Discover Hurray for the Riff Raff, Rostam, and more!

9. Hurray For The Riff Raff – “Hungry Ghost”

Alynda Segarra, the creative force in the band, wrote “Hungry Ghost” as a send up to the DIY music scene in New Orleans, praising spaces where anyone is welcome to make music. It’s an autobiographical tune, for certain.

8. Waxahatchee – “Silver”

On the first single from Katie Crutchfield’s upcoming fourth album, Out in the Storm, she shows a new and refreshingly uptempo direction; the quiet romance of the layered vocals and the wordless chorus, though the song touches on darker themes, all contributes to the momentum Crutchfield has been building since her first acoustic album.

7. Mac Demarco – “On the Level”

Off of This Old Dog out May 5. Mac Demarco called this track as a “kind of sister song” of “Chamber of Reflection” from his 2014 album Salad Days. The songs share the same dreamy, vaguely buoyant sound but “On the Level” illustrates the ways Mac Demarco has grown as an artist. The honest beauty of his lyrics show a sobering examination of self reliance.

6. Foster the People – “Pay the Man”

LA quartet Foster the People are back with three new songs (their first new music since the release of 2014’s Coming of Age) and they’re definitely ready to have some fun. Mark Foster detailed in a press release about the new music that the band “wrote these songs to reflect joy in a time where people have needed it more than ever and we thought it was a good time to share them with you”. While details about the album are still to come, we can expect it to arrive this summer.

5. Glass Animals – “Pork Soda”

The third single from How to Be a Human Being was inspired by a conversation lead singer Dave Bayley overheard, where a homeless man admitted to feeling like he had “pineapples in his head”. There is special website for this song: porksoda.co.uk

4. Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie – “In my World”

After a 15 year hiatus, Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie are back in business and making tracks to fuel your summer drives with quintessential cool. “In My World” is full of emotion and mystery, yet Lindsey and Christine’s fresh take on this track makes it whimsical enough to listen to 15 times in a row (don’t worry I’ve been there). The duo’s new album Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie drops this June 9 on Atlantic.

3. Sylvan Esso – “The Glow”

This track, off Sylvan Esso’s sophomore album, What Now, proves that they are not just another electronic indie act. Singer Amelia Meath weaves in a whole cast of names, creating a world of characters that you can easily slip into amid the bright blips and stuttering beats, and evokes a feeling of walking around on a spring day.

2. Rostam – “Gwan”

After leaving Vampire Weekend last year Rostam Batmanglij collaborated with Hamilton Leithauser for their album I Had a Dream That You Were Mine. “Gwan” is off of his solo album expected to be out later this year. Rostam’s cooing voice coupled with a beautiful string arrangement creates a climactic, atmospheric ballad.

1. Phoenix – “J-Boy”

It’s been four years since Phoenix’s last album (2013’s Bankrupt!), and while long breaks between albums is somewhat of a trend for the Grammy-winning band, they seem to always make the wait extremely worth it. As is the case with the shimmering and energetic lead single from their forthcoming album Ti Amo, out June 9.It’ll make you feel like you’re hanging higher than a disco ball. (Fun fact: “J-Boy” stands for “Just because of you”)