has been hurt, but what's remarkable is how clear she makes it with both the music and the lyrics! This song is like hearing the angry yet still vulnerable granddaughter of Cocteau Twins!

"Hot Slob" by Sylvan Esso:  Amelia Meath is not about to let you think she's this sweet indie-tronica darling! "Hot Slob" is the edgiest Sylvan Esso song to date, both lyrically and musically! More guitar is present here than in any other Sylvan Esso song I've known, and it really heaps on the distortion, while still keeping an "indie" feel overall. As for the lyrics? More swear words here than any Sylvan Esso song I've heard so far, the "na-na-na-na-na" style chant that various songs (such as "Everyday People" by Sly and The Family Stone, during the chorus) have adapted seems like a direct punch in the face to innocence, and beyond some of her choice words being swears in the first place, there's also the specific phrases Amelia uses, such as "I hit like a b**ch" and "like a bad motherf**ker." Sylvan Esso's first big hit was a mellow tune called "Coffee." This song sounds like someone put toxic chemicals into Amelia's coffee!!

"See Out Loud" by Interpol:  Back when Interpol debuted in the mid '00s, adult alt radio was centered around the gentle, grocery store-ish vibes of Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Norah Jones, and Coldplay. Flash forward about two decades later, and adult alt radio is centering around Metric, Arctic Monkeys, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, and a bunch of other groups that debuted in that era that the same format was reluctant to spin during that time! My, how the times change! The latest to join the post-post-punk wave of "edgy" '00s indie bands on adult alt radio is Interpol, known for isolated, Joy Division influenced songs like "Slow Hands" and "Evil." "See Out Loud" isn't that different from the songs Interpol started with over 20 years ago. It's amazing in and of itself they've even been around that long, but what's even more amazing is how they sound just as "young" as they did then! And Paul Banks' phrases like "I can see out loud" are just as enigmatic as "we spies with slow hands." Still the same detachment, still the same post-punk influenced instrumentation, still the same oddly dark lyrics...but that's why we like 'em!

"Won't You Come Out Tonight?" by Jesse Welles:  Jesse made his name last year with rootsy, country-influenced folk-rock tunes. Through surprisingly creative and quirky posts on Instagram, including a song about bugs and a song about PBS kid's shows he grew up with, he seems to have gone in a more "indie" direction than I could have predicted, and his latest song, "Won't You Come Out Tonight?" seems like the perfect "quirky" indie-folk song with an unashamed love of '70s soft rock and jangle-pop. "Won't You Come Out Tonight?" wouldn't be entirely out of place on a Todd Rundgren, Three Dog Night, or Badfinger album (it even sounds a little like "Day After Day" by Badfinger in the beginning). The song is a simple love song lyrically, but the classic rock music nerd in me loves how vintage this song sounds! In addition to jangle-pop and soft rock sounds, the pre-chorus also has "stab" chords that were common in soul music of the era. The harmonica solo midway through gives it a more Dylan-esque flavor that Jesse's fans have come to expect from him, but overall, this song is such a gem!