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 best new music segment.
On this week’s list, we have Arcade Fire’s ‘The Lightning I, II’, the lead single from their forthcoming album WE, whose communal spirit makes it feel less like a comeback than a homecoming; ‘Home Maker’, the joyful and hypnotic new single from Sudan Archives, which builds on the possibilities of domesticity; ’Pressure Cooker’, an undeniably infectious slice of ‘90s alt-rock from lo-fi pop outfit Dazy and LA post-hardcore band Militarie Gun; The Smile’s mesmerizing ‘Skirting on the Surface’, which dates back to Radiohead’s In Rainbows sessions; ‘Lightning’, a bold highlight from Charli XCX’s new album CRASH; ROSALÍA’s ‘HENTAI’, a delicate ballad co-written and produced with Pharrell Williams; Ethel Cain’s ‘Gibson Girl’, the lead offering from her upcoming debut LP Preacher’s Daughter, which conjures a shadowy, slow-burning atmosphere and is all the more thrilling for it; and ’So Unimportant’, a gorgeous and richly arranged new collaboration from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Ethan Gruska.
Best New Songs: March 21, 2022
Arcade Fire, ‘The Lightning I, II’
Sudan Archives, ‘Home Maker’
Song of the Week: Dazy & Militarie Gun, ‘Pressure Cooker’
The Smile, ‘Skrting on the Surface’
Charli XCX, ‘Lightning’
ROSALÍA, ‘HENTAI’
Ethel Cain, ‘Gibson Girl’
Ethan Gruska & Bon Iver, ‘So Unimportant’