Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this segment.
The big music news last week was the surprise release of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’ first non-soundtrack album as a duo, Carnage, of which the menacing six-minute epic ‘White Elephant’ is the clear centerpiece. ‘Ringside’ is a soaring non-single highlight from Julien Baker’s new album Little Oblivions, while Jenn Wasner’s latest as Flock of Dimes is a slow-burning stunner. Half Waif offers just enough hope on her dreamy, memorable new track ‘Party’s Over’; Kero Kero Bonito delivered the bright and playful ‘The Princess and the Clock’; and finally, Noname returned with her first single of the year, ‘Rainforest’, which sets her complex, insightful lyricism against a jazz-inflected instrumental.
Best New Songs: March 1, 2021
Half Waif, ‘Party’s Over’
Flock of Dimes, ‘Price of Blue’
Kero Kero Bonito, ‘The Princess and the Clock’
Song of the Week: Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, ‘White Elephant’
Julien Baker, ‘Ringside’
Noname, ‘Rainforest’