The 8 Best Songs of The Week

Welcome back to our newly-spearheaded Best Songs of the Week column. If you’re looking for a manageable way to digest some of Paste’s favorite music from the past week, look no further than this list. This week, we’ve got everything from noise-punk and electronic to dream pop and indie rock, so we hope you find something that made yet another hard week feel a bit better. Scroll down for new music from The Avalanches, Taylor Swift, Sylvan Esso and more.

The Avalanches: “Wherever You Go”

This week, Australian electronic outfit The Avalanches shared a pair of new singles off of their forthcoming album released alongside stunning visuals. The first of the singles, “Wherever You Go,” featuring Jamie XX, Neneh Cherry and CLYPSO, opens with a sample from The Voyager Golden Record, a disk sent into space in 1977 to portray life on Earth through music. —Lia Pikus

Bartees Strange: “Mustang”

D.C. up-and-coming indie rocker Bartees Strange released a new single, “Mustang,” from his forthcoming debut album. “Mustang” is full of diverse elements. It’s something of an indie rock anthem wrapped up in mesmerizing synths, catchy riffs and bombastic vocals. It’s a bold introduction from an exciting up-and-comer. —Danielle Chelosky

Fenne Lily: “Berlin”

Fenne Lily is back with a new single, “Berlin,” from her forthcoming sophomore album BREACH, out Sept. 18 via Dead Oceans. Following the release of “Alapathy,” this new single is a gorgeous, meandering stream-of-consciousness that almost feels as if you’re in the room with her. Lucy Dacus and Ali Chant also share shimmering vocals on the track, making it even more transcendent. This song was partly inspired by Patti Smith’s Just Kids, which explains its nostalgia and rosy color. —Danielle Chelosky

METZ: “A Boat to Drown In”

Earlier this week, Canadian punk outfit METZ announced a new album Atlas Vending. Set for release on Oct. 9 via Sub Pop, the new album follows last year’s Automat. METZ shared a new single to accompany the announcement, “A Boat to Drown In.” It’s a characteristically bleak, seven-and-a-half minute boil of Alex Edkins’ snarling delivery playing against a heavy backdrop of guitars and drums—eventually dropping into churning instrumental tension for the second half of the song. —Jack Meyer

Samia: “Big Wheel”

Singer/songwriter Samia shared a pair of singles from her forthcoming debut album The Baby, out on Aug. 28 via Grand Jury Music. On “Big Wheel,” Samia uses her tender vocal powerhouse to conjure deep feelings of regret, empathy and self-reflection. Against spacey synths and noodling guitars, Samia’s atmospheric vocalizations soar, while the verses and chorus find her in her element: utilizing both softness and might to bring about a strong sense of emotional intimacy. —Lizzie Manno

Sinead O’Brien: “Strangers in Danger”

On Tuesday, Irish poet Sinead O’Brien announced her Dan Carey-produced (Speedy Wunderground) debut EP Drowning in Blessings, out on Sept. 16. O’Brien has released a number of stark, razor-sharp tunes over the years, but “Strangers in Danger” may be her best work yet. “I am not worried or certain / Because this is not my life / This is just the dust before the fall and the rise,” she sings with an assured, almost all-knowing aura. It’s a dark, tension-packed tune about cycles of time, history and philosophy, but more so our everyday relationship to those ideas which underlie even the most mundane interactions. O’Brien makes one question not just what things are meaningful and what aren’t, but what is “worth” itself. —Lizzie Manno

Sylvan Esso: “Ferris Wheel”

This week, electronic duo Sylvan Esso announced their third studio album Free Love, out Sept. 25 via Loma Vista Recordings. Lead single “Ferris Wheel” is lush and bouncy—with synths keeping the song at a fun pace. —Danielle Chelosky

Taylor Swift: “mirrorball”

If you were expecting a middle-of-the-road folk album from Taylor Swift with folklore, we sure as hell didn’t get one. “Mirrorball” is one example of Swift breaking new ground, tapping into 4AD dream pop to surprisingly satisfying effect. The lush vocal production and warm, glistening guitar tones work wonders together, and its romantic tale, marked by rodeo clowns and disco balls, is gentle and moving. —Lizzie Manno