Last week, we debuted our very first Best Songs of the Week feature, and enjoyed some great tunes from a whole host of alt-rock, punk and metal stars.
And in our poll, we got you to choose which entry you believed to be the best of the bunch. With the results now in, we can tell you that coming in at first place with 29.55% of the votes was Foo Fighters' Rescued, which we're not really surprised by, considering it is Dave Grohl and co.'s first release since the tragic passing of the late Taylor Hawkins - and of course, with it being a total banger too.
Tailing on behind with 20.45% of the votes was Noel Gallagher's summery indie ditty Council Skies, and taking home the bronze was the darkly ethereal Mermaids from Florence + The Machine, which was favoured by 12.5% of readers.
If you missed out on voting last week, fear not, as this week we've got another brilliant lot of entries, such as The Gaslight Anthem's glorious comeback release after their 9 year hiatus. Plus, there's some sparkling funk-pop from Thundercat with the help of Tame Impala, and even a sleepy lullaby from PJ Harvey for those wanting to start their weekends on a more peaceful note. Check it all out below:
The Gaslight Anthem - Positive Charge
New Jersey's rock'n' soul punks The Gaslight Anthem return with their first new music in 9 years; a wholesome paean that celebrates good times, good people, and the good that’s yet to come. As drums thump along to a steady beat and guitars roll forward like tyres racing along an open road, frontman Brian Fallon croons: 'My arms are wide as oceans / How I've missed you, and feelin' good to be alive'. Heart-warming stuff.
Thundercat ft. Tame Impala - No More Lies
This Chic-meets-Funkadelic-meets-Jamiroquai hunk of funk-pop takes us to the smoky underground clubs of the '80s, lit only by the florescent bulbs of its illuminated dance floor.
Warp-pedalling bass, sparkling synth and technicolour disco vibes fuse into a hazy, pitter-patter of sultry grooves, with Thundercat and Tame Impala's Kevin Parker interchanging vocal lines that blend together seamlessly. Stylishly vibrant as it may be, the track itself explores a more subdued concept; taking responsibility for your actions after making shitty mistakes; 'But it’s not your fault / I’m just kind of ass'.
PJ Harvey - A Child’s Question, August
Cascading vocal trills and tip-toeing keys pulse like a heartbeat in a catatonic state, as if stirring slightly from a dream, on the cusp between sleep and the waking day. Serving as the first taste of her forthcoming album I Inside the Old Year Dying, PJ Harvey warbles a petal-soft melody, quoting Elvis on the chorus with 'love me tender' as she plummets her voice down from its high pitched-lullaby into a warm hum.
Bambie Thug - Egregore
Titled after the occult term Egregore, a collective thought form that finds its strength via its hold on the minds of multiple people, nu gen star Bambie Thug tackles relatable subject matter - such as negative self-talk and limiting beliefs - through an esoteric lens.
Slathered in red body paint and dressed as The Powerpuff Girls’ gender-bending speed demon HIM, Bambie writhes and scowls as they spit out the darkness that rages on within via hex-breaking lyrics, wicked riffs and growls courtesy of fellow nu gen vocalist Cassyette.
“I have a history of negative self-talk and self-destructive behaviours,” Bambie says in a press release. “Egregore is my way of breaking away from that. I am finally choosing radical self-love and turning the volume down on the neggy ted talk in my head”.
Palehound - The Clutch
Following the heights of a consuming albeit doomed romance, this woozy, bittersweet melody from Palehound is the crash-landing back down to Earth, as the hard truth finally begins to settle in. ‘My face in the glove and / If you release the clutch we’ll both come to a screeching halt’ vocalist El Kempner airily laments to a backing of Weezer-esque pensive riffs.
In a press release, they explain: “I was having a triggering romantic experience with somebody I didn't know too well, and by the time I got home my whole body seemed to be spinning in turmoil. Writing and producing this song grounded me and helped me process a new future and self that I hadn't anticipated.”
Aziya - Atomic
21-year-old DIY indie-rocker Aziya makes music that she “would want Debbie Harry to sing, Prince to co-produce and John Bonham to drum on”. New single Atomic however sounds more like a modern, poppier take on The Cure, propelled by a gothic guitar riff and honey-sweet vocals. Through a melancholic yet hopeful melody, she untangles the complexities of Gen Z dating while stirring over the superficiality of romance that ‘never means anything’. Last year, Londoner Aziya supported Florence + the Machine at the O2 Arena, and played shows with The Vaccines and Nova Twins.
Tigercub - Swoon
Pensive groans that sound a whole lot like Radiohead's Thom Yorke bleed out through a faint chatter of lugubrious guitar, before the track crashes into meaty thumps of fuzzy distortion. Elsewhere, screeching zig-zagging guitar licks offer a nod to Muse, before a delirious, hazy chorus sweeps you up into a cool gust that blows out from beneath your feet. Grungey AF and effortlessly cool, you might say we're - ahem - swooning over this.
Protomartyr - Elimination Dances
Michigan post-punks Protomartyr's new single Elimination Dances is an artful head-scratcher; curious and unsure riffs creep like a critter in the shadows, while vocalist Joe Casey summons peculiar images of little dogs licking hands and people sucking on rubber ears via a startling bellow. The track's eccentric imagery is pushed even further by its accompanying visual, which displays a man in an evocative experimental dance.
