At Paste Music, we’re listening to so many new tunes on any given day, we barely have any time to listen to each other. Nevertheless, every week we can swing it, we take stock of the previous seven days’ best tracks, delivering a weekly playlist of our favorites. Check out this week’s best new songs, in alphabetical order. (You can check out an ongoing playlist of our favorite songs of 2024 here.)
Dummy: “Nine Clean Nails”
The second entry from LA-based quartet Dummy’s new album Free Energy is a slippery, groove-infused propulsion through their avant-pop sound. “Nine Clean Nails” is driven by throbbing guitar riffs from Nathan O’Dell and Joe Trainor throughout, while Emma Maatman’s vocals effortlessly ride the crest of the melodic wave. “Unrelenting time / Left to my own devices / On a Saturday night / Expect another apathetic sigh,” Maatman sings, evoking the nihilism of the vaguely referenced, Trent Reznor-led group Nine Inch Nails with none of the ‘90s rockers’ industrial electronica. Dummy only rely on influences from their own past, reviving their krautrock sound for this new single—deviating from the bubbly, fuzzed-out futurism of Free Energy’s lead single “Nullspace,” showcasing a confidence in the diversity emerging from their new sound. —Olivia Abercrombie
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings: “Empty Trainload of Sky”
Longtime partners Gillian Welch and David Rawlings are returning later this summer with their first album together since 2020. Woodland, named after their studio in Nashville that was damaged by a tornado, is out August 23rd, and lead single “Empty Trainload Sky” is a blues-affected folk track conjuring multitudes of emptiness and spiritual conclusions. “Well it hit me and it hurt me, made my good humor desert me,” Welch sings. “For a moment I was tempted to fly, to the Devil or the Lord, as it hung there like a sword.” Welch’s strumming guitar acts as the song’s metronome, while Rawling’s lead axe contorts and swirls with finesse like a dance. “Empty Trainload of Sky” sounds great—it’s another continuation of Welch and Rawlings’s airtight brilliance. —Matt Mitchell
Hinds: “Superstar”
On the latest single from Hinds’ forthcoming album VIVA HINDS, the Madrid garage rock duo take unsparing yet surprisingly empathetic aim at a “local superstar” who’s lonely at the top. “Your mom and dad are paying all your bills / None of your friends will tell you how they really feel” Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote sing, reminding the star of their scene that they got what they wanted. The bright, syncopated chorus is deliciously bratty and snarky without sacrificing Hinds’ signature warmth and down-to-earth goofiness. It’s a kiss-off to a clout-chaser who put their ego before their friendships and is now reaping all the rewards and the losses. Listening to a Hinds song often feels like a gossip session with your best friends that devolves into manic cry-laughing, and “Superstar” is yet another perfect encapsulation of their charm and effervescence. —Grace Robins-Somerville
Karen O & Danger Mouse: “Super Breath”
It’s been five years since Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O and producer/artist Danger Mouse collaborated on Lux Prima, and now they are celebrating a reissue of the 2019 album with new track “Super Breath.” The funky bassline dances alongside Karen’s mesmerizing vocals, as she sings of unrequited love: “Quit playing cool / Push me aside / I die each time / I’m not your fool.” The return of the iconic partnership between her and Danger Mouse is a subtle groover showcasing the effortless way the two can blend their musical styles in melodic harmony. —OA
Katie Gavin: “Aftertaste”
With her debut solo album, What a Relief, scheduled to release this October, Katie Gavin ushers in a new era on “Aftertaste.” Usually acting as lead singer and scribe for the greatest band in the world, Gavin’s first solo outing is tinged with hints of MUNA favorites like “Kind of Girl” and “Silk Chiffon,” but the folksy, singer-songwriter lilt of this single solidly separates the singer from the more pop-heavy musings of her usual group project. “Aftertaste” is full and vibrant in production, with Gavin’s signature deep vocal highlighted by the bright acoustic and winding electric guitars throughout. Capturing the passage of time and the depth of change simply yet impactfully (“My hair got long / Your hair got cut / You wear the same old sweater / It’s good to see you” opens the track), Gavin delivers universal truths though casually cutting, specific and personal lyrics, promising a bright future ahead as she branches out on her own. —Anna Govert
Keep for Cheap: “Cyberspace”
On this folksy ballad about the alienation and degradation of the digital age, Minnesota “prairie rockers” Keep for Cheap have grown weary of mindless scrolling on “Cyberspace.” In a clever twist, the line “I feel like a phony” is stretched out so that it sounds like “feeling like a phone” until the very last syllable changes the line’s meaning entirely, shaking it from momentary absurdism. Reverbed guitars and moaning backing vocals whirr around in a way that sounds like being beamed up into a spaceship, or uploaded into the cloud, as the track glitches out at the outro, leaving behind only a faint, erratic beeping noise in its wake. —GRS
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard: “Hog Calling Contest”
King Gizz are back in their funk bag with “Hog Calling Contest,” the second single off their forthcoming 26th studio album Flight b741. The track chronicles exactly what’s shown on the album cover: pigs flying. This absolute pork puller of a tune sees Stu Mackenzie and co. stretching their technical abilities to the absolute limit with complex vocal harmonies and a bassline that refuses to quit. Complete with ad-libbed pig squeals, “Hog Calling Contest” sets up what will surely be a standout record from the ever-prolific King Gizzard discography. —Leah Weinstein
Origami Angel: “Dirty Mirror Selfie”
D.C. duo Origami Angel have announced their forthcoming album Feeling Not Found with a pair of new singles that capture their signature flavor of exuberant angst. “Dirty Mirror Selfie” basks in moments where their sunny pop punk instrumentals grind to a halt and force Ryland Heagy’s vocals into the spotlight, lamenting “silicon instead of silver linings.” The post-chorus hardcore breakdown is tailor-made for a “wall of death” pit at future Gami shows, just one of many reasons why “Dirty Mirror Selfie” is destined to become a fan favorite. —GRS
Orla Gartland: “The Hit”
Accompanying the announcement of her second studio album Everybody Needs A Hero, “The Hit” is a delicate yet intoxicating piece of indie rock. Orla Gartland finds herself so intertwined with her best friend that it feels supernatural: “It’s some kinda magic / Some voodoo doll shit / You get the cut and I feel the sting” she sings in communion with pulsating drums and a lush acoustic guitar. The confessional nature of Gartland’s songwriting feels extra conversational here, and, subsequently, uniquely authentic. “The Hit” is yet another indication that Gartland is at the top of her game. —LW
Oso Oso: “that’s what time does”
Their self proclaimed “Phoenix/Paramore song of [Life Till Bones],” Oso Oso tap into their pop rock prowess in the sunshiney excellence of “that’s what time does.” Frontman Jade Lilitri puts on his best 2014 indie pop voice to deliver content reflections on the anticlimactic end of a relationship. Bright guitars and rich vocal harmonies accompany the song’s soaring chorus: “And you let out this little sigh / Both of us lined up eye to eye / I’m laying across the floor from you / You said, ‘I need a little more from you’.” “that’s what time does” is tight, bright and succinct, as Oso Oso continue to prove that they simply don’t miss. —LW
Peel Dream Magazine: “Wish You Well”
The second single from Peel Dream Magazine’s forthcoming album Rose Main Reading Room, “Wish You Well” is just as intoxicating as “Lie in the Gutter” was earlier this summer. It’s as soothing as a balm, but its lyrics gnaw at something far more mournful—climbing social ladders and the “eat or be eaten” mentality thrown onto us by capitalism. “Netherworld destroyer, leave it at the foyer,” Olivia Bubaka Black sings. “I was sent to bore you, obviously. Get yourself a piece, a brand new kill to feast.” Multi-instrumentalist Ian Gibbs fill the Peel Dream Magazine sound palette with gauzy, cosmic electronica that meanders like a krautrock opera, while Joe Stevens and Black repeart “I wish, I wish, I wish you were well” over and over until it becomes a hypnosis trick. “Wish You Well” is lush and commanding, offering you a conscious lullaby that has two feet in the door of unrest always. —MM
Robber Robber: “How We Ball”
The latest zany, fuzzy, fast-paced post-punk entry into Robber Robber’s catalog, “How We Ball” does not give the listener any time to ease into everything that’s about to be thrown at them. In typical Robber Robber fashion, you’re never quite sure what turn the track is going to take next. Their songs have a tendency to zoom off into every possible direction in an impressively short amount of time, each one a dense collage of sound. Adept at keeping listeners on their toes with frenetic drum patterns and razorblade riffs, these Burlington ballers have done it again. —GRS
SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE: “I’VE BEEN EVIL”
This week, SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE dropped two new singles from their forthcoming album, YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE SOMETHING: “SOMETHING’S ENDING” and “I’VE BEEN EVIL.” The former is more of an interlude than a full-bodied song, though the “they pulled another one out of the river, it looked like you” couplet will stick with you long after the track is over. “I’VE BEEN EVIL,” however, is just as disarming, disorienting and tortured. “A splinter buried a hole, a cavity you can’t control,” Zach Schwartz sings. “Someone is scratching at your skin, begging the house to buy you in.” Rivka Ravede’s backing harmony slowly corners Schwartz’s vocal, as a brutality shows its teeth in-between the beats of SPIRIT’s rock ‘n’ roll. “I’VE BEEN EVIL” is like softness rupturing into a bruise. The guitars are metallic, the percussion sounds like a hiccup. Listening to “I’VE BEEN EVIL” is like staring at an eclipse without glasses; there’s a straightforward romanticism coupled with violence. A co-worker brings a gun to work. You keep scratching your wound. There’s a mortgage being taken out on your mouth. You’re precious about things that weren’t yours to begin with. —MM
Sunflower Bean: “Shake”
Sunflower Bean are taking complete control for their new EP Shake—their first self-produced and self-recorded record ever. The title track reaches back into the New York trio’s DIY roots for a gutsy rocker that displays the maturity of a studio-adept band blended with the grit of their raw, unpolished past. “Happy couples make me sick,” vocalist/bassist Julia Cumming and guitarist/vocalist Nick Kivlen groan out over fuzzy riffage and pummeling percussion from Olive Faber. “Shake” is a glorious grunge nostalgia trip with an electric Sunflower Bean twist. —OA
Why Bonnie: “Rhyme or Reason”
The best Why Bonnie song yet, “Rhyme or Reason” has a tonal weight that rests on that of Blair Howerton’s long, complicated relationship with spirituality, something she explored on 90 in November, too (including the story of Genesis 19 on “Lot’s Wife”; “Looked like we had just won, but you’ll turn all to salt if you ever look back”). “The disappearing warmth of love, like Halley’s Comet, I’ve only heard of it,” she sings. “I’ve never seen its streak, but I have heard it comes fast and you’ll miss it if you blink.” Those lines, like many in the Why Bonnie catalog, were inspired through Howerton’s grief of losing her brother Bristol (whom the band’s first EP was dedicated to in 2018) to drug addiction in 26. “I don’t want to harden through grief; I want to stay curious and stay hopeful,” Howerton said earlier this year. “All of these things that I love, I’m eventually going to lose one day. There’s no reason not to love them. It’s all the more reason to love them, because it’s a really powerful thing to love someone who’s gone and to piece the world back together yourself.” With that context, the “Just tell me when and I’ll be waitin’” refrain in “Rhyme or Reason” is about 10 pounds heavier. —MM
Other Notable Songs: Being Dead: “Van Goes”; Enumclaw: “Not Just Yet”; Erika De Casier & Nick León: “Bikini”; FIDLAR: “Down N Out”; GIFT: “Light Runner”; hemlock: “Full”; LSDXOXO ft. Kelela: “GHOST”; Mary Lattimore: “I Spent the Day Inside”; Maxo Kream: “Eye Know”; Midrift: “into place”; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: “Long Dark Night”; Peter Cat Recording Co.: “Foolmuse”; Silver Scrolls: “Indoor Cat”; Sinai Vessel: “Cliffhanger”; SOPHIE ft. Evita Manji: “Berlin Nightmare”; Sports Team: “I’m in Love (Subaru)”; Starflyer 59: “909”; Thurston Moore: “New in Town”; Touché Amoré: “Nobody’s”; Trust Fund: “Has It Been a While”; worlds greatest dad: “The Ocean”
Check out a playlist of these great songs below.