Hey! Did you know that there’s an entire aspect of KCRW music discovery that you might be missing out on? Fear not, because our 5 Songs to Hear This Week newsletter is now a weekly feature on our website. Watch this space for rundowns of the five songs that you need in your life immediately, curated by KCRW Music staff. Don’t want to wait for your latest taste of fresh tunes? Sign up for the Friday newsletter here, and always be the first to know.
Follow us on Spotify to keep up with our current obsessions, including 5 Songs to Hear This Week, Bent By Nature: Deirdre O'Donoghue and The Lost SNAP Archives (The Music), and our weekly sampler of KCRW’s Top 30 most played records.
Circa Waves – “Carry You Home”
Giddyup — Circa Waves praise the highs of personal growth and self-awareness in this soaring new track. Frontman Kieran Shudall leads the way with mega vocal power while Colin Jones’ fast-paced kick-drums make this song into an anthem, topped off by high-pitched synths giving it a retro appeal. All put together, this energized pop track’s the perfect candidate to accompany your next big moonshot.
LUMER – “English Dream”
Get your snarl-face ready. This gritty, guitar-driven track from post-punk quartet LUMER examines the band’s disdain for their society’s broken promises. Vocalist Ben Jackson put his disenchantment on display with straightforward lyrics delivered in alternating layers of cynicism and grief. Sharp, strong guitar riffs and a bassline rich with main-character energy make this one ready for some serious stomping.
@ – “Friendship is Frequency”
Return to planet alt-folk with this stripped-down single from @, the rather un-Googleable indie project of duo Victoria Rose and Stone Filipczak, who started making music via text back in 2020. Featuring layered vocals and minimal instrumentation filtered through a psychedelic scrim reminiscent of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper era, it’s a fun n’ friendly tune about, you know, bein’ pals. Lo-fi production adds to the song’s core sweetness while big-smile claymation brings it all to life.
Mac Wetha – “Don’t You Go Falling in Love (Feat. Biig Piig & Lord Apex)”
Ready for love? Find a fresh crush with this tender R&B track, telling the familiar tale of two about-to-be-lovers, reveling in the peachy-pink haze of will-they/won’t-they. Pitched-up vocals from Biig Piig play opposite to the breezy coolness brought by both Mac Wetha and Lord Apex, representing the shy tug-of-war between two people who don’t want to admit their attraction… yet. Pleasant, cozy, and swoon-worthy, make this track your main squeeze.
Contour – “Repossess (Feat. Semiratruth)”
This week’s tracks were selected and illuminated by KCRW Music intern Kai Wayans. And this final one is worthy of closing the show: a “neo-soul/spoken word track about being Black and knowing your worth in a land that stripped us of identity and equal opportunity.” Air and share this one for moving allegory vividly expressed by a host of powerful voices — all accompanied by a bed of instrumentation designed with purpose to make it all shine extra bright.