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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.
Yo La Tengo – “Fallout”
In a world of precision, sometimes you need some sweet, sweet fuzz. This track from legacy indie rock outfit Yo La Tengo is wonderfully loose and free, while rich with purpose: a masterclass in the art of making the difficult look easy. Featuring the kind of riffs, basslines, and cymbal crashes that you can imagine inspiring a young teen to pick up their first instrument, this surefire single will get you revved for the band’s new album, “This Stupid World,” out early next year.
La Femme – “No Pasa Nada”
Psych-punk band La Femme are back with a new album, and it’s distinctively flavored — “Teatro Lucido” revels in Latin influences and styles, including lyricism en espanol rather than the band’s native French. This bouncy, playful single brings in notes of samba and bossa nova, notably that one instrument that sounds like a muppet whooping in the distance, for a hip-shaking track that’ll add some spice to your weekend.
Jimetta Rose – “Ebb & Flow”
Speaking of bossa nova, LA indie jazz songstress Jimetta Rose has reimagined and reworked a classic and beloved track — Antonia Carlos Jobim’s “Aguas de Marco” — with lyricism and production for our time and place in this charming Sunday stroller. Embellished with an increased BPM and bonus percussive elements, this familiar tune is perfectly at home in the cushion of Rose’s voice and movements.
Miss Grit – “Follow The Cyborg”
Miss Grit woke up and chose the singularity. This provocative, dancefloor-friendly lead single off the NYC artist’s debut album will have fans of Annie Clark and Robyn double-taking, and art directors taking notes. Featuring piercing guitar riffs and an edgy-but-pop production style complemented by a video montage to challenge the status quo, this track’s an exciting glimpse into the future — if you should choose to follow.
Mount Kimbie – “dvd (Feat. Choker)”
Who else is ready for the return of sensual trip-hop/ambient-electro/lo-fi beats to study n’ chill to? Get deep in your feelings with the latest from Mount Kimbie, icons of the UK electronic underground, back with their first full release since 2018. This single’s one for your head: heavy piano, circuitous samples molded by electronic hand, and an evolving structure that spills out slow like honey. The double album “MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning,” a collaborative collection featuring artists like slowthai and James Blake, is out now.