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.
Lewis OfMan – “Highway (Feat. Empress Of)”
Hungry? Let’s make a sandwich. Take two slices of jammy guitars — one acoustic, one psychedelic electric — spread on some summer sunshine, and add a few thick slices of brassy horns, dimensional vocals, and dancefloor drums. Oh, and shake on some gleaming keys for added flavor. Lewis OfMan is the French producer and self-taught multi-instrumentalist behind bright and shiny synth-pop party music you’ve undoubtedly been served by many a DJ in recent years. Collaborating with LA’s own dream-sweet singer Empress Of makes this latest track extra yummy.
Arkells – “Skin”
Something about this romantic, happy rock track from Canadian five-top band Arkells is perfectly nostalgic. Hit play for certain shades of sunny California ‘90s rock stations, big bold singalong vocals celebrating the love in your life, and drums+guitar+piano chords that wouldn’t be out of place wrapping up a John Hughes movie. It’s the soundtrack to your life in love, every day a gift, sunshine layabouts, and grand gestures aplenty. Sounds nice, right? Tap into the fantasy with one click.
Maral – “setar rock”
There’s nothing better than clicking into a track and finding something totally new — a convergence of sounds and styles previously inconceivable, but utterly right. That’s the first-rinse experience of this moody and inventive sonic exploration from Maral, the LA artist whose music, in her own words, “meshes the latest in club music contortions, a range of pulverized dub effects, and samples from her library of Iranian folk, pop, and classical musics.” There’s simply no better way to say that, right?
Petey – “I’ll Wait”
Petey feels familiar, like someone you met at a house party, holding court with half heartfelt philosophy, half raging-against-the-machine in a hazy, dimly-lit bedroom festooned with red Solo cups. This track, his latest single (prioritizing music over content) after a slew of viral successes that hit hard on TikTok during the pandemic, is big and loud, reminiscent of pop-punk and alt-rock, a shouted declaration for anyone who will listen. Intense, fraught, and self-assured in its own pain, this track is pretty spot-on for the out-of-control reality we’re soaked in.
jaimie branch – “the mountain”
jaimie branch was a force majeure upon the music world, an inventive and fearless trumpet player who brought a playful punk sensibility to the instrument, playing loud and breaking genre lines like that ain’t nothin. Along with her steady collaborator Jason Ajemian, heard here on lead vocals and double bass, jaimie covers the Meat Puppets’ 1994 track Comin’ Down, presented as Appalachian blues infused with a sense of lionized authenticity. Jaimie, who stylized her name in lowercase — a perfect representation of her lack of pretentiousness, despite massive talent — sadly passed away at the age of 39 last year. Her final album is due out later this summer. Pick up Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) on August 25th.