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.
On this week’s list, we have the lead single and opening track from The War on Drugs’ new album, ‘Living Proof’, a plaintive, quietly rewarding reintroduction to the band’s sound; Low’s ‘Disappearing’, another gorgeously warped single off the group’s upcoming album; the beautiful ‘Phoenix’ by Big Red Machine, a collaboration with Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold and Anaïs Mitchell; Dave’s James Blake-featuring ‘Both Sides of a Smile’, an outstanding, evocative 8-minute highlight from the London rapper’s new album We’re All In This Together; illuminati hotties’ lovely new song ‘u v v p’, a surf rock- and country-inflected track complete with a spoken word segment from Big Thief’s Buck Meek; Cafuné’s ‘Empty Tricks’, a dynamic and stirring highlight from the duo’s debut full-length Running; and Penelope Isles’ ‘Sailing Still’, a slow-burning indie rock ballad set to appear on the group’s sophomore LP.
Best New Songs: July 26, 2021
Cafuné, ‘Empty Tricks’
The War on Drugs, ‘Living Proof’
Low, ‘Disappearing’
Big Red Machine feat. Fleet Foxes and Anaïs Mitchell, ‘Phoenix’
Song of the Week: Dave feat. James Blake, ‘Both Sides of a Smile’
illuminati hotties feat. Buck Meek, ‘u v v p’
Penelope Isles, ‘Sailing Still’