It feels like it’s been a minute since the last Weekend Playlist…hasn’t it? I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays and maybe took some much-needed time off work and socials. Sadly, we’re in the dead of winter, which means I’m losing steam quickly.
Call it seasonal depression, winter blues, you name it…I have it. But the one thing that keeps me going day after day is new music. I’ve been going through my Spotify Daylist lately- which continuously keeps calling me a writer, and I’m wondering how it knows – and wracking through old songs that are new to my ears. The good news? It’s Friday.
Sure, absence has made the heart grow vastly fonder, which is why I’m back with another week of music. New music releases make the world go round. The one constant in life is that every Friday, somebody somewhere is releasing new songs.
This week’s no different…so, as always, let’s get listening!
Noah Kahan, Sam Fender- “Homesick”
If this were the Avengers, Noah Kahan would be Thanos- except his Infinity Stones are ultimate collaborations on his album and the goal were giving listeners music they deserve. This time, he hits a home run with Sam Fender, who puts his own spin on what it means for him to feel homesick. It’s both the yearning to leave and the need to go back that holds us hostage to our hometowns, and they nail it with this duet. About the collab, Fender says,
“I was told Noah wanted us to work together, and I’d heard the tune ‘Homesick’and thought it was a lush song. We then spoke on the phone and immediately hit it off. I lovedthe idea of the song being a transatlantic call-and-response between two young kids desperateto escape their hometowns. The ‘running away’ theme has been done to death by myself, andmany other artists over the last 50 years, but it’s relatable.”
Becky Hill, Sonny Fodera- “Never Be Alone”
I spoke to Becky Hill a few months ago about her upcoming music, which she promised to be your essential club vibe that pays homage to the beats you love partying to. Now, here we are with her newest single, “Never Be Alone”, and it’s a certified banger. If you want a song that makes you want to drink, dance, and be merry with your friends…let me introduce you to Becky.
She’s someone who’s always understood the assignment: be true to your music, to the sound that drives you and made you fall in love with the art, and deliver your twist on it. “Never Be Alone” sets up the Year of Becky Hill: a soloist in her own right, whose vocal power eclipses the production beat behind it.
Bleachers- “Tiny Moves”
Jack Antonoff and Mikey Freedom Hart’s band, Bleachers, is known for their indie-beach rock sound. Both relaxing and introspective, Bleachers constantly gives us an alternative sound that scratches an itch we didn’t know we had. With an ethereal, coming-of-age sound, “Tiny Moves” is a love song that feels straight out of a movie.
Bleachers sings about that feeling when every move your partner makes feels special and ground-shattering, how your love for them can feel all-consuming. It’s an all-encompassing song: chill in the right places, melancholic and lovesick in others.
David Kushner- “Skin and Bones”
The next Hozier, David Kushner has perfected the soulful, gospel-esque dark academia vibe that is quintessential winter. His voice is haunting, with echos that make it sound as if he were singing just to you- “Skin and Bones” takes everything you love about David Kushner’s sound and transforms it into a religious experience.
“Skin and Bones” continues to prove to us that the pop-folk genre made popular by names like The Lumineers and Bon Iver has room to expand and can be taken to new heights everyday.
Pharrell, Mumford & Sons- “Good People”
Soulful, stomp-and-holler, a collaboration you didn’t know we needed…Mumford & Sons and ultimate producer-singer-songwriter Pharrell have your classic soulful tune. “Good People” welcomes you to the revelation with your ultimate blend of rock, folk, and a harmonious concoction of vocals and callbacks that make you want to simply stomp your feet and holler along.
There truly is nothing in the world like a Mumford & Sons harmony behind a strong Pharrell sound…which is why “Good People” is one of the best songs on the playlist today.
