The Five Best Songs Released This Past Week, Pt. 35

Happy Sunday!

Noteworthy album & EP releases:

Adolescence – Baynk
SICK! – Earl Sweatshirt
CAPRISONGS – FKA Twigs
Storm Queen – Grace Cummings
BRIGHTSIDE – The Lumineers
Fix Yourself, Not The World – The Wombats
Santolina – Yot Club

In chronological order:

“Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me” – Bad Suns
Release date – January 11

You know how the saying goes: ignorance is bliss. This same sentiment stands with Bad Suns’ newest bop “Life Was Easier When I Only Cared About Me,” and I think it’s safe to assume you can get the gist of the subject matter based off the title alone. It’s easier to exist on this floating rock we call earth only concerned with ourselves and our lives than it is to care about anything else: let alone another person!!! I admit that I was a bigger fan of Bad Suns’ earlier music compared to what they’ve released in the past couple years, but this song feels like a return to form to me.

Bad Suns’ next album drops on January 28.

“Next To Normal” – Lucius
Release date – January 11

I’ve only listened to this song twice since it came out and the hook has been stuck in my head all weekend: a true testament to the quality of a solid pop song.

Brooklyn-born, LA-based four-piece Lucius have been quietly making incredible pop music (seemingly) under-the-radar for several years now, contributing their unique, effortless harmonies to a handful of indie artists like Jeff Tweedy, Dawes, and The War On Drugs. It’s been six years since Lucius released a full length album, but the release of “Next To Normal” comes with the announcement of a new album: Second Nature is out in April.

“Shy” – Molly Moore
Release date – January 12

If you like the catchy bass lines of Blu DeTiger, I guarantee you’ll enjoy up and coming solo musician and successful songwriter Molly Moore, who’s set to drop a new EP on February 11.

The feeling of meeting someone for the first time and instantly feeling that spark, imagining the possibilities of what could come from this interaction is a feeling I’m sure all of us have experienced at least once in our lives: and Moore captures that feeling succinctly in “Shy,” – mentioning for her crush to “take their mask off” in front of her: is it bad that I imagined a physical mask instead of interpreting this as a metaphor? Ah, COVID times. 

“jealousy” – FKA Twigs ft. Rema
Release date – January 14

While I still haven’t sat down to listen to FKA Twigs’ newest release CAPRISONGS, yet, I have a feeling that I’m going to enjoy the mixtape very much based off what I’ve already heard from the project, including “jealousy.”

The songs seem a bit lighter in sound and subject matter compared to what we saw on FKA’s 2019 release, MAGDALENE, and I’m curious to see how that decision is accepted from fans.

“Keep Coming Back For More” – Matisyahu ft. Salt Cathedral
Release date – January 14

I’ll admit that I haven’t heard of Matisyahu before this song was dropped, but I am a big fan of Salt Cathedral, which is why this song caught my eye. Matisyahu, an American Jewish reggae musician, has been making music for nearly two decades at this point. The light, airy feel of Salt Cathedral’s vocals and productions are somewhat jarring compared to Matisayahu’s style, but they work in tandem to create something interesting but timeless at the same time.

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